The Matt Townsend Show

Matt Townsend specializes in energizing and involving audiences with his unique approach to building and maintaining successful relationships. Known as one of America’s top presenters in the field of Human Relations and Development, Matt blends humor and story telling with interactive, real-life solutions that motivate and inspire his listeners.

Latest Episodes:

Loathing Leadership Training, Generosity Aug 02, 2018

Show notes

Why We Loathe Leadership Training (16:21) Sydney Finkelstein, Ph.D., is the Steven Roth Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Professor Finkelstein has published 20 books and 80 articles, including the #1 bestseller “Why Smart Executives Fail.” His latest book that we talked about back in February is titled “Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Manage the Flow of Talent.” Dr. Finkelstein is here this morning to help talk to us about new ways and rules for motivating others. Why money is an impoverished metric of generosity (1:05:02) Dr. Richard Gunderman is Chancellor’s professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Philanthropy, and Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University. Often we hear about people like John Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie as some of the most generous Americans of all times. Lists of the most generous philanthropists in the US are regularly produced to show how much these men and women give away. But these lists distort our understanding of generosity. Dr. Gunderman recently released an article about charitiable giving and how time is many times more valuable than money. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:21 - Why We Loathe Leadership Training 01:65:02 - Why money is an impoverished metric of generosity

Emotional Agility, Healthy Amount of Exercise Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

Emotional Agility (15:12) Susan David, Ph.D., is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School; cofounder and codirector of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital; and CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, a boutique business consultancy. Susan David draws on her more than twenty years of research to show that emotionally agile people are not immune to stresses and setbacks. Dr. David shares her book Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work Life. Healthy Amount of Exercise (1:01:02) Andrea Ovard currently works at the University of Utah hospital as a clinical dietitian in the cardiac ICU and medical units. She is a registered dietitian who completed a degree in Dietetics. She is the writer and creator of the blog “The Baking Dietitian” which focuses on healthy cooking, workout routines and nutrition tips with her readers. Her motto for overall health is simple: all in things in moderation. Andrea Ovard is here with us today to discuss the problems that come with exercising too much, and how we can find the right balance between too little and too much. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:15:12 - Emotional Agility 01:61:02 - Healthy Amount of Exercise

How to Become a Grown-Up, Disappearing Barber Shop Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up (16:05) Kelly Williams Brown is the author of Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps. Growing up is an ever challenging, ever changing endeavor. Each generation deals with it in their own way. Kelly Brown has literally written the book on growing up and shares what she has learned from interviewing people from all walks of life. Disappearing Barber Shop (58:47) Dr. Kristen Barber received her Ph.D. from University of Southern California. She is a professor at Southern Illinois University, her research and teaching focus on issues of gender and social inequalities. She is the author of Styling Masculinity: Gender, Class, and Inequality in the Men's Grooming Industry. The all-male barbershop is one piece of Americana that is on the decline. Why Barbershops are disappearing and what’s replacing them? Dr. Kristen Barber shares here research. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:05 - Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up 00:58:47 - Disappearing Barber Shop

Selfishness is Learned, College Grads and Jobs Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

Selfishness is Learned (14:46) Matt Hutson has written for Newsweek, Wired, The Atlantic, Scientific American Mind, Popular Mechanics, and dozens of other publications. Matt also has written for Psychology Today, where he was the News Editor for four years. He is the Author of the book: THE 7 LAWS OF MAGICAL THINKING: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane. What is our inherent nature? Are we born good or are we born selfish? Matt Hutson discusses his article Selfishness is Learned. College Grads and Jobs (1:06:50) Michael Betz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. His expertise is in regional and rural/urban economics. His research explores factors that drive local labor markets and demographic change in the United States with a particular focus on difference between rural and urban areas. Finding a job afer college graduation can be tough. Are college graduates looking for the same things as they did in the earlier decades? Or has a changing world affected what attracts educated workers? Dr. Betz with the info. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:46 - Selfishness is Learned 01:66:50 - College Grads and Jobs

How to Raise an Adult, Make Meetings Better Jul 28, 2018

Show notes

How to Raise an Adult (20:20) Julie Lythcott-Haims studied law at Harvard and then practiced law in the Bay Area in the 1990s before returning to Stanford to serve in various roles including Dean of Freshmen, a position she created and held for a decade. As summer closes and September officially gets underway, over a million students will be attending college for the first time. And while college marks the beginning of independence for some, other students are having their parents come along for their first year of college. Mrs. Lythcott-Haims is author of the book: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. She disccuss over parenting. Make Meetings Better (1:00:02) For over 30 years, Bob Frisch has worked with Senior Executive Teams and Boards on their most vital strategic and organizational challenges. He is considered one of the world’s leading strategic facilitators. Bob is the author of four Harvard Business Review articles and his first book, Who’s In The Room? How Great Leaders Structure and Manage the Teams Around Them, quickly became an Amazon bestseller. He is the founder of the Strategic Offsites Group Company. Bob Frisch shares his article about how to make meeting better. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:20 - How to Raise an Adult 01:60:02 - Make Meetings Better

Kids Apologizing, History of Exhaustion, Screen Cleaning Jul 27, 2018

Show notes

Should Parents Ask Their Children to Apologize (16:15) Craig Smith, Ph.D., is currently the director of the Living Lab project at the University of Michigan. The Living Lab is a research/education model that brings developmental research into community settings such as museums and libraries. Your child is playing with another child while you watch from across the playground. Suddenly your child lashes out and hits their friend. What do you do? Do you demand an “I’m Sorry”? Do you apologize to the other parents? What’s the best thing to do to teach your child? Dr. Craig Smith explains his research. History of Exhaustion (1:04:01) Anna Katharina Schaffner, Ph.D., is a Reader in Comparative Literature and Medical Humanities at the University of Kent in England. Her current research interests are situated in the fields of the medical humanities, cultural history, the history of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, and mind-body theory. Her book, Exhaustion: A History charts the forgotten history of exhaustion from classical antiquity to the present day, examining the role of exhaustion symptoms in syndromes including nervousness, depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and burnout. Dr. Schaffner shares her research. Screen Cleaning (1:34:28) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV, helping you find family-friendly options. The sixth entry to the Mission Impossible franchise comes out today, so Jeff and Cole quickly get you caught up on what you may have missed from the other five films. They also rank their favorite Tom Cruise stunts, favorite mask tears, and other favorite moments from the franchise. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:15 - Should Parents Ask Their Children to Apologize 01:64:01 - History of Exhaustion 01:94:28 - Screen Cleaning

How to Deal with a Jerk at Work, The 10 Laws of Trust Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

How to Deal with a Jerk at Work (18:31) Peter Economy is a best-selling business author, ghostwriter, developmental editor, and publishing consultant with more than 80 books to his credit. He writes columns on leadership and management for Inc.com (The Leadership Guy) and has also served as Associate Editor for Leader to Leader magazine since 2001. They're always the one cracking crude jokes, inappropriately speaking out, or just making those around them feel really uncomfortable. They may even be the type that seem to enjoy bullying others around them. We try ignoring them, staying polite--sometimes even going as far as even trying to befriend them at the cost of our own mental sanity. But just how should we really be dealing with jerks like these? Peter Economy explains. The 10 Laws of Trust (1:03:18) Joel Peterson is the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford as well as the Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways. He is on the faculty at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and has been since 1992. Peterson is the Founding Partner and Chairman of Peterson Partners, a Salt Lake City-based investment management firm. Joel Peterson shares insights from his book The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:31 - How to Deal with a Jerk at Work 01:63:18 - The 10 Laws of Trust

Great Teams, Extrovert Skills for Introverts Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

Great Teams (14:39) Don Yaeger is an award-winning keynote speaker, business leadership coach, an eight-time New York Times Best-selling author, longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, and author of Great Teams: 16 things high performing organizations do differently. The Rio Olympics have already shown us what teams can do, whether it’s the USA’s dominant gymnastics team, the star power of their women’s swimming relays, or the superstar filled basketball team. That raises the question. What makes one team great and others just okay? Extrovert Skills for Introverts (1:00:08) Andre Sólo is an author, philosopher and professional adventurer. Since 2012 he has traveled across the Americas with nothing but a bicycle. He believes that a journey is a powerful way to discover purpose in life, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. He writes about heroism, spirituality, and exploring the world as an introvert. Andre Sólo explains how working on extrovert skills made him a happier introvert. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:39 - Great Teams 01:60:08 - Extrovert Skills for Introverts

Importance of Being Alone, Strengthening Your Marriage Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

Importance of Being Alone (18:10) Scott Campbell, Ph.D., is a Professor of Telecommunications in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. His research examines social changes associated with the update of mobile communication technology. Dr. Campbell explains the importance of solitude and why it is helpful to spend quality time alone without technology. Strengthening Your Marriage (1:05:08) Heather Johnson, M.S., has been an adjunct faculty member at Brigham Young University for nearly 10 years. She is passionate about teaching students the principles behind successful families and the importance of families spending time together. Heather shares with Dr. Matt tips to strengthen your marriage. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:10 - Importance of Being Alone 01:65:08 - Strengthening Your Marriage

The Purpose Effect, Train the Brain to Lose Weight Jul 23, 2018

Show notes

The Purpose Effect (15:00) Dan Pontefract is Chief Envisioner at TELUS, a Canadian telecommunications company, where he heads a future-of-work consulting group that helps organizations enhance their corporate cultures and collaboration practices. Dan Pontefract, author of The Purpose Effect: Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role and Your Organization, explains how to find purpose in life. Train the Brain to Lose Weight (1:01:44) Laurel Mellin, Ph.D., is a health psychologist who founded and developed emotional brain training. She is an associate clinical professor of family and community medicine and pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Mellin has authored papers on the science and efficacy of EBT and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books on the method. Dr. Mellin explains how to take control of your brain to meet personal goals like weight loss. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:15:00 - The Purpose Effect 01:61:44 - Train the Brain to Lose Weight

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