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:

Shutdown, Story time and a Child's Brain, Blending Families Jan 22, 2018

Show notes

Shut Down (20:16) Joe Cannon is the CEO of the Fuel Freedom Foundation, former Chairman of the Utah Republican Party, past assistant administrator in the US EPA, and editor of the Deseret News. Joe Cannon talks about the government shut down and Donald Trumps first year as President. Storytime a 'Turbocharger' for a Child's Brain (1:05:11) John Hutton, M.D., is a pediatrician and clinical researcher at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He owns a children’s bookstore in Cincinnati and has also written 24 children’s books. It turns out that one of the more overlooked parts of parenting is actually one of the most important. New research shows that reading with your child before bedtime can seriously stimulate brain development. It also shows that there are a few things parents can do to make storytime even better for their children. John Hutton on why reading to children is so important. Blending Families Successfully (1:51:49) Nicole Cunningham is a Master Executive Coach with 15 years of coaching and consulting experience. Nicole has dedicated her career to assisting companies, individuals and families in Australia, Malaysia, UK, Singapore, and America to understand, change and improve human behavior and relationships. Nicole is a people whisperer, she has an incomparable understanding of all aspects of human nature and she is the creator of the 12 Psychological Inclinations. She is also the COO of Clarity Point Coaching. Nicole shares some ideas on how to successfully blend families. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:16 - Shut Down 01:65:11 - Storytime a 'Turbocharger' for a Child's Brain 01:111:49 - Blending Families Successfully

Politics and Sports, Leading in the Moment, Tax Plan Jobs Jan 20, 2018

Show notes

Politics and Sports (20:37) Gregory Murray, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Augusta University. Football and politics seem like they are worlds apart. One deals with a ball and teams and the other deals with the country and laws. But some say that football fanatics and politicians are not that different. Greg Murray explains how partisan politics and sports fandom are similar. Leading in the Moment (1:09:56) Judith Humphrey is the founder of The Humphrey Group, a premier leadership communications firm. She is a communications expert whose business teaches global clients how to communicate as confident, compelling leaders. One of the characteristics of great leaders is their ability to think on their feet and respond on the spot. They are able to inspire and influence in everyday situations, whether it be in the elevator, in the hallway, or in a meeting. Yet many of us are afraid to speak up in these situations. We are afraid of being judged, of being criticized, or of having nothing meaningful to say. Judith Humphrey shares her new book, Impromptu: Leading in the Moment, which explains how to think on our feet and respond eloquently to any situation. Why the Republican tax plan can help put American youths back to work (1:55:24) Randall Olsen, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) and has been heavily involved with the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience (NLS) for over twenty years. With the new Republican tax plan, many want to know whether the bill will improve labor market opportunities for workers, especially the nation’s youth, whose careers have suffered since the turn of the century. Randall Olsen explains why he believes it will. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:37 - Politics and Sports 01:69:56 - Leading in the Moment 01:115:24 - Why the Republican tax plan can help put American youths back to work

Disney/Fox Deal, Mentorship vs. Management, Screen Cleaning Jan 19, 2018

Show notes

Is the Disney/21st Century Fox deal good for America (20:24) Margot Susca, Ph.D., is a professorial lecturer in American University’s School of Communication journalism division. She teaches courses in reporting, journalism ethics, children's media culture, mass media and society, and code. The proposed $52.4 billion merger of Disney and 21st Century Fox would merge the first and third largest film companies in the world. Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Searchlight, 20th Century Fox and Big Sky would all be under the same umbrella. Dr. Margot Susca examines the trend of media consolidation. Mentorship vs. Management (1:09:02) Clint Pulver is a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker who has traveled the world speaking to youth and adult audiences. As more and more millennials continue to graduate college and join the workforce, corporate managers find themselves facing a daunting new challenge: how to best connect with their new, young employees. The truth is that millennials are looking for leaders that support them, encourage them, and inspire them to be their best. In short, they are looking for mentors. Clint Pulver talks about what can be done to give millennials the support they are looking for in the workplace. Jeff Simpson - Screen Cleaning (1:36:06) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping you find family-friendly options. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:24 - Is the Disney/21st Century Fox deal good for America 01:69:02 - Mentorship vs. Management 01:96:06 - Jeff Simpson - Screen Cleaning

Tax Plan Jobs, Resolving Emotional Conflicts, New Years Weight Loss Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

Why the Republican tax plan can help put American youths back to work (20:02) Randall Olsen, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) and has been heavily involved with the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience (NLS) for over twenty years. With the new Republican tax plan, many want to know whether the bill will improve labor market opportunities for workers, especially the nation’s youth, whose careers have suffered since the turn of the century. Randall Olsen explains why he believes it will. Resolve Emotional Conflicts (1:06:24) Daniel Shapiro, Ph.D., is the founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program, which pioneers innovative strategies and teaching methodologies to address the human dimensions of conflict resolution. How do you deal with that impossible person? The one who always seems to be out to get you. When you’re at an impasse with your boss, your spouse, your neighbors, how do you reach a solution that’s best for both of you? When making an emotional argument how do you avoid letting your emotions get the best of you? Author Dan Shapiro’s book Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts takes a look at tribal thinking and how to identify with those who seem fundamentally opposed to us. New Years Intentions For Weight Loss (1:59:18) Karen Mangum is a licensed, registered dietitian, seasoned recipe developer, food blogger, and nutrition consultant. She is the author and producer of Inside Karen’s Kitchen, a healthy food blog, where she shares recipes that nourish and heal along with insightful nutrition musings which attempt to sort fact from fiction. Karen is married to Michael and the mother of five almost grown children, including BYU football starting quarterback, Tanner Mangum. Karen Mangum shares her tips on how to be intentional in your weight loss goals for the new year. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:02 - Why the Republican tax plan can help put American youths back to work 01:66:24 - Resolve Emotional Conflicts 01:119:18 - New Years Intentions For Weight Loss

Politics and Sports, Leading in the Moment, Comfort Zones Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Politics and Sports (20:37) Gregory Murray, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Augusta University. Football and politics seem like they are worlds apart. One deals with a ball and teams and the other deals with the country and laws. But some say that football fanatics and politicians are not that different. Greg Murray explains how partisan politics and sports fandom are similar. Leading in the Moment (1:09:57) Judith Humphrey is the founder of The Humphrey Group, a premier leadership communications firm. She is a communications expert whose business teaches global clients how to communicate as confident, compelling leaders. One of the characteristics of great leaders is their ability to think on their feet and respond on the spot. They are able to inspire and influence in everyday situations, whether it be in the elevator, in the hallway, or in a meeting. Yet many of us are afraid to speak up in these situations. We are afraid of being judged, of being criticized, or of having nothing meaningful to say. Judith Humphrey shares her new book, Impromptu: Leading in the Moment, which explains how to think on our feet and respond eloquently to any situation. Getting out of your comfort zone (1:55:45) Paul Jenkins, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist. He is the author of Pathological Positivity. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychology-law Society, and the Utah Psychological Association. Marriage can be tough. Many challenges come up when two people decide to join their lives together. Dr. Paul Jenkins shares some ideas on how to get out of your comfort zone. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:37 - Politics and Sports 01:69:57 - Leading in the Moment 01:115:45 - Getting out of your comfort zone

Gender Pricing, What do Wives Want from Husbands Jan 16, 2018

Show notes

Gender Pricing (21:23) Christine Whelan, Ph.D., Clinical professor in the DeProfessorof Consumer Science at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Products marketed for women or girls are priced higher than virtually identical products for men. Accordingly in one study by the New York Department of Consumer Affairs, personal care products marketed to women cost an average of 13 percent more than equivalent men's products, 8 percent on adult clothing, 4 percent on children's clothing, 7 percent on toys and accessories, and 8 percent on home health care products and products for seniors. One study estimated that these hidden cost, or “pink tax” can cost women nearly $1,400 a year. So why are they products marked up for women? And what is being done to even the cost? Dr. Whelan explains. What do Wives Want from Husbands (1:10:15) Aubrey Grossen is a writer, a blogger, and (most importantly) a mother! Aubrey’s movement “The Mamahood” is something she has created as an opportunity to connect mothers with other mothers as a support system and a resource. She has found great success with multiple Facebook groups which create a community full of moms supporting moms and finding joy in #momlife. Her goal is to create a way for every mom to have a friend. Whether it be a workout buddy, a shopping buddy, or just someone to hear you rant about your day. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:23 - Gender Pricing 01:70:15 - What do Wives Want from Husbands

Wider Awareness, Think Like a Leader, Language and Tolerance Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

Does the Brain Filter out a Wider Awareness? (14:33) Dr. Marjorie Hines Woollacott has been a neuroscience professor at the University of Oregon for more than three decades and a meditator for almost four. She also has a master’s degree in Asian studies, which she began on a teaching sabbatical and completed at the UO while a full-time professor. Her master’s thesis was the foundation for her latest book, Infinite Awareness: The Awakening of a Scientific Mind, which is both a scientist’s memoir and a research survey on human consciousness. As a neuroscientist, Marjorie Woollacott had no doubts that the brain was a purely physical entity controlled by chemicals and electrical pulses. When she experimented with meditation for the first time, however, her entire world changed. Woollacott’s journey through years of meditation has made her question the reality she built her career upon and has forced her to ask what human consciousness really is. Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (1:03:14) Herminia Ibarra is the Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD. Prior to joining INSEAD, she served on the Harvard Business School faculty for thirteen years. She Chairs the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Business School. Thinkers 50 ranked Ibarra #8 among the most influential business gurus in the world. Today’s breakneck pace of change has an immense impact on leaders – and as a result, on the organizations, they run. All too often, people remain stuck in outdated mindsets and modes of operating, even after others recognize the need for change. Herminia Ibbara, author of “Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader”, teaches us about some new and updated leadership qualities and innovative strategies that can help us truly become a “better leader.” Language and Tolerance (1:47:30) Amy Thompson, Ph.D., is the Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of South Florida. Less than 1% of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that th 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:33 - Does the Brain Filter out a Wider Awareness? 01:63:14 - Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader 01:107:30 - Language and Tolerance

Facebook Score, Making Sense of Emotion, Alzheimer Research Jan 13, 2018

Show notes

Keeping score of ‘friends’ on Facebook (21:42) Ashley Whillans, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Social Media is changing the way we look at the world and the way we look at ourselves. Is it really healthy for us to be using social media to measure our success? Ashley Whillans explains what social media is doing to us Making Sense of Emotion (1:08:35) Frank John Ninivaggi MD is an associate attending physician at Yale-New Haven Hospital, an assistant clinical professor of child psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center and the psychiatric director of the Devereux-Glenholme School in Washington, Connecticut. He is in private practice in New Haven and teaches at Yale. He is a regular contributor to Psychology Today online and his book, Making Sense of Emotion: Innovating Emotional Intelligence has just been published. Frank Ninivaggi helps us understand why emotional intelligence is a skill that must be developed. Alzheimer Research (1:57:52) Perry Ridge, Ph.D., a professor of Biology at Brigham Young University. Almost 6 million people in the U.S live with Alzheimer’s disease and currently, there is no cure. A research group at BYU just identified a gene variation that could protect people against the disease. Dr. Ridge shares his research. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:42 - Keeping score of 'friends' on Facebook 01:68:35 - Making Sense of Emotion 01:117:52 - Alzheimer Research

Trust in Government, Collapse of Parenting, Screen Cleaning Jan 12, 2018

Show notes

Trust in Government (19:23) Ryan Turner is an adjunct professor at St. Edward's University School of Behavioral & Social Sciences. With the release of the JFK files a few months back came a surge of media coverage about the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath, but it’s not like public interest has ever really slowed. On any day of the week, visit Dealey Plaza, the downtown Dallas site of the assassination, and you’ll see curious tourists trying to figure out what really happened. Ryan Turner talks about how withering public trust in government could be traced all the way back to the JFK assassination. The Collapse of Parenting (1:07:34) Leonard Sax is a practicing family physician and best-selling author. He has worked on issues of child and adolescent development with schools and communities in the United States and around the world. There is no doubt that children are growing up today in a very different world than the one their parents grew up in. Every day they face new challenges, whether at school, with their friends, or at home. Parents, for their part, have also changed the way that they raise their kids, and perhaps not all for the better. After all, the past 30 years have seen rising levels of obesity, depression, and anxiety among young people. Leonard Sax is the author of the book The Collapse of Parenting which articulates the problems that parents face and how they can solve them. Jeff Simpson - Screen Cleaning (1:37:14) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping you find family-friendly options. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:32 - Trust in Government 01:67:34 - The Collapse of Parenting 01:97:14 - Jeff Simpson - Screen Cleaning

Pay Raises and Economic Growth, Blue Light, Tips for 2018 Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

What’s Stifling Pay Raises Is Also Curbing Economic Growth (20:32) Ryan Avent is a senior editor and the Free exchange columnist at The Economist. He previously served as The Economist’s news editor, as an economics correspondent, and as online economics editor. He is also the author of The Wealth of Humans. Is our economy as productive as it was 20 years ago? Do the economy and our workforce continue to become more and more productive as time goes on? Ryan Avent talks about how a lack of productivity could be affecting both pay raises and curbing economic growth. Blue Light and our Bodies (1:08:33) Dr. Geoffrey Goodfellow is an Associate Professor, Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Assessment; Coordinator and Private Practice Clerkship at Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Goodfellow has served as the site coordinator for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigators Group as well as the chief of the Pediatrics/Binocular Vision Service. Apple recently released some new products with new features. Among these were a new iPad Pro and a new iPhone. These products come with many features, one of which is a new lighting technology called “Night Shift”. “Night Shift” changes the lighting on the phone to produce less blue light so as to help users go to sleep easier. But will it really work? Dr. Goodfellow explains. Jeanette Bennett - Tips for 2018 (1:54:40) Jeanette Bennett is founder and editor-in-chief at Bennett Communications, where she primarily focuses on Utah Valley Magazine, BusinessQ Magazine, and Prosper Magazine. Jeanette earned a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism from BYU and has been a regular guest on HuffPostLive. Sometimes people step away from a job because of health issues, family emergencies, or other personal issues. Jeanette Bennett shares some tips about how to be successful in 2018. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:32 - What's Stifling Pay Raises Is Also Curbing Economic Growth 01:68:33 - Blue Light and our Bodies 01:114:40 - Jeanette Bennett - Tips for 2018

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