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:

Talking about Sexual Harassment, Congress, Holiday Health Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

The way we tell the story of Hollywood sexual assault and harassment matters (19:33) Sarah Cook, Ph.D., a professor of Psychology at Georgia State University. The #metoo movement has brought major attention to the plight of women and all those who deal with sexual harassment. It has challenged how the world sees sexual harassment in our communities, in the news industry, and in Hollywood. Here to speak more about this is Sarah Cook who has confronted the problem of sexual violence as an emergency room rape companion, a social worker, an advocate for initial passage of VAWA, a teacher, and a researcher. She discusses how we as a society talk about sexual assault and harassment. Harassment in the House (1:07:48) Enid Greene Mickelsen was the third woman and first Republican woman ever elected to Congress from Utah. Enid became the acting chair of the Utah Republican Party upon the resignation of Joe Cannon in November 2006 and was unanimously elected to serve as state party chair in February 2007. Today in our country, many individuals in Hollywood and Capitol Hill are coming forward to report sexual misconduct that has been going on for years. How can we change this culture of sexual harassment? Enid Mickelsen shares with us her experiences in the House of Representatives with sexual harassment and what can be done to change this problem. How to stay healthy during the holidays (2:00:30) Judith Wurtman is the former director of the Research Program in Women’s Health at the MIT Clinical Research Center and founder of TRIAD, a Harvard Hospital weight loss center. The holidays are a great time to celebrate with cultural customs and family traditions, but some of those traditions include a whole lot of fat and sugar. If you eat every plate of cookies that is brought to your door, every homemade pie your mother makes, every secret recipe you find at the holiday parties, you may wind up spending Christmas in the emergency room or New Years on a treadmill. How can we stay healthy while still enjoying the flavors 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:33 - The way we tell the story of Hollywood sexual assault and harassment matters 01:67:48 - Harassment in the House 02:120:30 - How to stay healthy during the holidays

Good Jobs Without Degrees, Moral Fiber, Food Myths Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

30 Million Workers Without a Bachelor’s Degree Have Good Jobs (19:36) Neil Ridley is the Director of the State Initiative at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Some say that a college diploma is the new high school degree. Manufacturing jobs are disappearing, so does that mean there are fewer jobs for high school graduates? Neil Ridley shares research that shows that you may not need a college degree to get a good paying job. Liana Tan - Bedtime Stories (1:18:48) Did you know, according to a survey conducted by Littlewoods, only 13% of parents read to their kids at night every day of the week? A bedtime story used to be a popular way for parents to bond with their kids, but in a single generation, the tradition has dramatically declined. A few of our producers got together to keep the tradition alive and are going to treat us with their own retelling of a bedtime story with a millennial twist. Moral Fiber: Awakening Corporate Consciousness (1:25:21) Shawn Vij has over 25 years of Industry and consulting experience. He has worked in various leadership positions for Ford Motor Company, Ernst & Young, VISA, Deloitte Consulting, Microsoft, and Intel Corporation. Leaders in today’s cutthroat business world don’t often value respect, honesty, or compassion. However, these values are essential and must be present in the business world if leaders want to succeed. Shawn Vij, author of Moral Fiber: Awakening Corporate Consciousness, shares with us the five core values all leaders should have to be truly successful. Food Myths (1:57:00) Ron Hager, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University. His area is expertise is Chronic Disease Prevention. Dr. Hager busts food myths and explains the true nutritional value of wholesome food. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:36 - 30 Million Workers Without a Bachelor's Degree Have Good Jobs 01:85:21 - Moral Fiber: Awakening Corporate Consciousness 01:117:00 - Food Myths

Flynn Pleads Guilty, Soar Above, Relationships Boundaries Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

Flynn Pleads Guilty (18:11) 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 Michael Flynn pleading guilty, the ongoing Russia investigation, and Trump vs. Romney. Soar Above (1:06:58) Steven Stosny, Ph.D., has treated over 6,000 clients for various forms of anger, abuse, and violence and is the founder of CompassionPower. He has written several books including, Soar Above: How to Use the Most Profound Part of Your Brain under Any Kind of Stress. Dr. Stosny shares ideas on How to shift from feeling powerful to BEING powerful Makena Bauss - Better at Worrying (1:33:09) Life is full of things to be worried about. But sometimes that anxiety can be a good thing. In a study, researchers found people who worry a lot do feel a bit better about bad news and extra great about good news. Producer Makena Bauss explains. Healthy Relationships Boundaries (1:57:53) 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 with some tips on how to create Healthy Relationships Boundaries. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:11 - Flynn Pleads Guilty 01:66:58 - Soar Above 01:93:09 - Makena Bauss - Better at Worrying 01:117:53 - Healthy Relationships Boundaries

Online Dating, Social Media Extremism, High BP Guidelines Dec 02, 2017

Show notes

Future of Online Dating (21:06) Jen Golbeck, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. ‘It was love at first swipe’ or ‘Facebook stalking brought us together’ are not the romantic stories you want to be shared at your wedding. However, online dating is on the rise, with varying levels of success. Jen Golbeck shares her research into online dating and what future holds for online romance. How Social Media Builds Extremist Divisions (1:11:40) Robert V. Kozinets, Ph.D., is the Jayne and Hans Hufschmid Chair of Strategic Public Relations at USC Annenberg, a position he shares with the USC Marshall School of Business. Robert has authored and co-authored over 150 pieces of research on the intersection of technology, media, brands, and consumers. In one study released in late October by the Pew Research Center, Americans were found to have become increasingly partisan in their views. On issues as diverse as health care, immigration, race, and sexuality, Americans today hold more extreme and more divergent views than they did a decade ago. Robert Kozinets discusses the reason for this change. New High Blood Pressure Guidelines for Adults (1:59:38) Paul K. Whelton M.B., M.D., M.Sc. currently works at Tulane University as the Show Chwan Health System Endowed Chair in Global Public Health. Dr. Paul Whelton's research interests include cardiovascular and renal disease epidemiology, prevention, clinical trials, health policy, and global health. Poor diets and not enough exercise are the cause of a majority of high blood pressure. Now that guidelines for high blood pressure have recently changed, almost half of U.S. adults are dealing with the realities of high blood pressure. Why were these guidelines changed and what does it mean for you? Dr. Paul Whelton led the panel that changed the guidelines. He shares what the change in high blood pressure guidelines means for us. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:06 - Future of Online Dating 01:71:40 - How SocialMedia Builds Extremist Divisions 01:119:38 - New High Blood Pressure Guidelines for Adults

U.S. Voting Problems, Digital Self-Harm, Screen Cleaning Dec 01, 2017

Show notes

Two big problems with American voting that have nothing to do with Russian hacking (21:58) Sascha Meinrath is the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State and director of X-Lab, an innovative think tank focusing on the intersection of vanguard technologies and public policy. Professor Meinrath is a renowned technology policy expert and is internationally recognized for his work over the past two decades as a community internet pioneer, social entrepreneur and angel investors. Over the past year, the public discussion on election security and integrity has focused on concerns about foreign meddling in U.S. elections. The evidence is still coming in about which countries did what to influence both the public and the election itself. Sascha Meinrath discusses the problems with American voting beyond Russia. Liana Tan - Life Hacks (44:41) Life can throw us strange curve balls on the daily. We might not be able to dodge all of them, but one of our producers, Liana Tan, is going to give us a few tips and hacks on how we can beat life’s everyday difficulties. Digital Self-harm (1:09:24) Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D., is a professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His latest book: "Bullying Today: Bullet Points and Best Practices" came out in May of 2016. Dr. Patchin has written eight books and dozens of articles for academic and professional publications. He studies the intersection of teens and technology, with particular focus on cyberbullying, social networking, and sexting. Cyberbullying has recently become a huge issue not only because of the hurt it causes, but also because it can be linked to suicide. But, did you know that some of these harsh messages come from the victims themselves? In a nationwide survey of middle and high school students ages 12 to 17, about 6 percent said they’d anonymously posted something mean about themselves online. Justin Patchin shares his research into digital self-harm. Screen Cleaning (1:37:44) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:58 - Two big problems with American voting that have nothing to do with Russian hacking 00:44:41 - Liana Tan - Life Hacks 01:69:24 - Digital Self-harm 01:97:44 - Screen Cleaning

Social Media Extremism, BP Guidelines, Holiday Spirit Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

How social media fires people’s passions – and builds extremist divisions (22:20) Robert V. Kozinets is the Jayne and Hans Hufschmid Chair of Strategic Public Relations at USC Annenberg, a position he shares with the USC Marshall School of Business. Robert has authored and co-authored over 150 pieces of research on the intersection of technology, media, brands, and consumers. In one study released in late October by the Pew Research Center, Americans were found to have become increasingly partisan in their views. On issues as diverse as health care, immigration, race, and sexuality, Americans today hold more extreme and more divergent views than they did a decade ago. Robert Kozinets discusses the reason for this change. New High Blood Pressure Guidelines for Adults (1:10:19) Paul K. Whelton M.B., M.D., M.Sc. currently works at Tulane University as the Show Chwan Health System Endowed Chair in Global Public Health. Dr. Paul Whelton's research interests include cardiovascular and renal disease epidemiology, prevention, clinical trials, health policy, and global health. Poor diets and not enough exercise are the cause of a majority of high blood pressure. Now that guidelines for high blood pressure have recently changed, almost half of U.S. adults are dealing with the realities of high blood pressure. Why were these guidelines changed and what does it mean for you? Dr. Paul Whelton led the panel that changed the guidelines. He shares what the change in high blood pressure guidelines means for us. Liana Tan - Hidden Fees (1:34:47) You might still be on a high from last week’s black Friday shopping. But did you find any catches in those flashy deals? While we’re all in the spirit of consumerism, one of our producers, Liana Tan, is going to warn us about 5 hidden fees we should be aware of. Bringing the Holiday Spirit (1:58:21) 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 fa 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:22:20 - How social media fires people's passions – and builds extremist divisions 01:70:19 - New High Blood Pressure Guidelines for Adults 01:94:47 - Liana Tan - Hidden Fees 01:118:21 - Bringing the Holiday Spirit

Online Dating, Happiness Track, Disappointment Hurts Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

Future of Online Dating (21:07) Jen Golbeck, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. ‘It was love at first swipe’ or ‘Facebook stalking brought us together’ are not the romantic stories you want to be shared at your wedding. However, online dating is on the rise, with varying levels of success. Jen Golbeck explains the future of online dating and how data will change the way we look for romance. The Happiness Track (1:10:21) Emma Sepalla, Ph.D., is Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and author of The Happiness Track. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Fulfillment Daily, a news site dedicated to the science of happiness. Emma Seppala, author of ‘The Happiness Track’ and explains how creating a life of happiness will enable success in our lives. Makena Bauss - Don't Eat Cookie Dough (1:33:00) Most people like to sneak some cookie dough when baking cookies. The general rule is that if the cookie dough has raw egg in it then you probably don't want to eat that dough raw. But new findings show that non-egg cookie dough can be dangerous. Producer Makena Bauss with the info. Why Disappointment Hurts (1:56:51) Katherine Hawley is a professor of philosophy at the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland, and author of the blog, “Trust: Ethics and Beyond” for psychologytoday.com. She discusses her article, “Why Someone’s Disappointment Hurts Us More Than Their Anger.” 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:07 - Future of Online Dating 01:70:21 - The Happiness Track 01:93:00 - Makena Bauss - Don't Eat Cookie Dough 01:116:51 - Why Disappointment Hurts

Local News Comeback, Career Choice, Purposeful Parenting Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

Local News Comeback (18:57) Damian Radcliffe is a Professor of Journalism at the University of Oregon, a fellow of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, an honorary research fellow at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture Studies, and a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Financial problems, criticism from the White House and lower job availabilities has left journalist with nothing more than a stronger resolve to do their chosen vocation. However, although both national and local journalism is facing the same problems, the local news might be on the very verge of a renaissance. Damian Radcliffe what has caused the fall and now signs of a comeback in local media. Overconfidence and Career Choice (1:06:43) Jonathan Schulz, Ph.D., is a research fellow in experimental economics at Harvard studying cross-cultural differences in human behavior. As a child, you may have known exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up. Options ranged from firefighter to doctor to an artist. Then you hit college and real life settles in. You eventually choose a career, but how confident were you in your career choice? With statistics indicating that only 27% of college graduates get a job related to their major, it’s easy to be uncertain. Dr. Schulz conducted a study looking at over-confidence in career choice. Liana Tan - Weirdest Diets (1:36:19) People are constantly looking for a better way to lose weight. Some diets focus on proteins other ask you to cut the carbs. Producer Liana Tan looks at the diets that venture into the realm of weird or strange approaches to weight loss. Become A More Positive, Purposeful Parent (1:59:30) Arlene Pellicane earned a Masters in Journalism from Regent and formerly worked as the Associate Producer for Turning Point Television. Along with co-authoring the book, “Growing up Social,” Arlene has authored “31 Days to a Happy Husband” and “31 Days to Becoming a Happy Wife.” Arlene Pellicane 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:57 - Local News Comeback 01:66:43 - Overconfidence and Career Choice 01:96:19 - Liana Tan - Weirdest Diets 01:113:30 - Become A More Positive, Purposeful Parent

Government Shutdown, Pet Pros and Cons, Talent Unleashed Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

Government Shutdown (18:51) 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 discusses Congress trying to avoid a government shutdown, the push for tax reform, and the ongoing sexual harassment issues in Congress. Are Pets Really Good for You? Pros and Cons of pet-ownership (1:09:30) Harold Herzog, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University. Did you have a pet growing up? Do you have one now? Calvin and Hobbes, 101 Dalmatians, even The Fox and the Hound, are evidence of human’s fascination with animals and our pets. Some would say that we’ve only anthropomorphized our pets, others would say that these animals have real bonds with their owners and even souls. Dr. Herzog is the author of the book, “Some We Love, Some We Hate, and Some We Eat: Why it’s so Hard to Think Straight About Animals”. He explains the history of pet ownership and how not all people are "pet people." Makena Bauss - Insomnia Identity (1:35:41) Millions of people suffer from the issues of insomnia. Throughout history, insomnia was considered a virtue. Nowadays science has shown that a lack of sleep impacts your health. Producer Makena Bauss shares the details of the oddity of people who think they get poor sleep vs. people who actually get poor sleep. Talent Unleashed (1:59:50) Shawn D. Moon is the CEO of Zerorez Franchising Systems. Zerorez is a national carpet cleaning company. Shawn Moon is a former Executive Vice-President of FranklinCovey. Shawn has more than 25 years of experience in leadership and management, sales and marketing, program development, and consulting services If you’re a CEO, a manager, a parent, or even just a decent citizen, you know there are many styles and approaches to leadership. But what if we could identify a single factor that everyone agrees makes a positive difference in the performance of individuals and companies worldwide? Well, Shawn Moon, the 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:51 - Government Shutdown 01:69:30 - Are Pets Really Good for You? Pros and Cons of pet-ownership 01:95:41 - Makena Bauss - Insomnia Identity 01:119:50 - Talent Unleashed

English Spelling, TV’s Shifting Landscape, Learning Difficulty Nov 25, 2017

Show notes

Spelling Society (18:37) Stephen Linstead is Chairman and Honorary Treasurer for the English Spelling Society. Some of the most difficult languages to learn include Chinese, Finnish and Arabic. Although English isn’t on the list, it is still no cake-walk to learn. Languages can become difficult to learn for grammatical reasons, because of colloquial terms and accents. Stephen Linstead from The English Spelling Society argues that it is in fact “spelling” that makes English a challenge to learn. TV’s shifting landscape (1:12:02) Cynthia Meyers, Ph.D., a professor of communications at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York City. Today you can’t get away from commercials, whether you are trying to watch a youtube video or you are just surfing Facebook, it is everywhere. But today’s advertisement is not the same type of advertisement as your parent’s, it is branded content. Cynthia Meyers talks about branded content and how it is changing in reaction to how we are consuming entertainment. Learning and its Difficulties (2:03:40) 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. It’s very difficult to live in today’s world without literacy skills. The developing world is constantly trying to figure out how to spread literacy in reading, writing, and calculating to the rest of the world and how to get students in the U.S. up to speed. But what are some of the underlying problems with the lack of literacy? Is it just political, or could there be a diversity of learning difficulties out there? , is here to teach us a little more about these learning difficulti 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:37 - Spelling Society 01:72:02 - TV's shifting landscape 02:123:40 - Learning and its Difficulties

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