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:

Abe Lincoln is an Icon, Debt and Kids, Staying Positive Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

Abraham Lincoln as an Icon (20:18) Shawn Perry-Giles, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Maryland's Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership. She is the author of the book Memories of Lincoln and the Splintering of American Political Thought. Abraham Lincoln is an icon of every American, regardless of their associations with the Republican and Democratic Parties. Why is this the case? Shawn Perry-Giles shares her research into the writings of people who knew Lincoln personally and analyzed the rhetorical power of his public messages. What kind of debt is good for kids? (1:07:14) Lawrence M. Berger, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and Chair in the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nobody likes the feeling of a large debt hanging over their head. Personal Finance Advisors have made a profession of helping people decide how to spend their money—for better or for worse. So how has debt impacted our families—specifically our kids? Lawrence M. Berger shares the research. Paul Jenkins - How To Stay Positive (1:54:16) 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. We face negative situations every day. Maybe today you were late to work or you got a parking ticket, or you realized you were out of milk. But negativity loves company and can be a downward spiral. Do you think it’s possible to be positive all the time? Dr. Paul Jenkins teaches us how we can be positive in any situation. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:18 - Abraham Lincolnas an Icon 01:67:14 - What kind of debt is good for kids? 01:114:16 - Paul Jenkins - How To Stay Positive

Pain Management, Emotional Intelligence, Kids and Monsters Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

Pain is Not the Fifth Vital Sign (20:26) Myles Gart, MD, is the Director of Acute Pain Services of Faith Regional Health Service in Norfolk Nebraska. He is also the President and CEO of GartMD and surgeon with over 20 years of experiences. The Journal of the American Medical Association announced that although average life expectancy of an American is up, the rising opioid crisis has shaved 2.5 months off this improvement. After years of misinformation and a national epidemic of opioid abuse, we are finally realizing that pain should not be one of the vital signs when you see a doctor. Dr. Gart talks about, what he characterizes as, one of the biggest mistakes in the history of modern medicine ... When pain was designated as the fifth vital sign. Innovating Emotional Intelligence (1:09:18) 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. Liana Tan - Halloween (1:35:19) Today is Halloween! I'm sure you all have a favorite Halloween memory and here at the studio, we do too. One of our producers, liana tan, joined with some of our other student producers to tell you some of their favorite Halloween memories. How to Talk to Kids About Halloween Monsters (1:58:16) Susan Linn is the co-founder and director of the coalition Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood from 2000 to 2015 and an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood and The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World. An award-winning producer and ventriloquist, Linn is internationally known for her pione 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:20:26 - Pain is Not the Fifth Vital Sign 01:69:18 - Innovating Emotional Intelligence 01:95:19 - Liana Tan - Halloween 01:118:16 - How to Talk to Kids About Halloween Monsters

Mueller Monday, Get Smart: Think Successful, Rude vs. Anxious Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

Mueller Monday (19:37) 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 first indictments coming down from the Mueller Investigation and about the state of political division in our country. Get Smart: Think Successful (1:09:04) Brian Tracy is chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. He has studied, researched, written, and spoken for thirty years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy, and psychology, and is the top-selling author of numerous books including his newest book "Get Smart!: How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field." Brian Tracy shares his thoughts on how to change our thinking to become more successful. Makena Bauss - Do You Have Charisma? (1:33:05) According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers from the University of Toronto have developed a scientific measure of charisma that they say is a simple, accurate way to figure out if you have it. Producer Makena Bauss with the info. I'm Not Rude, I'm Anxious (1:57:26) David Rettew, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and director of our Pediatric Psychiatry Clinic. He is the author of the book, “Child Temperament: New Thinking About the Boundary Between Traits and Illness.” David Rettew discusses how rudeness or disinterest could actually just be masked social anxiety. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:37 - Mueller Monday 01:69:04 - Get Smart: Think Successful (1:09:04) 01:93:05 - Makena Bauss - Do You Have Charisma? 01:117:26 - I'm Not Rude, I'm Anxious

Dead Musicians, Resilience Recharge, Adulthood for Beginners Oct 28, 2017

Show notes

Recording Artists Success After Death (18:38) Jeff Snyder is a Music Professor and is the Director of the Music Industry Program at Lebanon Valley College in Annville PA. Artist makes a lot of money for their record companies and for their families. But when they die, their album sales go up and they make even more money. As more music Diva’s and Legends pass away, there is less and less money for the companies to make. Jeff Snyder explains recording artists success after death. Resilience by Recharge (1:04:38) Michelle Gielan is a positive psychology researcher. Currently, she is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. She is the best-selling author of her book Broadcasting Happiness. Michelle is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and was a national CBS News anchor before becoming a psychology researcher. Are you someone who goes home from work and can’t keep your mind off of work? Many people at home can’t help but check their phones for work emails or can’t even sleep because they are thinking about work. They don’t get a break from work at home, and it costs companies $62 billion a year in lost productivity. Michelle Gielan explains why having a recovery period is essential. Adulthood for Beginners (1:53:54) Andy Boyle, Professor of digital storytelling at Columbia College Chicago. Boyle is a writer, web developer, and journalist. Adulting is tough. Many people graduate high school and college and realize that they do not have basic skills for life or that they have no idea what to do with their lives. Andy Boyle, the author of “Adulthood for Beginners: All the Life Secrets Nobody Bothered to Tell You” help us navigate through some of the challenges of navigating adulthood. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:38 - Recording Artists Success After Death 01:64:38 - Resilience by Recharge 01:113:54 - Adulthood for Beginners

Electoral College Polarization, U.S. Leadership, Screen Cleaning Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

Electoral College and Polarize America (19:34) David A. Hopkins is associate professor of political science at Boston College. The Electoral College has been around since 1804 when the 12th amendment was ratified and it’s still in place today. Some believe it to be an outdated system, but others see it as the only way to fairly represent small states and keep big cities from making decisions for the entire country. David Hopkins talks about his book, Red Fighting Blue, and explain how the Electoral College has changed American politics. Few Americans Look to the President or Preachers to Solve the Nation’s Challenges (1:08:16) Scott McConnell is Executive Director of LifeWay Research. He has researched the needs and preferences of church leaders and other leaders for LifeWay Christian Resources for over 20 years. For 10 years, Scott has led LifeWay Research’s national polling that regularly measures the views of Americans and Protestant pastors. Many people today are divided on who should solve problems in our society. Only 23% of people think that the president is in the best position to start a conversation on the challenges facing our society. Others think that pastors or celebrities should be the ones solving the problems. Scott McConnell has done research on the subject and shares with us what he has learned. Makena Bauss - How to Take a Break Without Ruining a Friendship (1:32:12) Sometimes a friendship can get tense. A few lively exchanges and feeling can be hurt. How do you take a "friendship break" without losing a friend? Producer Makena Bauss with some ideas. Screen Cleaning - Halloween Special (1:36:55) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping you find family-friendly options. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:34 - Electoral College and Polarize America 01:68:16 - Few Americans Look to the President or Preachers to Solve the Nation's Challenges 01:92:12 - Makena Bauss - How to Take a Break Without Ruining a Friendship 01:96:55 - Screen Cleaning - Halloween Special

Tax Cuts, Entrepreneur's Manifesto, Reenter the Workforce Oct 26, 2017

Show notes

Do tax cuts stimulate the economy more than spending? (21:34) Dale O. Cloninger is a Professor Emeritus of Economics & Finance at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. While campaigning President Trump promised to boost the economy by both cutting taxes and investing more in infrastructure. Currently, the focus seems to be on tax cuts with the new tax reform plan announced in September and, in the meantime, infrastructure investment remains on the back-burner. But do tax cuts stimulate the economy more than spending? Where should we be focusing our attention? Economist Dale Cloninger explains this complicated subject. Entrepreneur's Manifesto (1:07:44) Steve Mariotti is an author of 35 books and is also a regular contributor to Huffington Post. His newest book is “An Entrepreneur’s Manifesto.” In the past, Mariotti worked as a treasury analyst for Ford Motor Company and ran seven businesses by the age of 21. The “American Dream” is all about being able to achieve anything that you set your mind to. Is this dream still alive? Recent data shares that 13.5% of Americans live in poverty. Our guest today, Steve Mariotti, decided he wanted to change this statistic by becoming a high school teacher and teach entrepreneurship to kids who live in poverty. Steve Mariotti shares about why everyone should develop entrepreneurship skills. Liana Tan - Flat Tire (1:35:11) Producer Liana Tan went on a trip recently and found herself with a flat tire. She shares her experience in changing the tire and discusses why people tend to stop to help girls over boys. How to Reenter the Workforce (1:53:30) 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 her thoug 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:21:34 - Do tax cuts stimulate the economy more than spending? 01:67:44 - Entrepreneur's Manifesto 01:95:11 - Liana Tan - Flat Tire 01:113:30 - How to Reenter the Workforce

Adulthood for Beginners, Daydreaming Benefits, Mortality Mood Oct 25, 2017

Show notes

Adulthood for Beginners (18:21) Andy Boyle, Professor of digital storytelling at Columbia College Chicago. Boyle is a writer, web developer, and journalist. Adulting is tough. Many people graduate high school and college and realize that they do not have basic skills for life or that they have no idea what to do with their lives. Andy Boyle, the author of “Adulthood for Beginners: All the Life Secrets Nobody Bothered to Tell You” help us navigate through some of the challenges of navigating adulthood. Benefits of Daydreaming (1:07:27) Dr. Josh Davis is Director of Research and Lead Professor for the, a coach, and member of the training staff of the NLP Center of New York. Do you have favorite daydreams? As a kid, it may have been your pirating adventures on the high seas. Today you might just daydream about taking a family vacation. Or maybe just a nap. Usually daydreaming is discouraged, but our guest today, Dr. Josh Davis, argues that daydreaming has its benefits. Dr. Davis is the author of “Two Awesome Hours” and the Psychology Today article, “How Zoning Out Benefits Your Present and Your Future”. Dr Davis discusses the benefits of daydreaming Makena Bauss - Vote With Our Wallets (1:33:48) When a company makes a mistake sometimes people try to respond with a boycott. That type of protest can require people to "vote with their wallets". The boycott doesn't always work because people have a tendency to voice their dissatisfaction with a company's behavior but don't always follow through when it comes to action. Why is that? Producer Makena Bauss share some research that tries to explain. Does Happiness Itself Directly Affect Mortality? (1:57:23) Sir Richard Peto is a Professor of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Since 1985, he and Rory Collins have been co-directors of the CTSU. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (for the introduction of meta-analyses) in 1989, and was knighted (for services to epidemiology and to cancer prevention) in 1999. Sir Peto sh 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:21 - Adulthood for Beginners 01:67:27 - Benefits of Daydreaming 01:93:48 - Makena Bauss - Vote With Our Wallets 01:117:23 - Does Happiness Itself Directly Affect Mortality?

Success After Death, Resilience Recharge, Aging Not for Sissies Oct 24, 2017

Show notes

Recording Artists Success After Death (18:49) Jeff Snyder is a Music Professor and is the Director of the Music Industry Program at Lebanon Valley College in Annville PA. Artist makes a lot of money for their record companies and for their families. But when they die, their album sales go up and they make even more money. As more music Diva’s and Legends pass away, there is less and less money for the companies to make. Jeff Snyder explains recording artists success after death. Resilience by Recharge (1:04:38) Michelle Gielan is a positive psychology researcher. Currently, she is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. She is the best-selling author of her book Broadcasting Happiness. Michelle is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and was a national CBS News anchor before becoming a psychology researcher. Are you someone who goes home from work and can’t keep your mind off of work? Many people at home can’t help but check their phones for work emails or can’t even sleep because they are thinking about work. They don’t get a break from work at home, and it costs companies $62 billion a year in lost productivity. Michelle Gielan explains why having a recovery period is essential for work and life. Aging is not for Sissies (1:53:21) 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 explains how tough it is to get old but how person efforts can help make it manageable. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:49 - Recording Artists Success After Death 01:64:38 - Resilience by Recharge 01:113:21 - Aging is not for Sissies

Leading Brain, Future of Drones, White-Collar Criminals Oct 23, 2017

Show notes

The Leading Brain (15:55) Friederike Fabritius is the leading Neuroleadership expert at the Munich Leadership Group. As an executive coach and leadership specialist, she has extensive expertise working with top executives from multinational corporations such as Bayer, Audi, Montblanc, and EY. A neuropsychologist by education, Friederike focuses on developing new methods and practices for leadership development based on solid scientific findings. Leadership has long been treated as an art, a fuzzy philosophy based more on fads than on facts. That accounts for the endless stream of “game-changing” management books that seem to come and go almost as rapidly as Paris fashions. It also explains why today’s leadership guru is often tomorrow’s forgotten footnote. But effective leadership isn’t an art. It’s a science. Friederike Fabritius discusses the ideas in her book The Leading Brain, which will help us learn how to become better leaders and reach our full potential. Future of Drones (1:06:25) Michael Braasch, Ph.D., is a professor of electrical engineering at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He has been conducting navigation system research for the past 30 years and for the past 15 years, his research has included drones. We have heard news stories regarding people shooting drones that they see their property or organizations asking that drones not be used on their property. Although drones were once used only by the military, they are taking on a new role in society such as dropping off packages at your front door. Are drones the future? Michael Braasch explains. The Psychology of White-Collar Criminals (1:53:52) Eugene F. Soltes, Ph.D., is a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. His research focuses on how individuals and organizations confront and overcome challenging situations. White-collar criminals are categorized as businessmen or government officials who commit a financially motivated but nonviolent crime. Eugene F. Soltes interviewed 50 former executives about their cri 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:15:55 - The Leading Brain 01:66:25 - Future of Drones 01:113:52 - The Psychology of White-Collar Criminals

Kids and Terrorism, Great CEOs Are Lazy, Housework Team Up Oct 21, 2017

Show notes

How to Talk to Your Kids About Terrorism (19:01) Mary L. Pulido, Ph.D., Executive Director of The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, oversees all program activities where she lends her extensive experience in the mental health field. Mary has over three decades of practice addressing the needs of fragile families and abused and neglected children. In light of recent terrorist attacks, we as adults can be deeply affected. What we don’t think about as often is that these events can cause anxiety and fear for children as well, particularly younger ones. Parents may worry about how to have a conversation with their child about these devastating events and Dr. Mary Pulido shares some suggestions for us today on how we can broach this sensitive topic with our kids. Great CEOs Are Lazy (1:08:45) Jim Schleckser, the CEO of Inc. CEO Project and the Author of “Great CEO’s Are Lazy.” Key Indicators are figures that show if your company if growing or failing. But, they can also help us in our personal life whether you are learning the piano or trying to lose weight. Jim Schleckser speaks with us about key performance indicators and how to make better decisions by thinking through the problem before you act. Teaming Up on Housework (1:54:43) Renata Forste was recently appointed as the director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University, and as an associate international vice president. Her research focuses on the well-being of women and children in Latin America, Africa, and the U.S. How do you divide up the chores at your house? Household chores have traditionally been a woman’s responsibility, even though today more women are in the workforce than ever. A study conducted recently shows that women spend about 14 hours per week doing housework, compared with men who only spend about 9 hours per week. Renata Forste shares about why household chores should be equally divided in a relationship. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:19:01 - How to Talk to Your Kids About Terrorism 01:68:45 - Great CEOs Are Lazy 01:114:43 - Teaming Up on Housework

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