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:

Issues Dividing America, Parenting Mistakes, Relationships Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Issues Dividing America (17:00) Peter Schuck is a Professor of Law Emeritus at Yale University. Although the Pledge of Allegiance says that we are ‘One Nation Under God’ it seems that our country is more divided than ever. But what are the top 5 things that drive our country apart more than ever? In his book, One Nation Undecided: Clear Thinking about Five Hard Issues That Divide Us, Peter Schuck explores 5 things that drive Americans apart. What are the 5 issues that get us heated? Why are we so divided? Peter Shuck explains. Parenting Mistakes (1:05:16) Alyson Schafer is a recognized media personality. She is one of Canada's leading authorities on parenting and is the resident expert for CTV News, CBC's The World This Weekend, The Marilyn Denis Show as well as sitting on the health advisory board for Chatelaine Magazine, and being an ask the expert columnist for Today's Parent Magazine. Alyson Schafer shares her ideas on how to fix common parenting mistakes. Why Relationships Are Like Working Out (1:52:16) Brian Willoughby, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Dr. Willoughby is also the Director of the RELATE Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to studying and improving romantic relationships. Dr. Willoughby's research focuses on young adult dating and relationship patterns. Dr. Willoughby's specific expertise areas include dating, sexuality, cohabitation, marriage formation, and marital attitudes/beliefs. Dr. Willoughby talks about Why Relationships Are Like Working Out.

Emotional Storytelling, Superbosses, Fat But Fit Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

Emotional Storytelling (26:02) Wahl-Jorgensen, Ph. D., a Director of Research Development and Environment at the School of Journalism at Cardiff University in the UK. How do you win Journalism’s greatest award, the Pulitzer Prize? Is it great reporting skills? Or is it great investigative journalism? Maybe it is representing a very important social issue? Professor Karin Whal-Jorgensen shares her research that shows what actually makes winning journalism is emotional story telling. Superbosses (1:02:23) Sydney Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Center for Leadership at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. What do Ralph Lauren, Bill Walsh, George Lucas, and Mary Kay Ash have in common? Besides being really big names in the business world and being known as exceptional leaders, there is one thing that distinguishes them from their peers- it’s their ability to groom talent and train a new generation of leaders. They fit into a new category of people that Dr. Finkelstein likes to call Superbosses. Dr. Sydney Finkelstein explains how becoming a “Superboss” can help you in your current work now, and also help prepare a future generation of leaders. Is Fat But Fit A Big Fat Myth? (1:47:21) Ron Hager, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University. One of his areas of interest is Chronic Disease Prevention. Ron Hager talks about whether being Fat but Fit is a myth.

Trump Jr Healthcare, Perfect Marriages, 12 Types of People Jul 17, 2017

Show notes

Trump Jr and Healthcare (18:38) 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 the Trump Jr. emails and the Senate Health bill. No More Perfect Marriages (59:50) Jill Savage is an author and speaker who is passionate about encouraging families. She is the author or co-author of twelve books including Professionalizing Motherhood, My Hearts At Home, Real Moms…Real Jesus, Living With Less So Your Family Has More, No More Perfect Moms, and her most recent release with her husband Mark, No More Perfect Marriages. Jill is the founder of Hearts at Home, an organization that encourages, educates, and equips moms. The saying marriage is common advice given to newlywed or engaged couples. Marriage is hard and requires constant care and attention and sometimes will still falter and struggle if we do everything right. In her and her husband new book “No More Perfect Marriages” Jill Savage tackles some of the hard questions and gives us some advice on how to make our marriages stronger and a little easier. Jill Savage encourages us to get past the fairy tale and Experience the Freedom of Being Real Together. 12 Types of People in the World (1:48:25) Kim Giles, President, and founder of Clarity Point Life Coaching. Named one of the top 20 advice gurus in the country by Good Morning America in 2010. Writes a regular column on KSL.com every Monday in the Happy Living Section. Kim Giles is the author of the Book Choosing Clarity: A Path to Fearlessness. Kim and Executive Life Coach Nicole Cunningham discuss 12 types of people in the world and the science of Psychological Inclinations.

Logic To Persuade Others, Power of an Image, US Forests Jul 15, 2017

Show notes

Why Using Logic Alone To Persuade Others Will Fail Most Of The Time (16:39) James Sudakow is the principal and founder of CH Consulting – a boutique consulting firm specializing in organizational transformation and talent management strategies – where he has led engagements with clients ranging from small, entrepreneurial start-ups to Blue Chip Fortune 100 organizations across various industries including healthcare, medical device, technology, finance, and entertainment. No matter your education, job, or in your community, you need to be able to persuade and influence people. Those that do it really well do so in a way that maintains and even builds solid relationships. These are vital not only to help us succeed in our work lives but in our personal lives as well. In his new book “Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit…and Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World” James Sudacow gives us some advice on how to succeed in our jobs and lives. Power of an Image (1:00:53) Nicole Dahmen, Ph.D., an associate professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But does a picture have the power to change the world? Pictures have been the main staple in media and the most memorable ones are easy to recall: the crying napalm girl, the falling man jumping off the World Trade Center, and most recently the young Syrian refugee who washed up on the shores of Turkey. How much power do these images actually wield? Nicole Dahmen talks about the power of an image. State of US Forests (1:46:51) Thomas Straka, Ph. D., a professor of forestry at Clemson University in South Carolina. Utah’s Brian Head forest fire, once the biggest in the country, burned over 72 thousand acres of land and forest. Currently, crews are still wrapping up and working on containment lines. This brings the question: How much value do US forest contribute to our country? The government is exploring cost cutting measures that may affect the national forest service. Thomas Straka explains the current sta 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:39 - Why Using Logic Alone To Persuade Others Will Fail Most Of The Time 01:60:53 - Power of an Image 01:106:51 - State of US Forests

Crowdfunding Healthcare, Personal Finance, Screen Cleaning Jul 14, 2017

Show notes

Crowdfunding Healthcare (17:54) Jeremy Snyder, Ph. D., Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Ph.D. in Philosophy from Georgetown University. Research interests focus on ethical issues arising from international trade, especially trade in health services. Everyone runs into unexpected medical costs that they didn’t plan for at some point. What do you do in that situation? Recently people have turned to crowd funding money from friends and friends of friends through sites like GoFundMe and YouCaring. Jeremy Snyder talks about some of the complications that occur when crowd funding healthcare. The Index Card: Personal Finance Made Easy (1:04:25) Helaine Olen is the author of “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated” and “Pound Foolish”. She is a regular contributor to Pacific Standard Magazine and Reuters’ “The Great Debate” series. She discusses her book "The Index Card" and helps us find an easier ways to manage personal finance. Screen Cleaning (1:35:14) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping you find family friendly options. Today he focuses on the films of Christopher Nolan in preparation for his tenth movie coming out next weekend, Dunkirk.

Boredom, High Performance Resentment, Returning to Routine Jul 13, 2017

Show notes

Yawn: Adventures in Boredom (16:20) Mary Mann is the author of Yawn: Adventures in Boredom. Her work has appeared in Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Believer, Outside Magazine and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She works as a private researcher and as a writing associate at The Cooper Union. Do you remember when you were a kid and you would say " I am bored"!! Or as a parent when you are worried that your kids won't like a trip or activity because they would be bored. Mary Mann explains boredom and why we experience this state of irritable restlessness. High-Performance Resentment (1:04:14) Elizabeth Campbell, Ph.D., teaches management and leadership development at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Her research examines team development and interpersonal interactions in teams. Her main projects focus on the consequences high performers create for themselves and how high performers affect their peers and their teams. Businesses face a dilemma in their hunt for talent. They pursue the proverbial “best and brightest” who can outsell, out think, and out produce their peers. So they spend sizable resources to attract and retain high performers who stand out. But often these organizations also want teams that function in solidarity. So they place their prized recruits in collaborative groups and tell them to fit in. Not so surprisingly this can cause resentment and issues in the workplace. Elizabeth Campbell with some advice on how we can avoid conflict in these situations. Returning to Routine (1:49:47) 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 and Dr. Matt talk about low maintenance mothers. Heather and Dr. Townsend talk about how to transition kids back to school.

U.S. Forests, Emotional Intelligence, Junk Food and Poverty Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

The State of US Forests (17:04) Thomas Straka, Ph. D., a professor of forestry at Clemson University in South Carolina. Utah’s Brian Head forest fire, once the biggest in the country, burned over 72 thousand acres of land and forest. Currently, crews are still wrapping up and working on containment lines. This brings the question: How much value do US forest contribute to our country? The government is exploring cost cutting measures that may affect the national forest service. Thomas Straka explains the current state of US forests. The EQ Leader (1:04:28) Steven Stein, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, and the founder and CEO of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a leading publisher of scientifically validated assessments for more than 30 years. Everyone has experienced that moment of annoyance with someone at work who is amazing at their job but not so great with workplace relationships. Put kindly, many companies have tolerated brilliant people with a lack of empathy, but that is beginning to change. Companies are now putting more resources into training their employees to not only be good at their job but to actively strive to build relationships. Dr. Steven Stein has some experience with that and has kindly written us a book discussing emotional intelligence. Dr. Stein’s book, The EQ Leader, discusses the skills that today’s leaders need, but often lack and why they’re critical to successful leadership. Do poor people eat more junk food than wealthier Americans? (1:49:12) Patricia Smith, Ph.D. is a Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Dr. Smith teaches microeconomics and quantitative methods and her research fofocusn poverty, welfare programs, and health (especially obesity). How often do you eat fast food? Dr. Patricia Smith wanted to know if poor people eat more junk food than wealthier Americans, and she shares her results.

Power of Image, Internet and Our Brains, Wishing Bad Luck Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Power of an Image (17:21) Nicole Dahmen, Ph. D., an associate professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But does a picture have the power to change the world? Pictures have been the main staple in media and the most memorable ones are easy to recall: the crying napalm girl, the falling man jumping off the World Trade Center, and most recently the young Syrian refugee who washed up on the shores of Turkey. How much power do these images actually wield? Nicole Dahmen talks about the power of an image. Tim Caulfield - How the Internet is Affecting Our Brains (1:05:04) Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. He has been the Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta since 1993. He has published over 300 articles and book chapters. Timothy Caulfield discusses how much time we spend on the internet and what it is doing to our brain. I Wish You Bad Luck (1:49:52) Julie Nelson (the "Child Whisperer") has a master's degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. She teaches classes such as Applied Parenting and Marriage and Relationship Skills at Utah Valley University. She posts on here website aspoonfulofparenting.com Dr. Matt and Julie talk Supreme Court Justice John Roberts comments to graduates where he wished them bad luck and trouble.

Why We Snap, Logic Persuasion, Kindergartners Playtime Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

Why We Snap (16:46) Dr. Douglas Fields is a neurobiologist, whose recent book, “Why We Snap: Understand The Rage Circuit In Your Brain” explains the cause for these sudden outbursts of rage. According to Dr. Fields, the violent behavior is the result of the clash between our evolutionary hardwiring and triggers in our contemporary world. Dr. Fields says that “The sad truth is that the right trigger in the right circumstance can unleash a fit of rage in almost anyone.” and that same pathway in the brain “can also enable us to act heroically and altruistically before our conscious brain knows what we are doing.” So what is the difference between becoming a hero and become an attacker? Dr. Fields explains. James Sudakow - Why Using Logic Alone To Persuade Others Will Fail Most Of The Time (1:03:49) James Sudakow is the principal and founder of CH Consulting – a boutique consulting firm specializing in organizational transformation and talent management strategies – where he has led engagements with clients ranging from small, entrepreneurial start-ups to Blue Chip Fortune 100 organizations across various industries including healthcare, medical device, technology, finance, and entertainment. No matter your education, job, or in your community, you need to be able to persuade and influence people. Those that do it really well do so in a way that maintains and even builds solid relationships. These are vital not only to help us succeed in our work lives but in our personal lives as well. In his new book “Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit…and Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World” James Sudacow gives us some advice on how to succeed in our jobs and lives. Kindergartners and Playtime (1:51:00) Dr. Christopher Brown, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education at the University of Texas, suggests that recess and play time for kindergartners might not just be a break from schoolwork, but also a vital part of their education. He joins us today to tell us why play matters for

Business Social Media, Emotional Eating, Amazon Groceries Jul 08, 2017

Show notes

Business and Social Media (17:06) Anjana Susarla is a professor of business at Michigan State University. We all saw the video, a bloody man being dragged off a United Airlines flight. If your fears of flying wern?t justified by that video, it might have left you just a little bit angry. Whatever your reaction, social media took that video and made United Airlines the biggest P-R flub of the year. Anjana Susuarla explains how companies are reacting to the social contract they have with the public and the importance of social media to a business bottom line. Kids and Emotional Eating (1:04:52) Silje Steinsbekk, an Associate Professor at the Dept. of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a clinical child,- and adolescent psychologist. Surveys reveal that 38% of adults say that they eat more when stressed or sad. The problem is that emotional eating increases your risk of becoming overweight: regularly eating a large number of additional calories for reasons other than hunger will do your waistline no favors. Previous research shows that a tendency to eat for comfort begins in early childhood, but we know very little about where this actually comes from, especially during the important formative years. Is comfort eating triggered by nurture or nature? Silje Steinsbekk has performed some research and is here today to share her results. Amazon Dives into Groceries (1:50:10) Roger Meiners is a Goolsby-Rosenthal Endowed Chair of Economics at the University of Texas-Arlington. His research interests focus on legal and economic aspects of environmental policy. Amazon has recently rolled out their Amazon Pantry program where you can have grocery products – bananas, bread, milk, and even ice cream – shipped next-day to your doorstep. Amazon also recently acquired the Whole Foods grocery chain as a subsidiary and now we are wondering, what is the future of grocery shopping? Roger Meiners explains what Amazon is thinking as they make inroads into the grocery business. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:06 - Business and Social Media 01:64:52 - Kids and Emotional Eating 01:110:10 - Amazon Dives into Groceries

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