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:

Survival Traits, Social Media Consequences, Screen Cleaning Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

Key Survival Traits Are Now Killing Us (16:29) Dr. Lee Goldman, cardiologist, and dean of the medical school at Columbia University. Throughout time, our genetic makeup has been programmed to help us survive the world around us, but that may no longer be the case. In fact, the very traits that kept our forefathers alive may be killing us. Diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental illness, heart disease, and stroke are increasing affecting more and more people. Dr.Lee Goldman, cardiologist and dean of the medical school at Columbia University, joins us to talk about his “Too Much of a Good Thing: How Four Key Survival Traits Are Now Killing Us.” Thao Nelson - Social Media Consequences (1:03:05) Thao Nelson is a self-made facilitation manager, a fearless explorer of the unknown. She knows what social media versus web 2.0 and defined the first social media role for the U.S. Department of Labor. She currently works at Indiana University in the Kelly School of Business. So often we are negligent of what we post on our social media. Some of even the most innocent posts could seriously affect our lives. Admissions staff, future employers and even potential dates are more and more likely to check your profile and make decisions or judgments about you. Thao Nelson helps us from making little mistakes. Screen Cleaning (1:35:28) Jeff Simpson talks about movies and TV helping you find family friendly options. It's a superhero themed episode in honor of Spider-Man: Homecoming's release. Jeff and Rod also talk about movie trailers that spoil too much and also movies that surprised them, despite a bad trailer or not watching the trailer at all.

Amazon and Groceries, Spend More Time Alone, Hard to Say No Jul 06, 2017

Show notes

Amazon Dives into Groceries (15:27) 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. Spend More Time Alone (1:03:35) Arnie Kozak, is a psychotherapist, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and workshop leader at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, The Copper Beech Institute, and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Arnie has been practicing yoga and meditation for over thirty years and is dedicated to translating the Buddha’s teachings into readily accessible forms. While humans are social beings by nature, we live in a society where we're over-scheduled, leaving very little room for a little quality time with ourselves. For many, the idea of being alone may be an uncomfortable one. Spotting someone enjoying a movie solo or spending Friday night in elicits pity since we tend to associate solitude with loneliness or isolation. Dr. Arne Kozak shares with us more about the benefits of spending more time alone. Why is it Hard to Say No (1:50:21) Diane Barth, a licensed Clinical Social Worker. Along with leading private study groups in New York and workshops for therapists around the country, Diane has published articles in the Clinical Social Work Journal, Psychoanalytic Dialogues, Psychoanalytic Psychology, and other professional journals, and published a book entitled, Daydreaming: Unlock the Creative Power of Your Mind. Our days are very busy. Time is a premium. The only way to accomplish the most important t

Social Media Firestorms, Emotional Eating, Marriage Paradox Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

Business and Social Media (17:07) 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 Susarla 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 (1:04:51) 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. Coaches Corner - Better Co-Parenting (1:22:03) Splitting up parenting duties can make managing a household easier but that doesn't mean both parents should be completly involved in the lives of their children. Dr. Matt Townsend shares some steps to become a better co-parent. The Marriage Paradox (1:50:46) 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

Mediocre Love, Tech-Healthy Families, Timeout In Nature Jul 04, 2017

Show notes

How To Avoid Settling for Mediocre Love (9:48) Nate Bagley, left a successful career in internet marketing to tour the US interviewing real couples in happy successful relationships. He documented these experiences in “The Loveumentary”, a project dedicated to capturing the most compelling love stories in America. By highlighting the relationships that are working, our mission is to reinvigorate the country’s faith in love, marriage, and one another. Nate and Dr. Townsend discuss How To Avoid Settling for Mediocre Love. Traits of Tech-Healthy Families (50:23) Janell Burley Hofmann is a speaker and consultant on technology, media, health, relationships and personal growth. Technology has become so integrated into our everyday lives that it’s not unusual to see toddlers with iPads or iPods. The kicker is that sometimes they can work the gadgets better than their parents. This saturation of technology in everyday life may have some parents asking the question, “Is our family “tech-healthy”? What kinds of boundaries ought to be set to create a healthy and happy family adept at modern technology? Janell Burley Hofmann shares her article “10 Traits of Tech-Healthy Families”. Taking a Timeout In Nature (1:35:33) Dr. David Strayer, Professor of Cognition and Neural Science at the University of Utah. His research focuses on attention and performance, skill acquisition and skilled performance, Mathematical modeling of human performance. Dr. Strayer talks with Dr. Townsend about how taking a time out in nature helps our brains. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:09:48 - How To Avoid Settling for Mediocre Love 00:50:23 - Traits of Tech-Healthy Families 01:95:33 - Taking a Timeout In Nature

Trump Twitter, Single vs Multi-Tasking, Fulfilling Relationships Jul 03, 2017

Show notes

Trump Twitter (16:40) 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 Senate Health bill, Trump and Putin, and presidential Tweets. Why Single Tasking is the new Multi-Tasking (1:06:23) Andrew Merle writes about personal productivity, health, happiness, success, business, & marketing. He is also the Senior Manager of Sports Marketing for Clif Bar Inc. Are you a multi-tasker? Are you surfing the web, writing a paper or getting work done while listening to music, cooking and managing children or co-workers? With so many activities and interests pulling at our attention, multitasking is nearly a necessity these days. But is multi-tasking the most productive way to approach our day? Andrew Merle shares his article “Why Single Tasking is the New Multitasking" and discusses ideas of how to better focus on one thing at a time. Fulfilling Relationships (1:50:37) Gary van Warmerdam is the creator of PathwayToHappiness.com, an interactive website with lessons for changing beliefs that drive negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Gary has studied extensively with his mentor, Dr. Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. He is also an experienced engineer and author of the book, “MindWorks: A practical guide to changing thoughts, beliefs, and emotional reactions.” You can explore more of Gary's work at his website PathwayToHappiness.com which has extensive free material and online courses for changing beliefs, emotions, d creating better relationships. Gary Warerdam discusses his article about how a Fulfilling Relationship Begins with How You See Your Partner.

Public Option, Power of Likability, Invest in Robots Jul 01, 2017

Show notes

Public Option (14:52) Jacob S. Hacker the “father of the public option” and a professor of Political Science at Yale University. He is the co-author of American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper. Secretary Tom Price of the US Health and Human Services is currently traveling the country as he tries to meet with business leaders and citizens to ensure them that they will not lose their health coverage. This listening tour coincides with the Republicans quick push to fix Obamacare. While politicians drag this process out, we need to ask an important question: Is there a simpler way to fix Obamacare? Jacob Hacker explains. Popular: The Power of Likability (1:06:50) Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D. is a husband, a father, board certified in clinical child and adolescent psychology, and serves as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and the Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Popularity is a word that can bring to life memories of our teenage years. Mostly it involves feelings of insecurity, stress, and the desire to be liked, whether you were popular or not. Thankfully we can say that those years are behind and thank goodness we don’t have to deal with that anymore. Social psychologists would argue that it isn’t true. In his new book “Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World” Dr. Mitch Prinstein addresses some of the misconceptions we have about “popularity”. Invest in Robots (1:52:49) Nikolaus Correll, an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Everyone thought that by the year 2017 we would have some time of Jetson Utopia where we would have personal robots and super advanced technology. I even thought we might have some robots to replace our student producers. But the fact of the matter is we are not there yet but are we moving in the right direction? Nikolaus Correll explains his ideas about the economy and how robots can help in the future 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:52 - Public Option 01:66:50 - Popular: The Power of Likability 01:112:49 - Invest in Robots

Corporate Shame, Illusions Influence, Screen Cleaning Jun 30, 2017

Show notes

Speed of Corporate Shame (14:34) Andrew Winston is a globally recognized expert on how companies can navigate and profit from humanity’s biggest challenges and author of the books Green to Gold and The Big Pivot. He is the founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, Andrew’s views on strategy have been sought after by many of the world’s leading companies. What happens when a company’s reputation takes a hit? Is there any coming back from it? Andrew Winston explains how companies can navigate and profit from environmental and social challenges. Illusions Influence our Predictions (1:04:26) David Frank, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar in the psychological sciences at Case Western Reserve University, but soon to be an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in Commerce. Dr. Frank studies metacognition, strategy use, and skill acquisition. Every day we make decisions based on how we think our memory works. If it’s important information, loud information, or simply unique, we promise ourselves we will remember it forever. Yet too often we find ourselves wishing we had studied harder or written down a detail we were previously convinced we would remember. David Frank helps us understand a bit more about memory and how it works. Screen Cleaning (1:34:35) Jeff Simpson talks about movies, and TV, and especially video games in today's episode helping you find family friendly options.

Choose Your Adulthood, Mental Illness, Hookup Culture Jun 29, 2017

Show notes

Choose Your Own Adulthood (18:05) Hal Runkel earned his Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University and is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, registered conflict mediator, and internationally acclaimed speaker. Hal is also the New York Times bestselling author of ScreamFree Parenting, ScreamFree Marriage, and Choose Your Own Adulthood: A Small Book about the Small Choices that Make the Biggest Difference. Sometimes life can get overwhelming, especially as you begin adulthood. You have to decide on a college, a major, a career, and a spouse – decisions with huge impacts! Hal Runkel discusses which decisions are the most important and how to approach them. Diagnosing Mental Illness (1:03:14) Joseph Pierre, Ph.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, LA, and co-chief of the Schizophrenia Treatment Unit at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. He writes the Psych Unseen blog for Psychology Today. which focuses on “the psychiatry of everyday life” especially with regard to understanding the intersection of “brain, behavior, and beliefs.” As any person working in mental health will tell you when they meet new people outside of the office there are usually two reactions when people hear what they do for a living. On one hand, you get people that tell you their life story or that asks for a diagnosis of themselves or others. More commonly, however, you get people that automatically clam up and avoid talking to you all together. Joseph Pierre discusses some of the problems that can arise from a reluctant attitude when it comes to mental health. Hookup Culture on Campuses (1:54:10) 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 exp

Invest in Robots, Weight Training, Living Well Spending Less Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Invest in Robots (15:28) Nikolaus Correll, an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Everyone thought that by the year 2017 we would have some time of Jetson Utopia where we would have personal robots and super advanced technology. I even thought we might have some robots to replace our student producers. But the fact of the matter is we are not there yet but are we moving in the right direction? Nikolaus Correll explains his ideas about the economy and how robots can help in the future. Benefits of Weight Training (1:05:54) Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, FNSCA, is an assistant professor in the exercise science department for Lehman College and is the director of their human performance laboratory. Dr. Schoenfeld's research focuses on muscular adaptations associated with the manipulation of resistance training variables. In our regular exercise regimes, resistance or weight training is sometimes thought best left to the professionals. In reality, this type of training has many benefits, especially as our bodies age. When we grow older, our bones tend to become less dense and our ligaments weaker. Strength training counters these effects and can have more physical and emotional benefits than we could ever imagine. Brad Schoenfeld explains why weightlifting is so good for your health. Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life (1:52:31) Ruth Soukup is the founder of livingwellspendingless.com, one, of the most popular personal finance blogs on the web. She is also the author of the popular book How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) as well as her most recent book, Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul. The ‘good life’ is something we all want. But does it ever seem like groceries, bills, housework, and everyday errands get in the way? Well, what if those everyday ‘obstacles’ actually ARE ‘the good life’? Maybe it all comes down to how you manage them. Ruth Soukup gives us some financial and life advice to teach us some simple tips on how to make our li

Public Option, Power of Likability, Less TV This Summer Jun 27, 2017

Show notes

Public Option (14:52) Jacob S. Hacker the “father of the public option” and a professor of Political Science at Yale University. He is the co-author of American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper. Secretary Tom Price of the US Health and Human Services is currently traveling the country as he tries to meet with business leaders and citizens to ensure them that they will not lose their health coverage. This listening tour coincides with the Republicans quick push to fix Obamacare. While politicians drag this process out, we need to ask an important question: Is there a simpler way to fix Obamacare? Jacob Hacker explains what The Public Option is an how it can bring some solutions for our national health care problems. Popular: The Power of Likability (1:06:52) Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D. is a husband, a father, board certified in clinical child and adolescent psychology, and serves as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and the Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Popularity is a word that can bring to life memories of our teenage years. Mostly it involves feelings of insecurity, stress, and the desire to be liked, whether you were popular or not. Thankfully we can say that those years are behind and thank goodness we don’t have to deal with that anymore. Social psychologists would argue that it isn’t true. In his new book “Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World” Dr. Mitch Prinstein addresses some of the misconceptions we have about “popularity”. More Play, Less TV This Summer (1:51:22) 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. Julie has written two books about parenting including Keep it Real and Grab a Plunger. Julie shares some tips on how to play more and watch less TV this summer.

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