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:

Trump Care, Steven Spielberg, Your Spouse and their phone Mar 13, 2017

Show notes

Trump Care (17:13) Joe Cannon is our Washington Insider. Joe served as an assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1983-1985. He was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and served as the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party from 2002 to 2006. He was named editor of the Deseret Morning News on December 8, 2006. Joe currently is the CEO of Fuel Freedom Foundation. Joe and Dr. Matt discuss healthcare, Trump's plan moving forward, and the upcoming budget fight. Steven Spielberg a life in Films (1:05:26) Molly Haskell is a film critic and the author of five books, writes and lectures widely on film. She lives in New York City. From the Jaw’s theme to Indiana Jone’s whip, and the creature known as E.T. Steven Spielberg has been entertaining the masses for decades. In her book Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films Molly Haskell looks at Hollywood’s most renowned director and unpacks the director's life and works. Makena Bauss - Digital Immortality (1:31:21) Software now exists that can read the entirety of what you have written/texted on the internet and make it possible for loved ones to have text based conversations after you have died. Producer Makena Bauss shares the info. How to Get Your Spouse’s Attention off their Phone (1:54:30) Kim Giles, President, and founder of Clarity Point Life Coaching was named one of the top 20 advice gurus in the country by Good Morning America in 2010. She writes a regular column on KSL.com every Monday in the Happy Living Section and authored the book Choosing Clarity: A Path to Fearlessness. Kim Giles shares her article on How to get your spouse’s attention off their phone.

Vaccinations, Suicide Prevention, Parent Previews Mar 10, 2017

Show notes

Vaccinations on a Global Scale (16:16) Lacey Eden is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the College of Nursing at BYU and serves as the Chair of the Utah County Immunization Coalition. Lacey is also a nurse practitioner and sees patients in a pediatric practice where questions and concerns about immunizations are frequently addressed. She has spent time advocating for Shot@Life for global immunizations and is passionate about the subject. Going to the doctor and getting a shot is no one’s favorite thing, but vaccinations can potentially save lives. Some have concerns about vaccines and have decided to not allow their kids to be immunized. Lacey Eden talks about her work in advocating for global immunizations and discusses why people are so concerned about the safety of vaccinations. Makena Bauss - Too Much Emotional Intelligence (42:53) One of the more popular topics in business development and interpersonal relationship research is the importance of emotional intelligence. Producer Makena Bauss discusses how in some cases people are demonstrating too much emotional intelligence. Suicide Prevention (1:02:51) Dr. Jane Pearson is the chair of the NIMH Suicide Research Consortium at the National Institute of Mental Health in North Bethesda. She is also a neurologist in Birmingham, Alabama and is affiliated with St. Vincent's Birmingham. Suicide does not discriminate. People of all genders, ages, and ethnicities are at risk for suicide. This prevalent health problem is also one of the most preventable. Yet the numbers tell a different story: Each year twice as many Americans die from suicide than murder. It is currently the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. So how can we prevent it? Dr. Jane Pearson and Producer Caitlin Thomas help us become a little more informed on this topic, and to educate us on what we can do to help others, or even ourselves. Liana Tan - Hipsters (1:32:32) There are a lot of different labels for all different walks of people. Have you ever heard of a hipster? It’s a term

Digital Literacy, Crunch Time, Helping Kids Feel Loved Mar 09, 2017

Show notes

Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens (14:55) Dr. Jonathan Anzalone is a News Literacy lecturer at the School of Journalism. He also serves as Assistant Director of the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University. He has taught News Literacy for almost ten years. It’s becoming more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction in the media, so the University of Hong Kong and the State University of New York teamed up to create an online program. This online course helps anyone with an interest learn how to detect fake news and media bias. Jonathan Anzalone shares with us what the course covers and the challenges of teaching digital literacy. Crunch Time: How to Be Your Best When It Matters Most (1:21:17) Judd Hoekstra is a leadership and human performance author, consultant, and speaker. He serves as a Vice President at the Ken Blanchard Companies, a premier leadership training and coaching company. Judd Hoekstra co-wrote Crunch Time: How to be your best when it matters most. New York Yankee’s Cather and quasi-philosopher Yogi Berra said that “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Performing at a high level during critical times is the sign of a great athlete and a great coach. Judd Hoekstra discusses what to do when you are faced with a "crunch-time moment" Caitlin Thomas - Inspiring Woman (1:48:41) Yesterday we all recognized International Women’s Day, which was a day where hopefully, we all took some time to recognize all the amazing women in our lives and how much they do for us. There are many women throughout time that have made a difference in their communities or influenced people around them. Caitlin Thomas is here with us this morning to talk more about some of these amazing women and share how she hopes to someday be more like them. What Keeps Our Children from Feeling Loved (2:11:48) 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 famil

Celebrity Voices, Trust Factor, Exoplanets Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

Celebrity Voices and the First Amendment (17:02) Shontavia Johnson a Professor of Law at Drake University Law School. Her academic specialties include Intellectual Property, Entrepreneurship, Property, and Entertainment Law. Over 32 million people watched the Oscars last month, showing the great influence celebrities have on society. Although the award season for movies and music has come to an end, the political statements and speeches that were given at these awards will live on. Should celebrities and other public figures be able to talk about politics? Makena Bauss - Men and Women as Friends (42:15) Can men and women be friends? If you are married can you have a friend of the opposite sex? Should you? If you are single can you be just friends and not develop romantic feelings? Producer Makena Bauss with the info. Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies (1:05:22) Dr. Paul Zak is the founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and Professor of Economics, Psychology, and Management at Claremont Graduate University. He has degrees in mathematics and economics from San Diego State University, a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in neuroimaging from Harvard His latest book, Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies, uses neuroscience to measure and manage organizational cultures to inspire teamwork and accelerate business outcomes. Paul Zak discussed his book and how to build companies and teams based on trust. Liana Tan - Millennials (1:28:57) Millennials, a term that usually refers to people born between 1980 and 2000. This generation is sometimes thought of as obsessed with electronics, convinced they are "special" and full of "entitlement and narcissism." Producer Liana Tan is tired of the stereotypes and tries to find common ground with older generations by building on shared experiences. Exoplanets and the Research (1:51:44) Dr. Darrin Raggozine is an assistant professor at Brigham Youn

America Less Charitable, Embarrassment, Relationship Speech Mar 07, 2017

Show notes

Why Are Americans Less Charitable Than They Used to Be? (18:03) Jonathan Meer is an associate professor of economics at Texas A&M University, where he is also the Private Enterprise Research Center Professor and the department's Director of Undergraduate Programs. Compared to 10 years ago, Americans are overall donating less money to charity. The Great Recession was the leading cause of this phenomena, but charitable giving has not increased since the economy picked up. Are Americans being stingier with their money? Move on from Embarrassing Moments (1:05:34) Jessie Shepherd is a Mental Health Counselor and owner of Blue Clover Therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Utah. Her focus is treating trauma, eating disorders and adjustment issues in adults, adolescents, children and their families. Why is it that when somebody asks us to describe our “most embarrassing moment” we begin to sort through our brains to find the moment that is the least embarrassing, yet still funny? What is it about being “embarrassed” that makes our faces heat up, and our hearts pump faster? Jessie Shepherd talks about embarrassment and how we can move on from those moments we try not to talk about. Caitlin Thomas - How Young is too Young for Hollywood (1:30:39) Many of the actors and actresses that we watch on tv have been starring in movies and television shows since they were just young kids. How does this affect them? Is starting kids young the best way to help them build a future of fame? Caitlin Thomas is here to talk to us more about some famous child stars and how their careers played out. Say What You Want in Your Relationship (1:55:26) Dr. Lisa Firestone is the Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association and Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org. She is also the coauthor of several books including "The Self Under Siege," "Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice," "Creating

Trump Wiretaps, Smart Humility, Interfaith Marriage Mar 06, 2017

Show notes

Trump Wiretaps (16:16) Joe Cannon is our Washington Insider. Joe served as an assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1983-1985. He was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and served as the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party from 2002 to 2006. He was named editor of the Deseret Morning News on December 8, 2006. Joe currently is the CEO of Fuel Freedom Foundation. Joe and Dr. Matt discuss President Trump's wiretapping allegations against President Obama. Humility Is the New Smart (1:10:25) Edward D. Hess is a Professor of Business Administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. He spent over 30 years in the business world prior to joining academia as a lawyer, investment banker, strategy consultant, and entrepreneur. Ed Hess is the author of Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age. When America and the world entered the industrial age, brute strength became a less important characteristic and being smart became much more important. Ed Hess argues that with the Information age another characteristic is becoming more important that being ‘smart’. Successful Interfaith Marriage (1:49:23) Dr. Brian Willoughby is an assistant 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 and his specific expertise areas include dating, sexuality, cohabitation, marriage formation, and marital attitudes/beliefs. Dr. Willoughby talks with Dr. Townsend about how to have a successful interfaith marriage.

Moral Economy, World Needs Grace, Parent Previews Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens (17:23) Dr. Samuel Bowles earned his PhD in Economics at Harvard University. He is now a Research Professor at the Santa Fe Institute where he heads the Behavioral Sciences Program. He has also served as an economic advisor to the governments of Cuba, South Africa and Greece, to U.S presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy and Jesse Jackson, to members of the Legislature of the State of New Mexico, to the Congress of South African Trade Unions, and to South African President Nelson Mandela. In his new book, The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens, Dr. Samuel Bowes studies how sometimes incentives can backfire and there may be more powerful motivators. The World Needs Grace (1:06:57) Dr. Brad Wilcox is a professor of education at Brigham Young University and has been a member of the general board of the Sunday School of the LDS Church. Prior to joining the BYU faculty, Dr. Wilcox was a sixth-grade teacher in Provo. Dr. Wilcox is the author of the new book Changed Through Grace. The world is dealing with a great deal of contention. Whether it is politics, stress in business, or conflict person to person, society could benefit from an increased amount of grace. BYU Professor Brad Wilcox explains how grace can be a help to all people. Liana Tan - What it’s like to not be able to taste or smell (1:30:00) Think about your five senses, you use them every day. Has anyone ever asked you if you had to give up one, which would you give up? You probably automatically start thinking about living life blind or deaf, right? But have you ever considered what life would be like without being able to taste or smell? One of our producers, Liana Tan, brought in her friend who has lived his entire life without these two senses. Parent Previews - The Shack, Before I Fall (1:54:39) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movies The Shack and Before I Fall.

Millennial Grip, Moms Doing More Work, Fixing a Bad Day Mar 02, 2017

Show notes

Millennial Grip (18:33) Dr. Richard W. Bohannon is a Professor of Health Professional Studies within the Department of Physical Therapy at Campbell University. Bohannon is a licensed physical therapist with more than 35 years of continuous clinical experience in acute care, rehabilitation, and home-care settings. Currently, Bohannon’s research and teaching is focused on the measurement, implications, and treatment of activity limitations in older adult and neurologic populations. The classic test of strength for a man is if he can open the jar in the kitchen that just won’t budge for anyone else. New research is showing that Grandpa may have been better at opening jars than Dad! In just one generation grip strength has decreased in Millennials by 20%! Dr. Richard Bohannon discusses this research and if we should be worried about this decline in grip strength. Dads Doing More, Moms Still Do More Work (1:05:35) Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan is a professor of Human Sciences and Psychology at The Ohio State University. She has taught and conducted research in the Human Development and Family Science program since 2003. If you turn on the TV on you’ll see a representation of dad’s that are absent or complete buffoons. Although research shows that men are more involved in parenting than ever before, women are still putting in more work. Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan explains. Caitlin Thomas - Cyber Bullying (1:29:26) In today’s world, nearly every person is signed up for some form of social media. Whether it’s Facebook, or Instagram, or snap chat most people have at least one. These are great tools that we can use to stay connected with people and make new friends, but on average, teens are spending up to 9 hours a day just surfing through these apps. This has led to a major increase in cyberbullying and other problems. What can we do about it? Well, Caitlin Thomas is here with us this morning to share with us some of the things that these social media companies are currently doing to try and make their sites a safer pl

Conflict of Interests, Internet Surfing, Nine Types of Leadership Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

Trump Conflict of Interests (18:52) Elizabeth C. Tippet is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, and the Faculty Co-Director of our Master’s Program in Conflict Resolution. Professor Tippett writes about ethics, employment law, and the intersection of law and technology. This week, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer insist that there have been no links between President Trump’s Campaign and Russia. President Donald Trump and many in his Cabinet have denied any conflict of interest with any of their private businesses and other governments with their new responsibilities. Is this necessarily the case? Professor Elizabeth C. Tippet speaks about conflict of interest in the presidency and our personal lives. Truth about Internet Surfing (1:05:32) Dr. Susan Ravizza is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. She obtained her Ph.D in 2000 from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of cognitive control. She has received an NSF Early Career Development award and is a Senior Editor at Brain Research. In today’s classroom, it’s fairly common to see students taking notes on laptops instead of notebooks, and using phones instead of calculators. There is no doubt that having a desktop computer or laptop in school is useful for writing papers, gathering information and learning how to program and use software. In fact, there are some schools that will provide low-cost laptops for their students. Becoming tech savvy before graduating college is almost necessary for our young kids today in order for them to become successful in their careers. Dr. Susan Ravizza shares her research into the plus and minus of using the internet in the classroom. Liana Tan - Anniversary Tangent (1:30:00) Last year we started having our producer, Liana Tan, do some radio segments regularly to give us some of her little tidbits of insights and opinions. So it’s March 1st and one year ago on February 29th w

American Conservatism, Happiness Activity Daily Living, Blue Zone Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

American Conservatism (19:17) Sara Jarman is the co-author of the book Elephants on the Rampage: The Eclipse of American Conservatism. Sara Jarman is currently a law student at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Last week the annual CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, met together in Washington D.C. Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Kellyanne Conway from President Trump’s White House team accompanied the President to this year’s conference. In contrast, Trump skipped out on the conference last year. His attendance this year shows the shifting values of the Conservative movement. Sara Jarman and the late BYU professor Ph.D. Brent Gilchrist, help to decipher the inner workings of American Conservatism in Elephants on the Rampage: The Eclipse of American Conservatism. Sare Jarman explains what the GOP needs to do to get back to their conservative roots. Happiness Activity Daily Living (1:03:07) Dr. Frank Ninivaggi is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine Child Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut, a member of the Yale-New Haven Community Medical Group, and the Medical Director of the Devereux Glenholme School in Washington, Connecticut. Everyone knows values are vital to an individual’s life and to society, but what are values? Why is it exactly that values are so important to us? Dr. Frank Ninivaggi, says that it’s important to figure out what our values are in order to start 2017 off right. He teaches us what values are, how they orient our lives and possibly give meaning and a sense of purpose. Caitlin Thomas - 7 times hosts have messed up on TV (1:30:41) If anyone has been paying attention over the last few days, you would know what happened on Sunday night at the Oscars. The award for Best Picture was announced as La La Land, but was actually supposed to go to Moonlight. Nobody knew what happened, but we all knew it felt awkward. Live TV can be really interesting for this reason. Caitlin Thomas is here with u

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Matt Townsend Show

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected