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:

America's Failing Experiment, Shyness, Family Resolutions Jan 12, 2017

Show notes

America's Failing Experiment (17:32) Dr. Kirby Goidel is professor in the Department of Communication and the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University. Goidel is the author of, America's Failing Experiment: How We the People Have Become the Problem.“Passing the Buck” also known as, “The Blame Game” is often been seen as elected officials, governments, and presidential candidate’s favorite pastime. Are the American People guilty of playing the same game? Are we truly in charge of our own democracy? Dr. Goidel explains. Overcoming Shyness (1:06:19) Dr. Larry Nelson is a professor in the Department of Family Life at Brigham Young University. He received a doctorate degree from the University of Maryland and is affiliated with many societies including the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and the Society for Research on Adolescence. Dr. Larry Nelson discusses how shyness affects adolescents and young adults as they transition into adulthood. Caitlin Thomas - Iconic Music (1:27:48) Each generation has their “most iconic and well known songs.” You know, those songs that we still know every word and are still known by younger generations. So what is it that makes a song great? What do they have that makes the stand the test of time? Caitlin Thomas explains. Family Resolutions (1:50:46) 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 talks with Dr. Matt about setting easy family New Year's resolutions.

Public Lands, Thinking Like a Leader, Value Your Partner Jan 11, 2017

Show notes

Public lands (16:18) Dr. John Freemuth is Professor of Public Policy at Public Policy at Boise State University and Mackenzie Case is a Graduate Assistant in Public Administration at Boise State University. Issues concerning public lands traces back to the days of the Old Wild West, but instead of disputes being resolved by gun duals, they are now governed by public policy. What are public lands and who has stewardship over them? Dr. Freemuth and Mackenzie Case discuss the debate on public lands and what the future of the issue may be under a Trump presidency Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (1:03:35) Herminia Ibarra is the Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning, and Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD. Prior to joining INSEAD she served on the Harvard Business School faculty for thirteen years. She Chairs the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Business School. Thinkers 50 ranked Ibarra #8 among the most influential business gurus in the world. Today’s breakneck pace of change has an immense impact on leaders – and as a result, on the organizations they run. All too often, people remain stuck in outdated mindsets and modes of operating, even after others recognize the need for change. Herminia Ibbara, author of “Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader”, teaches us about some new and updated leadership qualities and innovative strategies that can help us truly become a “better leader.” How to Get Your Partner to Do What You Want (1:45:31) Dr. Steven Stosny 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 Living and Loving after Betrayal, How to Improve your Marriage without Talking about It: Finding Love beyond Words, Love without Hurt, The Powerful Self, and Treating Attachment Abuse. Dr. Stosny discusses how Coercion, manipulation, bartering, and persuasion may be harming your relationship.

Men Without Work, Science Behind the Spirit, Family Stories Jan 10, 2017

Show notes

Men Without Work: America's Invisible Crisis (16:20) Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, where he researches and writes extensively on demographics and economic development generally. He is the author of many books and monographs including Poverty of the Poverty Rate and A Nation of takers. In America, one in six working age men are jobless. At current rates, one in five men will be jobless in one generation, matching male unemployment rates of the Great Depression. The huge growth of a non-working class of men is a new and unfamiliar crisis for America. What does that mean for the American social life and economy? Dr. Nick Eberstadt shares his book Men without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis. The Science Behind the Spirit (1:03:59) Dr. Jeffrey S. Anderson directs the fMRI Neurosurgical Mapping Service and is Principal Investigator for the Utah Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory. Dr. Anderson’s lab studies brain networks using functional imaging techniques such as fMRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and magnetoencephalography. Religious and spiritual experiences activate the brain reward circuits in much the same way as love, sex, gambling, drugs and music, report researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Jeff Anderson says that we are just beginning to understand how the brain participates in experiences that believers interpret as spiritual, divine or transcendent. Dr. Jeff Anderson shares his research in the area of the brain and having a relationship with God. Caitlin Thomas - What Your Car Says About You (1:28:40) A new year often times means new purchases. New cars, new homes, new clothes and new gym passes. Speaking of cars, have you ever wondered what your car says about your personality? Caitlin Thomas explains the relation between you and your car. Sharing Family Stories (1:51:50) Julie Nelson (the "Child Whisperer") has a master's degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. She teaches classes

Trump's Cabinet, Communicate Science, New Year Resolution Jan 09, 2017

Show notes

Trumps Cabinet (17:17) Joe Cannon is our Washington Insider. Joe served as an assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1983-1985. Was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1992. He 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. Townsend discuss the confirmation process of President-elect Trumps cabinet. The Crook Closet (1:03:00) A new sponser. A costume store that caters to the specific needs of the criminal hoping to dress for any occasion. Effectively Communicate About Science? (1:05:39) Dr. Dietram A. Scheufele is a professor in Science Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in the Morgridge Institute for Research. Scheufele’s research deals with the public and political interfaces of emerging science. Whether it’s GMO’s, Climate Change, or Vaccines. You’ve probably heard a friend or family member rant about the science behind it. How does false information get spread? What can scientists do to provide useful information to create positive public discourse? Dietram Scheufele is the John E Ross Professor in Science Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Scheufele is on the forefront of the science of communicating science. New Year’s Resolutions Are Bad for You (1:56:01) Jessica Lamb-Shapiro is an author of many fiction and nonfiction pieces which have been shown in many publications including The Believer, McSweeney’s, Open City, and Index magazine. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and the New York Foundation for the Arts, and is a graduate of Brown (BA) and Columbia (MFA). You can read more of her work by finding her new book, Promise Land: My Journey Through America’s Self-Help Culture. Jessica Lamb Shapiro shares why New Year's Resolutions may be bad for goal setting.

Language and Tolerance, College Grad Jobs, Parent Previews Jan 06, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Amy Thompson - How learning a new language improves tolerance Dr. Amy Thompson is the Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of South Florida. Less than 1% of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom. With that in mind, Professor Amy Thompson sees that there are benefits that make learning a second language worthwhile when it come to improving tolerance. College Grads and Jobs Dr. Michael Betz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. His expertise is in regional and rural/urban economics. His research explores factors that drive local labor markets and demographic change in the United States with a particular focus on difference between rural and urban areas. Finding a job afer college graduation can be tough. Are college graduates looking for the same things as they did in the earlier decades? Or has a changing world affected what attracts educated workers? Dr. Betz with the info. Parent Previews - Fences, A Monster Calls Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movies Fences and A Monster Calls

Presidential Cabinet Selection, Help Pregnant Workers Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Presidential Cabinet Selection (17:45) Professor David Stebenne teaches American legal history in the Moritz College of Law and modern U.S. political history in The Ohio State University History Department. President-elect Trump has taken some criticism for his cabinet picks. Trump has picked people who don't fit the mold of past cabinet selections. Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight D. Eisenhower were all elected president without previously holding a political office and made cabinet selections that can be compared with Trump. Dr. David Stebenne shares the history of cabinet selection. How to Better Help Pregnant Workers (1:04:43) Dr. Beth Humberd is an assistant professor of management in the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her current research examines how organizations shape the interplay of individuals’ work and non-work identities, and also how workplace relationships impact individual identity development. According to a 2015 report by the Pew Research Center, working while pregnant is becoming increasingly common. These new trends suggest that businesses, and even employees, need to be more informed about the best ways to help make work a comfortable place for employees who become pregnant. Beth Humberd helps us learn more about the right and wrong ways to deal with these situations. Coaches Corner - New Years Resolutions (1:30:29) It's a new year and many people set goals for the year ahead. Research shows that many people need a "do over" soon after setting the resolution. Dr. Matt Townsend with some tips on a Resolution Reset for the new year.

Universal Income, Building Your Brand, Story to Live By Jan 04, 2017

Show notes

Universal Basic income (17:42) Dr. Katharina Nieswandt is currently an assistant professor of Philosophy at Concordia University. With today’s increasingly advanced technology, automated machines are quickly taking the place of humans in the work force. Examples of this phenomena are popping up around the country in the form of self-driving cars, buses, and man-less stores. Even though less humans are actually working, should we still get paid for a job a machine can do? Dr. Katharina Nieswandt explains what Universal Basic income is and if it will be part of our future. Building Your Brand (1:05:00) Mark Bonchek is the founder and Chief Epiphany Officer of Shift Thinking. He helps companies make the shift from incremental to exponential growth and change. In today’s world we keep hearing the phrase “build your brand.” But, what exactly does that mean and how do we do that? Mark Boncheck, founder and CEO of Shift Thinking, has a few ideas for us and believes that you don’t have a relationship WITH your brand, but that brands are the relationship. Mark is here with us this morning to discuss more about branding and how it can benefit us, ALL of us. Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By (1:53:41) Dr. Timothy D. Wilson is a renowned psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. He has published over 100 articles in scholarly journals and edited books, primarily on the topics of self-knowledge, unconscious processing, and the applications of social psychology to addressing social problems. Everyone has their own trials they have to work through every day--- getting through depression, overcoming trauma, working out family problems, making difficult decisions, you name it. Dr. Wilson discusses his book, “Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By,” to teach us how to begin overcoming these life difficulties through our very own thoughts.

Smart Cities, Controlled Breathing, Health Research Jan 03, 2017

Show notes

Smart Cities Benefit Everyone (15:42) Dr. Kendra L. Smith is a Policy Analyst at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University. Smith conducts research in the area of public policy, community development, and local government & science and technology. According to the UN, 66% of the world’s populations will live in an urban area by 2050. What type of infrastructure will these cities need to have? Who will make these decisions? Dr. Smith gives us an idea of what the future holds for smart cities. Benefits of Controlled Breathing (1:03:09) Dr. Belisa Vranich is a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience. She has spent the last decade dedicating herself to the study of breathing. She is the founder of The Breathing Class and has appeared on dozens of national media outlets. With the New Year comes New Year’s resolutions. Many of you out there made resolutions regarding health. A gym membership and a diet might help improve our physical & emotional well-being; but there is another more fundamental activity that most people are doing wrong. Dr. Belisa Vranich is here to discuss her book Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14-day program to improve your mental and physical health.” Caitlin Thomas - New Year Resolutions (1:31:10) Many people make New Year Resolutions but they do it in such a way that the goal is never achieved. Producer Caitlin Thomas shares some tips on how to make effective resolutions you will accomplish. How Far Can You Trust Health Research (1:53:47) Dr. Ron Hager 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. Ron talks about How Far We You Trust Health Research

Weight Loss, Importance of Being Alone, Great Teams Dec 29, 2016

Show notes

Train the brain to lose Weight (15:30) Dr. Laurel Mellin is a health psychologist who founded and developed emotional brain training. She is an associate clinical professor of family and community medicine and pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Mellin has authored papers on the science and efficacy of EBT and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books on the method. Dr. Mellin explains how to take control of your brain to meet personal goals like weight loss. Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/rDai41 Importance of Being Alone (56:18) Dr. Scott Campbell is a Professor of Telecommunications in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. His research examines social changes associated with the update of mobile communication technology. Dr. Campbell explains the importance of solitude and why it is helpful to spend quality time alone without technology. Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/YTZgKX Great Teams (1:40:57) Dan Yaeger is an award-winning keynote speaker, business leadership coach, an eight-time New York Times Best-selling author, longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, and author of Great Teams: 16 things high performing organizations do differently. The Rio Olympics have already shown us what teams can do, whether it’s the USA’s dominant gymnastics team, the star power of their women’s swimming relays, or the superstar filled basketball team. That raises the question. What makes one team great and others just okay? Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/oEitBw 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:15:30 - Train the brain to lose Weight 00:56:18 - Importance of Being Alone 01:100:57 - Great Teams

What Makes Olympians, Purpose Effect, ISIS Radicalization Dec 28, 2016

Show notes

What makes Olympians (17:26) Dr. Brooke Macnamara is an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University. Her research interest rest mainly in skill acquisition and expertise, communications, bilingualism, and working memory. As children we heard the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” As adults we have heard about the “10,000 hour-rule”, if you practice anything for 10,000 hours you will become an expert in that field. This raises the questions, “Does practice make an Olympian?” and “Can my child be the next Michael Phelps?” Dr. Macnamara on what makes an Olympian. Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/rt5RXY The Purpose Effect (1:00:15) Dan Pontefract is Chief Envisioner at TELUS, a Canadian telecommunications company, where he heads a future-of-work consulting group that helps organizations enhance their corporate cultures and collaboration practices. Dan Pontefract, author of THE PURPOSE EFFECT: Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role and Your Organization, explains how to find purpose in life. Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/yqod1G ISIS Radicalization (1:40:46) James Rollins has a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He has served in Afghanistan and currently serves on special assignment to U.S. Northern Command, advising on the integration of federal military resources in disaster response. James Rollins explains how terrorist groups like ISIS use YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and other social media sites targeting our youth and what we can do to limit their influence. Listen to this interview here: https://goo.gl/xepOuN 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:26 - What makes Olympians 01:60:15 - The Purpose Effect 01:100:46 - ISIS Radicalization

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