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:

Digital Credibility, Fathers, Contestant on America's Got Talent Jul 21, 2016

Show notes

Digital Credibility (16:07) Danny Funt is a journalist for the Columbia Journalism Review. His articles have been published at the Pew Research Center. The digital age has changed the way most people get the news. Concerned by the dubious credibility of many online news sources, the Columbia Journalism Review conducted a study aimed at answering the question “Do brands even matter anymore?” Danny Funt shares his research Fathers Also Want to Have it All (1:00:42) Dr. Gayle Kaufman is a sociology professor at Davidson College, she received her PhD in Sociology at Brown University, her research examines aspects of modern marriage, parenting and family, with a particular focus on fathers. Our society has made a lot of conscious efforts to make it possible for women to contribute in the workplace and raise children. Things like maternity leave, flexible schedules etc. have made it possible for women to have the best of both worlds. But are those same opportunities and understanding offered to men? Dr. Gayle Kaufman discusses her article “Father’s also want to ‘have it all’”. America's Got Talent Contestant (1:45:07) Mckenna Brienholt is a 17-year old budding music artist. Her passion for music began when she started taking piano lessons when she was about 11 years old. She has been performing for a few years at local charity events, talent shows, weddings and parties. She recently performed as a featured soloist with the band Cinematic Pop on the show “America’s Got Talent”. Mckenna shares her story.

Uninformed Voter, Proof of Heaven, Cost of Eating Healthy Jul 20, 2016

Show notes

Uninformed Voter (12:49) Dr. Arthur Lupia is the Hal R Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at University of Michigan. Studies decision making and learning. His topics of expertise include information processing, persuasion, strategic communication, and civic competence. With a wealth of misinformation and an ever-growing population of citizen disinterested in politics, many experts think less informed citizen should just stay out of politics. However, our guest today, Dr. Arthur Lupia, argues in his book, Uninformed: Why People Seem to Know So Little about Politics and What We Can Do about It, that we can actually increase competence among voters. Dr. Lupia more explains the issues surrounding political education and his solutions to this rising issue. Proof of Heaven (57:20) Dr. Eben Alexander, a renowned academic neurosurgeon. Do you believe in a life after death? Different religions paint different pictures of what it may look like, from heavenly angels to simply an abode of peace. Other religions don’t believe in a heaven that exists as a physical space. What would it look like to you? Our guest today is Dr. Eben Alexander, a renowned academic neurosurgeon who had a near-death experience and came back with a whole new perspective. The Cost of Eating Healthy (1:41:21) Margaret Marshall is a contributor to the Huffington Post and founder of Margaret Marshall Assoc., and the “Why Weight” coaching method. She is a wellness consultant, a speaker, author, and weight-loss coach. Her book, “Body, Mind, and Mouth…Life’s Eating Connection” was released in 2012. Her e-book, the “Five Finger Food Guide”, followed in 2014. Margaret Marshall explains The Cost of Being Healthy.

Presidential Transition, Millionaire Mystique, Obesity Jul 19, 2016

Show notes

Presidential Transition (16:38) Dr. Heath Brown, an assistant professor of public policy at John Jay College and author of the book New President: Interests in Transition. Although America is a fairly young country, one of the biggest successes of the US is its peaceful transfer of power from one executive leader to the next. While these transitions can be described as peaceful, they cannot necessarily be described as organized. Dr. Brown discusses presidential transition. The Millionaire Mystique (1:02:32) Dr. Jude Miller Burke has extensive corporate experience in management and leadership. During her tenures at Honeywell and UnitedHealth Group, she directed small and large work groups throughout the country. There is about three million people in the US who are million or multi-millionaires. About one-third of those millionaires are women. You may ask yourself, how did all these people become so rich? Dr. Burke had the same question, so she interviewed millionaires and made some interesting discoveries which she included in her book “Millionaire Mystique: How Working Women Become Wealthy - And How You Can, Too!” Dr. Jude Miller Burke discusses what she learned. Overeating and Obesity (1:47:01) Dr. Ron Hager is an Associate Professor of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University. His area of expertise is Chronic Disease Prevention. Dr. Hager and Dr. Townsend talk about new research into the effects of overeating and obesity.

Baton Rouge and RNC, Why People are Jerks, Our Teenagers Jul 18, 2016

Show notes

Baton Rouge and RNC (18:06) 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 talks about the fall out the Nice and Baton Rouge attacks and the developments ahead of the RNC Convention. Why Some People are Jerks (1:02:02) Dr. Dave Rand is an associate professor of Psychology, Economics, and Management at Yale University, he is also a member of the Yale Institute for Network Science, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, and Cognitive Sciences Program, and the director of Yale University’s Human Cooperation Laboratory. A study at Yale University by Dave Rand and Adam Bear answers the question ‘why some people are jerks, yet others are nice even to strangers’. Dr. Rand explains. Coaches Corner - Coping With Jerks (1:29:30) Dr. Matt Townsend with some tips on how to handle the Jerks in life. Connecting with Our Teenagers (1:48:15) 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 how to better connect with our teenagers.

More Effective Government, Spirituality and Science, Live Happy Jul 15, 2016

Show notes

How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government (14:00) Dr. William Howell is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the University of Chicago. He is the co-author with Terry Moe of Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government--and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency. The constitution of the United States was written over 200 years ago. The nation in 1787 looked vastly different than it does today; society and the problems we encounter have changed and evolved from the simple agrarian society of our founding. However, our contemporary world has not seen changes in governmental structure and with that we are facing day to day issues with health care, taxes and so much more. The solution? According to our guest today, Dr. William Howell, an update in the Constitution “through reforms that push Congress and all its pathologies to the periphery of the lawmaking process, and bring presidents--whose concern for legacy drives them to seek coherent policy solutions--to the center of decision making” is the key. Dr. Howell explains. Spirituality and Science (56:34) Dr Matt Townsend discusses the relationship among Religious Belief, Analytic Thinking, Mentalizing and Moral Concern. Scientific and Spiritual approaches can often collide head to head. It is possible, that the conflict between the two is actually rooted in our brains. Dr. Townsend referes to an study by Dr. Anthony Jack is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Case Western Reserve University College of Arts and Sciences. Live Happy, Choose Joy (1:42:55) Deborah Heisz is COO, Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Live Happy LLC. She is the author of Live Happy: Ten Practices for Choosing Joy. She was the founding Editor in Chief of the current version of SUCCESS magazine (2008-2011). She is Editorial Director of Magazine “Live Happy”. With the rising interest in positive psychology and mindful living, it is becoming clearer that living a joyful life is a choice. Practices for choosing joyful livin

Meaning in Life, Blue Light and our Body, Job Personality Jul 14, 2016

Show notes

Finding Meaning in Life (11:56) 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, member of the Yale-New Haven Community Medical Group, and the Medical Director of the Devereux Glenholme School in Washington, Connecticut. He has many publications including his most recent books, Biomental Child Development: Perspectives on Psychology and Parenting, and Envy Theory. Dr. Ninivaggi talks about how we find meaning and make sense of life. Blue Light and our Bodies (58:07) Dr. Geoffrey Goodfellow is an Associate Professor, Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Assessment; Coordinator and Private Practice Clerkship at Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Goodfellow has served as the site coordinator for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigators Group as well as the chief of the Pediatrics/Binocular Vision Service. Apple recently released some new products with new features. Among these were a new iPad Pro and a new iPhone. These products come with many features, one of which is a new lighting technology called “Night Shift”. “Night Shift” changes the lighting on the phone to produce less blue light so as to help users go to sleep easier. But will it really work? Dr. Goodfellow explains. Wrong Personality for the Job (1:46:20) Dr. Anna Hartley is a postdoctoral research scientist who works on personality judgement and measurement. She works for the psychology department at Wake Forest University. Her research looks into how we perceive people and how we form judgements about others because of these perceptions and how to measure behaviors over time. Her work focuses on the importance of people and relationships. Dr. Hartley discusses what to do if you have the wrong personality for the job

Panama Papers, Original Filmmaking, Payday Loans Jul 13, 2016

Show notes

Panama Papers (15:24) Dr. Daniel Nielson is a Professor and Associate Chair of the Political Science at Brigham Young University. Several weeks ago news outlets all around the world were buzzing with the most recent high profile leak, the panama papers. This 11.5 million-file leak from the database by the world’s fourth largest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca, contained the secrets of offshore finances of many heads of state and political figures from around the world. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), shared this leak with a large network of international partners, including the Guardian and the BBC. The documents which show the ease at which these leaders and other influential individuals can exploit offshore tax regimens, has catapulted an intense investigation into the shady world of shell companies and the dangers it presents to global security. Dr. Nielson explains how shell companies work and role offshore law firms play in international business, crime and possibly terrorism. Original Filmmaking (49:14) Amanda Klein is an Associate Professor in film history, theory and aesthetics at East Carolina University. She co-authored Cycles, Sequels, Spin-offs, Remakes, and Reboots: Multiplicities in Film and Television. Disney recently announced a line-up of live-action films that include: The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, and the Sword in the Stone. Many of these will be re-makes of the originals, much like Cinderella in 2015. A number of sequels are also coming up this year. The number of sequels and remakes begs the question, “Where has originality gone?” Dr. Klein explains why sequels are good and bad. Payday Loans (1:47:22) Dr. Richard Evans is a Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University. He earned his PHD from the University of Texas at Austin. Any drive through town is guaranteed to cross paths when at least one of the hundreds of payday and title loan establishments that dot city maps across the country. These companies advertise Paycheck adv

Dirt Cure, Why We Procrastinate, Blind Sole Runner Jul 12, 2016

Show notes

The Dirt Cure (11:24) Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein, Pediatric neurologist and mother of three, shows parents how to keep their kids healthy in new groundbreaking research. Based on cutting edge medicine that she has pioneered, THE DIRT CURE empowers parents to transform their children’s health by understanding the profound connection of their bodies and minds to nature and to food from nutrient and microbe-rich soil. Why We Procrastinate (54:34) Dr. Tim Pychyl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, the Director of the Centre for Initiatives in Education and he has a cross-appointment to the School of Linguistics and Language Studies. His most recent book is “Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change”. Dr. Puchyl gives us some tips on beating procrastination. Blind Solo Runner (1:39:41) Simon Wheatcroft is an ultramarathon runner who completes hundreds of miles of races, by himself, despite the fact that he is blind. Most of us will never attempt to run 160 miles, even less will do it solo through the Namibian desert, but only one person is attempting all of that while also being completely blind. Simon Wheatcroft explains how he finished the race and what drives him.

Hillary vs. FBI and Trump vs. GOP, Strengthening Relationships Jul 11, 2016

Show notes

Hillary vs. FBI, Trump vs. GOP (17:44) 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 talks about the fall out from the FBI's decison reguardig Hillary Clinton's email and the VP picks for Donald trump. Strengthening Relationships (1:04:06) Dr. John Gottman on World renowned for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction, John Gottman has conducted 40 years of breakthrough research with thousands of couples. Dr. Gottman was one of the Top 10 Most Influential Therapists of the past quarter-century by the Psychotherapy Networker. He is the author or co-author of over 200 published academic articles and more than 40 books, including the bestselling The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Dr. Gottman joined Dr. Townsend back in May of 2014 on Strengthening Relationships. Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening (1:51:44) John Elder Robison is a New York Times Best Selling Author for his book, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's. Imagine living without one of your senses and one day it’s Switched On. Suddenly you can hear for the first time or see color. John Elder Robison, knows what that feels like, but John wasn’t blind or deaf before this miraculous change. Mr. Robison has Asperger’s, a form of Autism, that left him without the ability to read emotions, and he’s here to talk about how his life suddenly changed.

Balancing Media Bias, Level Up Your Life, Connected World Jul 08, 2016

Show notes

Balancing Media Bias (15:24) Dr. Justin Buchler is a Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University. He studies elections, political parties and Congress. With dozens of media outlets, American voters have more than their fair share of options on political coverage. Outlets like Fox news, CNN, MSNBC, are all seeking to give the latest report of the presidential election. However, according to our guest today, Dr. Justin Buchler these “party-aligned \[outlets] make it difficult for voters to distinguish between valid criticism of one party and biased reporting from a partisan shill.” Dr. Buchler’s research, which uses game theory to show that under right circumstance “ A political party can make excessive demands in negotiations, lie brazenly, or otherwise behave in unusual and problematic ways…. Because journalists today are ill-equipped to stop it or bring attention to it.” Dr. Buchler shares his research. Level Up Your Life (1:01:11) Steve Kamb is the author of “Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story”. He is the founder of nerdfitness.com. He has guest lectured at Google, Google Dublin, Facebook, TEDxEmory, and regularly speaks at Vanderbilt University. We all have heroes in literature, movies and video games. There are characters who have attributes and skills we wish we did. Our guest today, Steve Kamb, is the author of “Level Up Your Life”, a book that talks about how to become your own superhero. How We Think the Internet Connects Us (1:48:44) Ethan Zuckerman is the Director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, and a principal research scientist at the MIT Media Lab. His research focuses on the distribution of attention in mainstream and new media, the use of technology for international development, and the use of new media technologies by activists. With just a single click, we can access almost anything; cat videos, the profiles of former classmates, the best cinnamon roll recipe, or the current political turbulence throu

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