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:

Heartland Economy, Libraries in Digital Age, Medical Quackery May 24, 2016

Show notes

How America’s Coastal Cities Left the Heartland Behind (15:58) Brian Feldman is a Researcher-Reporter with the Open Markets Program at New America. He previously worked for an education technology company in Cleveland, OH through Venture for America, an entrepreneurship fellowship centered on regional economies. Many of America’s Midwestern cities are experiencing an economic decline with big employers moving to bigger cities or out of the country. While many believe it to be an issue of deindustrialization and the trends in the free market, it may not be that simple. Brian Feldman says that the problems is actually a result of decisions made by “presidents and lawmakers in both parties, influenced by a handful of economists and legal scholars, quietly altered federal competition policies, antitrust laws, and enforcement measures over a period of 30 years.” So why are many Midwestern cities seeing such heavy economic blows? How have laws affected the growth of the cities? And will they ever return to their former “glory days”? What role do libraries play in the internet age? (1:02:32) Donald Barclay is the Deputy University Librarian at the University of California Merced campus. He graduated in 1990 from Cal Berkeley with his Master of Library and Information Science. Libraries. What visuals enter your mind when you hear the word library? Maybe an old curmudgeon shushing you, maybe you remember sitting on the floor as a child while hearing a story, maybe you think of hours searching computers and bookshelves for an academic assignment. But is the library a thing of the past? Donald Barclay's research may surprise you. Medical Quackery (1:46:47) Dr. Ron Hager is an Associate Professor of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University. "Health fraud" is often used as a synonym for quackery, but quackery's salient characteristic is aggressive promotion ("quacks quack!") rather than fraud, greed or misinformation. "Pseudo-medicine" is a term for treatments known to be ineffectiv

Sanders Still Berning, Benefits of a Bromance, Men and Grief May 23, 2016

Show notes

Sanders Still Berning (17:30) 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. Matt talk about how this election could end up being a vote for the lesser of two evils. Benefits of a Bromance (1:04:35) Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, college psychology instructor and the author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. She’s a regular contributor to Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and Huffington Post. Amy Morin wrote an article about how men can experience improved life satisfaction by having close male friends otherwise know as a bromance. Amy and Dr. Matt explore the positive elements of a "Bromance." Coaches Corner - Bromance (1:27:15) Men need to have friends. Research shows that health relationships improve the physical and emotional health of men. Having that type of relationship is not seen as normal for men in our society. Dr. Matt Townsend explains why we should encourage these relationships for a higher level of emotional health. Men and Grief (1:49:34) Rick Belden is a respected explorer and chronicler of the psychology and inner lives of men. He has been writing for most of his life and exploring the use of creative expression, dreamwork, personal mythology, and listening to the body as tools for self-healing since 1989. His book, Iron Man Family Outing: Poems about Transition into a More Conscious Manhood, is widely used in the United States and internationally by therapists, counselors, and men's groups as an aid in the exploration of masculine psychology and men's issues, and as a resource for men who grew up in dysfunctional, abusive, or neglectful family systems. Rick joins Dr. Matt Townsend to discuss the important topic of help

Future of Start-Up's, Speak Like Trump, The Leader You Can Be May 20, 2016

Show notes

Future of Start-up's (16:36) Troy D'Ambrosio is the Executive Director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. He is an Assistant Dean at the David Eccles School of Business. The University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is currently constructing studios that will offer students a unique dorm experience. The studios will allow 400 students the opportunity to live and exchange information with other entrepreneur hopefuls 24 hours a day. Students have the chance to test their own ideas, enter competitions, and be mentored by faculty members. Todd D’Ambrosio explains his program and how the institute will help promote entrepreneurship. How to Speak Like Trump (40:18) If you’ve been paying attention to the campaign at all, you know that Donald Trump is a ‘very, very rich man,” not to mention he’s ‘very smart,’ and has a lot of friends. So how does he do it? One of our producers, Liana Tan, discovered some of Trump’s secrets and is going to tell us all how we can talk like Donald Trump. All the Leader You Can Be (1:01:35) Suzanne Bates is an American business consultant and executive coach based in Wellesley, Massachusetts who is regarded as an authority on executive communication. She wrote two books on business communications which were described as bestsellers. Whether you’re taking on a new executive position, facing new and exciting challenges, trying to build a better and stronger team, or developing new emerging leaders within your organization, Bates’ book “All the Leader You Can Be” can help you achieve extraordinary executive presence. Suzanne Bates explains. Parent Previews - Angry Birds (1:49:25) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movie Angry Birds Meet the Producers - Hoarding (1:56:12) Student Producers Caitlin Thomas and Liana Tan teach Dr. Matt Townsend about hoarding the the concept of being a pack rat.

Money in Politics, Smart and Happy, Ever Accountable May 19, 2016

Show notes

Are Trump and Sanders rewriting the rules on money in politics? (15:55) Dr. Heath Brown is an Assistant professor of public policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center at the University of New York. It’s no secret that money is the key to political survival. From the public to presidential candidates, the complaints about corrupting influence money plays in politics are never in short supply. However, our guest today, Dr. Brown, says that while money is often harmful to our political process, “it is not always in the way we expect or directly observe.” Dr. Brown explains more about his research with money and American politics. If You're So Smart, Why aren't you happy? (1:02:30) Dr. Raj Raghunathan is an award-winning Professor of Marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He studies the impact that people’s judgments and decisions have on their own happiness and fulfillment. Everyone knows success and happiness are linked right? The more successful you are in your career the happier you are. Right? Actually the idea of career success at any cost is resulting in more and more people being dissatisfied with their life. Dr. Raghunathan discusses his book “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you happy?” Ever Accountable (1:50:20) Tyler Patterson has a degree in Computer Engineering, and has been programming computers since he was 13 years old. When he became frustrated because he couldn't find any good apps to protect himself from pornography, he set out to build his own. He is the creator of Ever Accountable, which isn’t a filter, but an app based on the principles of choice and accountability. It currently has over 6 thousand subscribers and is the top-rated accountability app in the Google Play store. Tyler on how to better protect your family while online.

Suicide Rates, Awakening, Managing Emotional Mayhem May 18, 2016

Show notes

U.S?. Suicide Rates (17:04) Dr. Kathy Hempstead, senior advisor for health care at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Today, we are seeing the highest rate of suicide since 1986. According to the National Center for Health and Statistics, the overall suicide rate rose by 24% from 1999-2014, (42, 773 suicides in 2014 compared to 29, 199 in 1999) that’s 13 suicides per 100,000 people The same study shows a significant increase in middle aged (45-54) women, with the rate rising by 63% since 1999, and 43% for men. We aren’t only seeing an increase with middle ages men and women, the rate has tripled for girls ages 10-14. Dr. Hempstead to tell us more about these shocking statistics and what can be done to help prevent more tragedies. Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening (1:01:46) 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. Managing Emotional Mayhem (1:46:29) Dr. Becky Bailey is an award-winning author, renowned teacher and internationally recognized expert in childhood education and developmental psychology. She is the founder of Loving Guidance, Inc., and the developer of the Conscious Discipline program. Dr. Bailey has authored 14 books related to guidance and discipline including her core publication for parents, Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline, and joins the show to discuss her newest book, Managing Emotional Mayhem.

Soda Politics, Too Big to Know, Online Fear May 17, 2016

Show notes

Soda Politics (10:28) Dr. Marion Nestle Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is a leading advocate for better food safety in the U.S. If you’ve watched a recent sporting event, from the super bowl, the current NCAA basketball tournament, NASCAR races, and even the Olympics, you’ve noticed the aggressive sponsorships from the leading beverage companies, namely Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Numerous athletes are spokesmen for these products and it just strikes some as a bit odd. It has become common knowledge that soda is unhealthy, full of sugar and leads to health challenges like obesity, diabetes, and poor dental hygiene. So why are sporting events and athletes, seemingly active and fit people, the face of products they likely don’t even drink? Soft drinks seem like a basic product, simply sugared water, but according to our guest today, Dr. Marion Nestle, Soda is all about race and class in America. Dr. Nestle shares with us more about the business and threat the beverage industry poses on our nation’s health outlined in her book, Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (And Winning). Too Big to Know (51:45) Dr. David Weinberger is a senior researcher at the Berkman Center at Harvard University. He has been a philosophy professor, journalist, strategic marketing consultant, Internet entrepreneur and a Franklin Fellow at the US State Department. According to Google, the search engine performs over 3.5 billion searches per day. That’s about 40,000 searches per second. With all this information, one truly important question to consider, one that you can’t search on Google, is this: what are we really learning? Dr. David Weinberger is the author of “Too Big To Know Dr. Weinberger with some ideas on how to manage all the information at our fingertips. Nothing Snowballs Online Like Fear (1:38:24) Adrienne Beard, writer in residence at Delta State University where she teaches journalism. Nowhere is information circulated more than on the internet, and nothing

Trump v. John Miller, Blind Runner, Mastering Everyday Habits May 16, 2016

Show notes

Who is John Miller? (16:14) 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 Donald Trump aledgidly acting as his own PK rep John Miller, how the GOP is trying to talk themselves into supporting Trump, and what Hillary Clinton will need to do to run a national camaign against Donald Trump. Blind Solo Runner (1:04:10) 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. Mastering the habits of Our Everyday Lives (1:51:37) Gretchen Rubin is a graduated from Yale Law School. She began with a career in law but is now one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on habits and happiness. She is the author of many books including Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives. Gretchen Rubin gives us tips on all our unanswered questions about the behind the scenes of forming habits.

Relationality, Chinese Philosophers, Meet the Producers May 13, 2016

Show notes

Commonwealth and Covenant: Economics, Politics, and Theologies of Relationality (15:05) Marcia Pally is a Professor at New York University in Multilingual Multicultural Studies and at Fordham University, and is a regular guest professor at Humboldt University’s Theology Faculty. Her research interests are culture, religion, and politics as well as culture and language. Author of Commonwealth and Covenant: Economics, Politics, and Theologies of Relationality. Professor Pally explains how being less selfish would improve politics and public policy. What we can learn from Chinese Philosophers (1:02:45) Dr. Michael Puett is the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Christine Gross-Loh is a journalist and author of several books, including the book we’re talking about today: The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Both share What Chinese Philosophers taught and how that can improve our daily lives. Parent Previews - Money Monster (1:52:12) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movie Money Monster Meet the Producers - How Snapchat Works (2:00:10) Student Producers Kaylee Dains and David Boyle teach Dr. Matt Townsend how to uses Snapchat

Working Class Poor, Human Cultural Evolution, Life Experience May 12, 2016

Show notes

The Working Class Poor (16:30) Dr. Scott Sanders, Assistant Professor of Sociology at BYU, co-authored the study “Work and Occupations.” According to the Agriculture Department around 46.5 Million people received food stamps last year. According to a new study by sociologists at BYU, Cornell and LSU, the majority of the United States poor aren’t jobless. They are working at low-paying jobs, struggling to support their families and themselves. The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter (1:07:50) Dr. Joseph Henrich is the Canada Research Chair in Culture, Cognition and Coevolution at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches both Economics and Psychology. He is also Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, at Harvard. His new book is The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter. Professor Joe Henrich argues it’s not our brains that saved us, but our culture. Claiming Life Experience (1:54:20) Brittany Fisher is 24 years old. She used to run cross-country for Utah State University and be an avid rock-climber. She is also a former employee for CLIMB Works, an outdoor recreation center. In 2012 Brittany Fisher took a 100 foot fall off of a cliff while rappelling which left her paralyzed from the waist down. But the athlete didn’t let that stop her, she relearned to walk and live life to its fullest. 24-year-old Brittany discuss her journey through the struggles of paralysis and to teach us how to overcome the trials in our lives.

Panama Papers, Solving the Unsolvable, Emotional Honesty May 11, 2016

Show notes

Panama Papers (15:21) 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. How to Solve Unsolvable Problems (1:06:45) Dr. David Niven is the Author of the book: It's Not About the Shark: How to Solve Unsolvable Problems. Dr. Niven’s The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People – and seven other titles in the series – have sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S., and has been translated in 30 languages. Dr. Niven shares his approach to solve tough problems by focusing on the solution. Teaching Man to Be Emotionally Honest (1:53:17) Andrew Reiner is a writer for the New York Times and is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post magazine. Andrew teaches writing, literature and cultural studies in the Honors College at Towson University. Research shows that baby boys are more emotive than baby girls, but then boys stifle their vulnerability as they grow and society teaches them that showing emotion is not ‘manly.’ Andrew Reiner, suggests that society’s definition of masculinity actually damages men’s relationships and performance later on in life. Andrew Reiner discu

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