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:

Money and Politics, Dirt Cure, Changing Job Market Mar 29, 2016

Show notes

Solutions to the Influence of Big Money in Politics (9:52) Stephen Spaulding, Legal director and senior policy counsel at Common Cause, where he works to reduce the undue influence of money in politics, expand access to democracy and uphold strong ethical standards in government. Stephen discusses money in politics, the goals of Common Cause and what steps need to be taken to better draw the lines between money and politics. The Dirt Cure (50:37) 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. The End of Work: Rise and Fall of the Job (1:34:04) Ray Williams is the President of Ray Williams Associates, a firm based in Vancouver, providing executive coaching and professional speaking services. Jobs as we know them are ending. According to research conducted by C.B. Frey and M.A. Osborne in 2013 at Oxford University machines may replace 47% of active workers in the future. Of 1,896 prominent scientists, analysts, and engineers questioned in a recent Pew survey on the future of jobs, 48% of them said the AI revolution will be a permanent job killer on a vast scale. In his article, The End of Work: The Rise and Fall of the Job, Ray Williams discusses the dangers and issues facing the job market. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:09:52 - Solutions to the Influence of Big Money in Politics 00:50:37 - The Dirt Cure 01:94:04 - The End of Work: Rise and Fall of the Job

Political Twitter Fights, Happiness Track, Living with Chronic Illness Mar 28, 2016

Show notes

Joe Cannon - Political Twitter Fights (17:21) 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 discusses current political news, Trump vs Cruz on Twitter and Burnis Sanders success. The Happiness Track (1:00:51) Dr. Emma Sepalla is Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and author of The Happiness Track. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Fulfillment Daily, a news site dedicated to the science of happiness. Emma Seppalla, author of ‘The Happiness Track’ and explains how creating a life of happiness will enable success in our lives. Coaches Corner: Lazy Co-Workers (1:18:46) Dr. Matt Townsend talks about new research about the benefits of the "Lazy office Co-worker". The research finds that the communities populated by lazy individuals are actually more resilient in the long run. Living with Chronic Illness (1:46:28) Kim Giles, President and founder of Clarity Point Life Coaching. Named one of the top 20 advice gurus in the country by Good Morning America in 2010. Writes a regular column on KSL.com every Monday in the Happy Living Section. Author of the Book Choosing Clarity: A Path to Fearlessness. Today Kim shares some tips for Living with Chronic Illness with Dr. Matt Townsend 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:21 - Joe Cannon - Political Twitter Fights 01:60:51 - The Happiness Track 01:78:46 - Coaches Corner: Lazy Co-Workers 01:106:28 - Living with Chronic Illness

Problems With Political Polling, Bolder Approach to Education Mar 25, 2016

Show notes

Political Polling (14:21) Dr. Cliff Zukin, is a Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the Edward J. Bloustein School for Planning and Public Policy and at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and an expert in public opinion, mass media & American politics, survey research, and research methods. Today Dr. Zukin discuss with Dr. Townsend the problems with political polling. Broader Bolder Approach to Education (1:08:53) Dr. Elaine Weiss is the National Coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education (BBA). Last year the Washington Post published an article that revealed that an analysis of 2013 Federal Data revealed that for the first time in over 50 years the majority of U.S. public school students came from low-income families. What is being done to help out these students? How is the poverty at home affecting students’ abilities to succeed in school? These are tough questions and they are being asked and addressed by The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education national campaign. Dr. Elaine Weiss discuss these questions and explains the goals of the BBA campaign. Batman v Superman, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (1:49:12) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movies Batman v Superman, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Meet the Producers: The Truth in Online Quizzes (1:57:22) Student producers Kaylee Daines and Lizz Miller share some interesting online polls and try to discover what kind of cookie best describes or what type of Disney princess best describes Dr. Townsend. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:21 - Political Polling 01:68:53 - Broader Bolder Approach to Education 01:109:12 - Batman v Superman, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 01:117:22 - Meet the Producers: The Truth in Online Quizzes

Soda Politics, Too Big to Know, Tone of Voice In Relationships Mar 24, 2016

Show notes

Soda Politics (16:44) 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 (1:02:47) 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: Rethinking Knowledge Now that Facts Aren’t the Facts, Experts are Everywhere and the Smartest Person in the Room is the Room.” Dr. Weinberger with some ideas on how to manage all the information at our fingertips. Tone of Voice In Relationships (1:55:02) Dr. Brian Baucom, an assistant Profes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:44 - Soda Politics 01:62:47 - Too Big to Know 01:115:02 - Tone of Voice In Relationships

Online Fear, Introverted Teachers, The Depression Miracle Mar 23, 2016

Show notes

Nothing Snowballs Online Like Fear (17:57) Adrienne Beard, writer in residence at Delta State University where she teaches journalism. Nowhere is information circulated more than on the internet, and nothing spreads faster than fear. Online, it’s as if fear brings people together. Tweets are circulated, articles are shared, and news coverage multiplies because stress and fear are contagious. From health crisis like Ebola, ISIS threats, and worries about the economy, and most recently the bombing in Brussels, our media is driven by fear. Why are we so easily influenced by fear? And what are the consequences of such a fear motivated media? Adrienne Beard's recent article, Nothing Snowballs Online Like Fear: How online fear feeds political smear campaigns, stock market rumors, and ISIS propaganda, discusses the media’s role in spreading the fear and how our reactions create more contagion. Introverted Teachers (1:01:28) Jessica Honard is a writer, educator and speaker. In 2015 she created The Adaptive Introvert—and online community for introverted educators. Jessi co-owns Owl Eyes Creative. Let’s imagine that you are an introvert. You tend to recharge better alone, and large groups can be draining—not that you don’t like people, you just need to be left alone sometimes. Now let’s also pretend that you are a teacher. You interact with kids, parents and teachers all day long. You are always “on”, always performing and expending energy. And when you are done with the kids for the day, there are more meetings with parents and teachers. Jessica Honard discusses how to prevent burnout and encourage success for introverts in the classroom. The Depression Miracle (1:50:10) Greg Thredgold has become an expert in daily survival over the last 40 years dealing with severe depression, panic attacks, and anxiety through daily personal experiences including the death of his son Connor in 2014 while serving an LDS Mission in Taiwan. In spite of his long battle, Greg has become an International award-winning photographer, sou 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:57 - Nothing Snowballs Online Like Fear 01:61:28 - Introverted Teachers 01:110:10 - The Depression Miracle

Grow the Economy, Career Choice, Talking to Children Mar 22, 2016

Show notes

Look at Cities and Efficiency to Grow Economy (16:48) Dr. John Short, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The state of our economy is one of the greatest concerns facing the nation. With massive public concern and the topic over taking the current presidential diabetes, many are looking for answers to solve our economic woes. According Dr. Short those answer may lie within our cities. Dr. Short’s recent article, “Want the economy to grow? It’s time to look at cities and efficiency,” discuss the need for growth and expansion in our cities. Dr. Short explains more about the future of the nation's economy. Madeleine Dresden: Noisy Neighbors (43:51) If you’ve ever lived in an apartment, or checked into a hotel, you’ve probably experienced some noise that you didn’t like: like loud stomping upstairs, music blasting through walls, or even a baby crying nonstop. Whether the perpetrator is oblivious to the noise they’re making, or just doesn’t care, there’s one thing that we know for sure: you can’t block out all noise. That’s just life. But what do we do when other people’s noises start affecting our quality of life—maybe we start losing sleep, or we can’t concentrate on our work? And worse yet, what if the noises can’t be contained because they don’t come from something that can be reasoned with? Madeleine Dresden, our Life Lessons segment producer, discusses what it’s like to have to deal with nice neighbors who have, as she calls them, Velociraptor children. Overconfidence and Career Choice (1:04:39) Dr. Jonathan Schulz is a research fellow in experimental economics at Yale studying cross-cultural differences in human behavior. As a child you may have known exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up. Options ranged from firefighter to doctor to artist. Then you hit college and real life settles in. You eventually choose a career, but how confident were you in your career choice? With statistics indicating that only 27% of college graduates get a job related to their m 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:16:48 - Look at Cities and Efficiency to Grow Economy 00:43:51 - Madeleine Dresden: Noisy Neighbors 01:64:39 - Overconfidence and Career Choice 01:112:45 - Talking to Children

Obama in Cuba, Are Pets Good For You, How to Date Better Mar 21, 2016

Show notes

President in Cuba, SCOTUS (18:00) 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 discusses current political news, President Obama's trip to Cuba, and presidential politics. Are Pets Really Good For You? (1:05:12) Dr. Harold Herzog, Professor of Psychology from Western Carolina University. Did you have a pet growing up? Do you have one now? Calvin and Hobbes, 101 Dalmatians, even The Fox and the Hound, are evidence of human’s fascination with animals and our pets. Some would say that we’ve only anthropomorphized our pets, others would say that these animals have real bonds with their owners, and even souls. Dr. Herzog is the author of the book, “Some We Love, Some We Hate, and Some We Eat: Why it’s so Hard to Think Straight About Animals”. He explains the history of pet ownership and how not all people are "pet people." How to Date Better (1:50:25) 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. Dr. Willoughby's specific expertise areas include dating, sexuality, cohabitation, marriage formation, and marital attitudes/beliefs. Dr. Willoughby gives his ideas and research on dating and relationships. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:18:00 - President in Cuba, SCOTUS (18:00) 01:65:12 - Are Pets Really Good For You? 01:110:25 - How to Date Better

Hammerhead Six, Simple Personal Finance, Key Survival Traits Mar 18, 2016

Show notes

Hammerhead Six (12:36) US Army Captain Ronald Fry is a third-generation veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division and as a Special Forces team leader in Afghanistan. In addition to Infantry and Special Forces training, he has completed the military’s Survival School and the Ranger, Pathfinder, Jumpmaster, and Combat Diver trainings. He is the author of “Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan’s Deadly Pech Valley.” Why Personal Finance Doesn't have to be difficult (51:25) Helaine Olen is the author of “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated” and “Pound Foolish”. She is a regular contributor to Pacific Standard Magazine and Reuters’ “The Great Debate” series. She discusses her book "The Index Card" and helps us find an easier ways to manage personal finance. Key Survival Traits Are Now Killing Us (1:34:32) Throughout time, our genetic makeup has been programed to help us survive the world around us, but that may no longer be the case. In fact, the very traits that kept out 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.”

Fix the Broken Debates, Spelling Society, Parenting Pre-Teens Mar 17, 2016

Show notes

How to Fix the Broken Debates (17:46) Ruth Sherman. Ruth is a strategic communications consultant. Political debates have long been a part of our democracy. In particular, presidential debates have been used as a means to better understand the candidates, their stance on pressing issues, and gain insight into how they would lead our country. However, over the years the process has become less dignified and almost childish. From schoolyard taunts and insults, to inappropriate references, this presidential season had no shortage of entertainment. The debates have become an opportunity for the media to boost ratings rather than provide the public with the necessary information to make an informed vote. So what needs to be done to fix the debates? On the phone with us, in Greenwich, CT, is Ruth Sherman. Ruth shares with us ideas and thoughts on how to fix these “broken debates.” Spelling Society (1:03:32) Stephen Linstead is Chairman and Honorary Treasurer for the English Spelling Society. Some of the most difficult languages to learn include: Chinese, Finnish and Arabic. Although English isn’t on the list, it is still no cake-walk to learn. Languages can become difficult to learn for grammatical reasons, because of colloquial terms and accents. Stephen Linstead from The English Spelling Society argues that it is in fact “spelling” that makes English a challenge to learn. Liana Tan: St Patrick's Day (1:22:19) Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Hope you are wearing green or you’re in for a few pinches! Where did that tradition come from? Why is it that we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day- or even celebrate it at all? Today we’ll get the low down from one of our producers, Liana Tan, who recently discovered all the nitty gritty details of St. Patrick’s Day. Parenting Pre-Teens (1:51:15) 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 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:46 - How to Fix the Broken Debates 01:63:32 - Spelling Society 01:82:15 - Parenting Pre-Teens 01:82:19 - Liana Tan: St Patrick's Day

Super Tuesday III, Tech-Healthy Families, Lucky in Love Mar 16, 2016

Show notes

Super Tuesday III (17:21) 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 shares his thoughts on the Ohio and Florida Primaries Ten Traits of Tech-Healthy Families (1:03:41) 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”. Coaches Corner: Mindful Tech (1:29:05) Dr. Matt Townsend points out that a parent can't help their child control their tech habits if the parent is addicted to their phones, tablets and computers. Dr. Townsend also covers some news that is not making headlines. Who Gets Lucky in Love (1:50:21) Suzanne Degges-White, professor and chair of the Counseling, Adult and Higher Education department at Northern Illinois University. Sometimes we see other people so happy in life and love and wonder how everyone else ends up so lucky. Why did he luck out with a beautiful wife and family while you are still searching? Why did she luck out with a doting fiancé while you just got dumped? Suzanne Degges-White explains why some people seem so lucky in relationships compared to others and how you can get start finding your own pot of gold. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:17:21 - Super Tuesday III 01:63:41 - TenTraits of Tech-Healthy Families 01:89:05 - Coaches Corner: Mindful Tech 01:110:21 - Who Gets Lucky in Love

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