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:

HIV/AIDS Research, Work at Your Own Pace, Healthy Holidays Dec 02, 2015

Show notes

HIV and AIDS Research (14:43) Dr. Bradford Berges is a Professor of microbiology and molecular biology at BYU. Dr. Berges studies how viruses cause disease in humans and is researching HIV/AIDS. Three decades ago, testing positive for HIV, more or less was a death sentence. Today, after years of research, an early diagnosis can be treated and maintained and patients can live a normal lifespan. In the United States, about 1.2 million people currently live with HIV, with 37 million worldwide, millions of them unknowingly living with the virus. Dr. Berges explains to Dr. Townsend what the current advances in HIV/AIDS research are and what it means to the lives of those with the disease. Face the Race at your Own Pace (1:01:20) Dr. Elad Levinson has 35 years of experience in leadership roles in private and public companies, including ICANN, Growth Sherpas, and Stanford University. Dr. Levinson has a degree in Psychology and maintains a private coaching practice. He is a longtime Buddhist practitioner and an applied Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences Thought leader and Consultant. Dr. Levinson shares with Dr Townsend how finding your pace at work will lead to success. How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays (1:48:13) Dr. Judith Wurtman is a former director of the Research Program in Women’s Health at the MIT Clinical Research Center and founder of TRIAD, a Harvard Hospital weight loss center. The holidays are a great time to celebrate with cultural customs and family traditions, but some of those traditions include a whole lot of fat and sugar. Dr. Wurtman talks with Dr. Townsend about how we can make sure that Santa is the only one gaining the holiday weight this year. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:43 - HIV and AIDS Research 01:61:20 - Face the Race at your Own Pace 01:108:13 - How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays

Responding to ISIS, Personal Motivation, Christmas With Kids Dec 01, 2015

Show notes

Terrorism in Paris: New Neuroscience Tells Us How to Respond (14:41) Dr. Eric Haseltine is a former Intelligence Officer and entertainment executive. He trained as a neuroscientist. Following 9/11 he joined the National Security Agency as the Associate Director. Owns Haseltine Partner LLC- a consulting company for intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense. Dr. Haseltine joins Dr. Townsend to talk about the neurological responses that take place when violent acts occur and how we can better balance that helps to defend against the attacker, rather than fuel the fire. Personal Motivation (1:02:16) Dr. Scott Geller is an Alumni Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech. He has authored or coauthored many publications addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-change interventions to improve quality of life. Dr. Geller talks with Dr. Townsend about the Power of Personal Motivation Christmas With Kids (1:49:40) Julie Nelson (the "Child Whisperer") has a master's degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. She teaches classes such as Applied Parenting and Marriage and Relationship Skills at Utah Valley University. Dr. Matt and Julie talk about her latest book “Keep It Real and Grab a Plunger” providing parenting tips and ideas. Today she shares the resources on how to make Christmas the best time for kids. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:41 - Terrorism in Paris: New Neuroscience Tells Us How to Respond 01:62:16 - Personal Motivation 01:109:40 - Christmas With Kids

Marco Rubio v. Ted Cruz, Feeling Good, Surviving Holidays Nov 30, 2015

Show notes

Marco Rubio vs. Ted Cruz (13:52) 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 explains why he thinks that the Republican nomination will come down to Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Feeling Good (1:00:38) Dr. David Burns is the author of “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy”, “Ten Days to Self-Esteem” and “When Panic Attacks”. Dr. Burns is currently Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Burns joins Dr. Townsend to discuss how a person can avoid depression during the holidays or anytime of year. Surviving Family Holiday Parties (1:45:35) 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 and Dr. Matt talk about how to survive family holiday parties

Water on Mars, The Peanuts Movie, Movie Reviews Nov 25, 2015

Show notes

Water on Mars (15:25) Dr. Ben Bromley is a Professor of Physics And Astronomy at the University of Utah. He also was a Research scientist at NASA Center for Climate Simulation. Dr. Bromley has a B.A. 1982, Chemistry and Physics, Middlebury College, an M.S. 1987, Physics, University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. 1994, Physics, Dartmouth. Today he joins the show to talk about NASA's recent announcement of the discovery of water on Mars. The Peanuts Movie (59:01) Tyler Carter is a BYU Alumni who won a student Emmy for his short film “DreamGiver”. He is a visual development artist at Blue Sky Studios. He worked on The Peanuts Movie as a visual development artist. He recently published the book “Wasatch” that features his beautiful paintings inspired by the Wasatch area. You can see more of his work at tycarter.com. Tyler explains the challenge of animating the world of The Peanuts. Parent Previews (1:44:07) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new movies "Creed" and " The Good Dinosaur

Democrats Future, Two Awesome Hours, Healthy Holidays Nov 24, 2015

Show notes

Are Democrats Doomed or Dominant? (13:48) Dr. Julia Azari is an Associate Professor and Assistant Chair in the Department of Political Science at Marquette University. Her research and teaching interests include the American presidency, American political parties, the politics of the American state, and qualitative research methods. Dr. Azari talks with Dr. Townsend about the future of the Democratic party. Two Awesome Hours (59:10) Dr. Josh Davis is the author of the international bestseller “Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done.” Josh is director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University, and Barnard College of Columbia University. Dr. Davis and Dr. Townsend talk about how to best manage your time and the importance of daydreaming Healthy Holidays (1:44:42) Dr. Ron Hager is an Associate Professor of Exercise Sciences in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University. With the holidays you typically spend more time with family and friends, you celebrate traditions, socialize, have time off from work, engage in more opportunities for eating, drinking and going to parties. For many year long health habits like being regularly physically active and eating healthy are rationalized away during the holidays. Dr. Hager shares some tips on how to stay healthy during the holidays. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:13:48 - Are Democrats Doomed or Dominant? 00:59:10 - Two Awesome Hours 01:104:42 - Healthy Holidays

Trump vs. GOP, Decision Satisfaction, Holiday Blues Nov 23, 2015

Show notes

Trump vs. GOP, Hillary vs. DNC (13:33) 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 explains the difficult relationship that the Republicans have with Donald Trump and the Democrats uneasiness with Hillary Clinton. Decision Satisfaction (58:06) Rebecca Shiner is Professor of Psychology at Colgate University. She teaches courses on personality, happiness, therapy, and the development of psychological disorders in youth. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota, 1998. Her research centers on personality development in children and teens, personality traits, influence of personality on positive life outcomes and psychological disorders. Dr. Shiner explains to Dr. Townsend how decision making can be frustrating for some and easy for others. Beating the Holiday Blues (1:41:50) Maud Purcell is a skilled and seasoned Psychotherapist, and the Founder and Executive Director of The Life Solution Center of Darien, a one-of-a-kind consortium of independent businesses and practices designed to treat the whole person. Maud works extensively with adults, couples and teens to help them find straightforward, common-sense solutions to their problems. She talks with Dr. Townsend about how to remain positive during the holiday season. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:13:33 - Trump vs. GOP, Hillary vs. DNC 00:58:06 - Decision Satisfaction 01:101:50 - Beating the Holiday Blues

Internet and Reading, Telepresence Robots, Parent Previews Nov 20, 2015

Show notes

Internet and Reading (13:18) Dr. Frank Furedi is a sociologist and social commentator. He was formerly Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent in Canterbury. He is author of 17 full-length books including: Paranoid Parenting, Culture of Fear, and First World War: Still No End In Sight. He joins Dr Townsend to explain how the internet is not cutting into how much we are reading. http://www.frankfuredi.com/ Telepresence robots in schools (57:00) Dr. Aaron J. Fischer is a Professor of educational psychology and psychiatry at the University of Utah. He is the Director of the University’s Technology in Training, education and Consultation Lab. Dr. Fischer is currently creating and evaluating effective strategies for psychologists engaging in consultation, while incorporating cutting-edge technology. He is evaluating videoconferencing as a strategy to conserve school resources and remotely consult with teachers. Parent Previews (1:45:38) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to review the new Hunger Games movie and Love the Coopers Meet the Producers: Lizz Miller and Kaylee Daines (1:55:13) Student producers Lizz Miller and Kaylee Daines talk with Dr Townsend about how they celebrate Thanksgiving

Flight Anxiety, State of Politics, Dangers of Addiction Nov 19, 2015

Show notes

Flight Anxiety (15:52) Captain Bunn has worked for over 30 years in helping people with flight phobia. Captian Bunn graduated from Wake Forest University in psychology. He is a retired pilot for the U.S. Air Force. He’s here to talk to us about the safety of flying, and how we can better stay calm in times of anxiety while flying. State of Politics (58:05) McKay Coppins is a Buzzfeed political reporter. He was embedded with the Mitt Romney Campaign in 2012. McKay talks about what it was like report on hard news stories while working for a website known for cat videos. He also shares with Dr. Townsend his experience covering politics and what he has learned about the political process. Dangers of Addiction (1:43:02) Alema Harrington has been working in front of the camera for nearly two decades. He is currently the host of "Jazz Game Night" - the Emmy Award-winning television broadcast of the Utah Jazz basketball team on the Root Sports Network. He is now a counselor at Renaissance Ranch Outpatient Treatment Addiction Recovery and joins Dr. Townsend to share his story of addiction and recovery. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:15:52 - Flight Anxiety 00:58:05 - State of Politics 01:103:02 - Dangers of Addiction

Truth About Caffeine, Do Men Need Friends, Motivating Children Nov 18, 2015

Show notes

The Truth About Caffeine (13:38) Dr. Sweeney is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She received her doctorate in Psychology from Utah State University in 2014 where she studied basic conditioning, learning, and decision making phenomena in animals and humans. Her current applies conditioning and learning processes to human behavioral pharmacology and clinical problems of drug abuse. She is co-investigator on a study assessing the effects of alcohol and caffeine co-consumption, as well as a brief intervention for individuals who are interested in cutting down or quitting their caffeine use. She talks with Dr. Townsend about the findings of her study and shares some ideas on how to best reduce caffeine consumption. Dr. Matt Townsend - Do Men Need Friends? (56:10) At some point in a man's life it is not common to have a "best friend". It is not clear when or why this happens but research shows that everyone needs someone to bond with for emotional health. Dr. Townsend shares some ideas he has gathered about the concept of the "best friend" among men and how women can encourage that relationship Motivating Children (1:40:21) Dr. Kate Roberts is a child and family psychologist and coach, with over 25 years of experience. She is a well-known expert in the field of families, including parents, couples, and child psychology, and has published a number of articles in professional journals. Dr. Kate’s coaching practice emphasizes state of the art, targeted strategies that help parents, help their children. Dr. Roberts talk share with Dr Townsend ideas on how to motivate kids through purpose.

Binary Thinking, Falling in Love is the Easy Part, Psychic Robot Nov 17, 2015

Show notes

Binary Thinking (13:40) Ryan Long is a legal advisor to technology, media, and design professionals in intellectual property, litigation, and corporate matters. Fellow of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society. Expert in intellectual property and related litigation/transactional. Ryan Long shares his thoughts about the dangers of binary thinking and how it could lead to bad choices. Falling in Love is the Easy Part (58:25) Mandy Len Catron is a writer living and working in Vancouver, BC. She blogs at The Love Story Project, a collage of research, memoir and family mythology. Ms. Catron teaches English and Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. She is the author of the New York Times Article, “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This” and talks to Dr. Townsend about her experience with 36 Questions that help to determine if a person is right for you. Psychic Robot (1:44:00) Justin Horowitz, a graduate research assistant in bioengineering at the University of Chicago. He is here today to tell us about a recently developed software that uses a mathematical algorithm that can “see people’s intentions while performing an ordinary action like reaching for a cup or driving straight up a road—even if the action is interrupted.” 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:13:40 - Binary Thinking 00:58:25 - Falling in Love is the Easy Part 01:104:00 - Psychic Robot

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