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:

Cyber Security, Reputation Value, The Better Life Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

Cyber Security (12:45) Neil Wyler is an Information Security Engineer and Researcher located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Currently with EMC Corporation as a Security and Analytics Specialist within their Emerging Technologies Division. He has spent over 15 years as a security professional, focusing on vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, physical security, and incident response. Neil talks with Dr. Townsend about cyber security threats and what you can do to protect yourself. How much is your reputation worth (56:20) Dr. David M. Waguespack is Associate Professor of Management & Organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Dr. Waguespack received his PhD in Political Science, focusing on environmental politics and science and technology policy. Prior to arriving at Maryland he was a project manager at the University of California Los Angeles, and an adjunct political science professor at SUNY Buffalo. Dr. Waguespack talks with Dr. Townsend about reputation value. The Better Life (1:39:37) Claire Diaz-Ortiz holds an MBA from Oxford University, where she was a Skoll Foundation Scholar for Social Entrepreneurship, and has a BA and an MA in anthropology from Stanford University. She is the cofounder of Hope Runs, a nonprofit organization operating in AIDS orphanages in Kenya. Today she talks with Dr. Townsend about her recent book "The Better Life" and what things all of us can do to help find present happiness.

Children and Violence, Inside Out, No More Perfect Kids Jul 21, 2015

Show notes

Children and Violence (12:13) Dr. David Finkelhor is the Director of the Crimes against Children Research Center, Co-Director of the Family Research Laboratory, and a Professor of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire. He has been studying the problems of child victimization, child maltreatment and family violence since 1977. Dr Finkelhor talks with Dr. Townsend about his study on children and violence. Psychology of Inside Out (53:05) Dr. Kimberly Sena-Moore is a board certified music therapist who joined the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in 2014. Her research has been published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspective, and Imagine. She currently serves as Regulatory Affairs Associate for the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Dr. Moore and Dr Townsend talk about what the movie "Inside Out" got right about the discuss of children and emotions. Good in the World: Jason Redman (1:20:00) Jason Redman, a retired Navy Seal, in 2007 was on a mission to capture an Al Qaeda High Value target when his team came under fire. Redman and two other teammates were wounded in the firefight. Despite being shot twice in the arm and once in the face Redman and his team won the fight ensuring everyone came home alive. After 37 surgeries, he uses his experiences as a severely wounded service member and positive attitude to motivate others and to continue to raise awareness of the sacrifices of America’s courageous military forces and their families. Jason shares his story with Kathy Aiken. No More Perfect Kids (1:38:14) Jill Savage is an author and international speaker who helps moms be the best they can be. A mother of five, Jill is passionate about strengthening families. As the Founder and CEO of Hearts at Home, Jill has led thousands of moms to keep their priorities straight. She is the author of 9 books including her latest "No More Perfect Kids". Jill Savage talks with Dr. Townsend about how our “perfect” expectations as parents can have a negative effect on our children.

Trump v. McCain, Mortality and Education, Belonging Jul 20, 2015

Show notes

Donald Trump (12:37) Joe Cannon, 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 talks current political news including Donald Trump' s comments on John McCain and how the rest of the presidential field should deal with the disruption that Trump creates. Mortality Attributed to Low Levels of Education (56:59) Dr. Patrick Krueger is an Assistant Professor at the College of Liberal Arts Sciences in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at University of Colorado Denver. He has authored many studies, including “Mortality Attributable to Low Levels of Education in the United States”. Dr. Krueger talks with Dr. Townsend about his study on effect of education on health and mortality. The Need to Belong (1:41:12) 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 talks about our need to belong and the importance of being included

Standardized Testing, Motivation, How We Learn Jul 17, 2015

Show notes

Standardized Testing (11:16) Dr. Anjalé Welton,Assistant professor in education, policy, organization, and leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Welton examines how opportunity structures—such as issues of stratification and access to college preparation and information—shape the connections that students of color make to educational resources and matriculation to college. Dr. Welton and Dr. Townsend talk about the issues surrounding standardized testing. Motivation and Learning Performance (56:30) Dr. Bobby Hoffman is an Associate Professor at the School of Teaching, Learning and Leadership at University of Central Florida. Bob is a member of the editorial board of three leading journals; Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Psychology Review, and Educational Research, Technology & Development. Dr. Hoffman shares his research in his new book “Motivation for Learning and Performance”. Dr Townsend and Dr, Hoffman discuss how to motivate yourself and others. Parent Previews (1:20:46) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to look at what is new in theaters this week. Dr Matt and Rod talk about the movies Ant-Man and Mr. Holmes How We Learn (1:39:42) Benedict Carey is an award-winning science reporter who has been working for The New York Times since 2004 and is one of the paper’s most emailed reporters. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in Math, then went on to get his Master’s in journalism at Northwestern University. Carey has written about health and science for twenty-five years. Today Dr. Matt and Mr. Carey talk about his book "How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens."

Mental Health, Mate Value, Teaching Kids to be Kind Jul 16, 2015

Show notes

Understanding Mental Health (11:44) Dr. Jacob Hess is a Co-Founder of All of Life. He holds a doctorate degree in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Recently worked as Research Director at Utah Youth Village, a non-profit for abused children in Utah. Jacob has authored 13 peer-reviewed articles and two books. Dr. Hess and Dr. Townsend talk about understanding mental health. Perceptions of Mate Value (56:30) Lucy Hunt, a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Texas Austin and first author on the study “Relational Mate Value”. Lucy is pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include initial attraction processes, dating, and mate selection. She explains how mate value changes over time. Dr. Matt Townsend - Coaches Corner (1:23:12) Matt shares his thoughts on how to improve dating and advice he has given to improve a person's chances on finding the perfect match. Teaching Kids to be Kind (1:51:40) 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 teach kids kindness.

Alzheimer Research, Tourism Security, Tracking with Spotify Jul 15, 2015

Show notes

Alzheimer Research (12:11) Dr. Keoni Kauwe, an Associate Professor of Biology and head of the Bioinformatics program at Brigham Young University- his research with Alzheimer's has helped lead to the discovery of a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Today he talks about the disease, recent research, and the importance of increasing awareness. Tourism Security Challenges (55:07) Dr. Peter Tarlow, an expert specializing in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry. Since 1990, Tarlow has been teaching courses on tourism, crime & terrorism to police forces and security and tourism professionals throughout the world. He is the author of "Event Risk Management and Safety". Today Dr. Peter Tarlow talks about the danger that terrorism poses for tourism Good in the World: Hailey Fort with Hailey’s Harvest (1:23:38) 9 year-old Hailey Fort saw a homeless man in her community and started thinking of ways to help. Through donations she began building mobile sleeping shelters that cost around $300. Hailey also began a garden, Hailey's Harvest, which produced 128 points of produce in 2014 that she donated to feed the homeless. Kathy Aiken talks with Hailey and her mom about their efforts to help the homeless in their area. Technology News (1:40:00) Jay McFarland joins Dr. Matt to discuss the latest developments in technology and technology related news. Jay is a radio host whose career has taken him to Nevada and Dallas and now has him on the air with a daily show called The Browsers on KSL NewsRadio in Salt Lake City. In addition to his daily radio show Jay has also authored two books, "Freedom Ain't Free" and "Joyful Union," and he has created several popular apps and games for the iPhone and iPad devices. Jay and Dr. Matt talk about how kids react to the cell phone use of their parents and Matt’s new Apple Watch, Using Spotify and Netflix to track down criminals. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:12:11 - Alzheimer Research 00:55:07 - Tourism Security Challenges 01:83:38 - Good in the World: Hailey Fort with Hailey's Harvest 01:100:00 - Technology News

Chronic Homelessness, Shakespeare, Finding Adventure Jul 14, 2015

Show notes

Chronic Homelessness (13:38) Nic Dunn is the spokesman for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, which includes the state's Division of Housing and Community Development. Dunn is a former speechwriter for Governor Gary R. Herbert, and previously worked in the broadcast news industry. He studied journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and earned his Masters in Public Policy at the University of Utah. Nic talks about the "Housing First" program for the chronically homeless and how the State of Utah has seen succes by giving homes to the homeless. Shakespearean Festival and Why it should matter (1:06:17) Michael Don Bahr is the Education Director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He has created outreach programs including the Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Tour, a 16 week touring production that performs for 70 schools, serving nearly 40,000 students in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Colorado annually. Previously, he was a teacher of theatre arts in Utah and California schools. Michael Bahr explains why is it important that Shakespeare be accessible to youth and adults. Bored? Train Your Brain for Adventure (1:37:46) Judith Fein is an award- winning travel journalist who lives to leave. She is the author of LIFE IS A TRIP: The Transformative Magic of Travel and THE SPOON FROM MINKOWITZ which talks a lot about the emotional journey and importance of researching your own genealogy. Judith resided for more than ten years in Europe and North Africa. Today she explains how to find adventure in your own neighborhood

Donald Trump, Evolution of Pop Music, Family Narrative Jul 13, 2015

Show notes

Donald Trump and the Presidency (12:05) Joe Cannon, 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 talks current political news including Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush campaigns. Evolution of Pop Music (55:58) Dr. Matthias Mauch is a lecturer and researcher in the field of music informatics. He works as a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London and a team of other experts have used technology and evolutionary biology to pinpoint the moments that popular music changed. Crafting a Family Narrative (1:40:51) 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 Crafting a Family Narrative

Federal Land, Confederate Flag, Emotional Lessons Jul 10, 2015

Show notes

Robert Keiter - Federal Land (10:51) The Director, Wallace Stegner Center of Land, Resources, and the Environment, and law professor at the University of Utah, Robert Keiter is an expert in natural resource law. The US federal government owns 640 million acres of land- that sum adds up to about 28% of the nation. The more shocking numbers come from the vast difference in the federal ownership of western states vs the rest of the nation. The federal government owns 47% of 11 western states while only owning 4% in the other states. Robert Keiter discusses the debate over federal lands and what the future of this disagreement could be. "The Lost Cause" and the Confederate Flag (56:40) John Price is a Folklorist and Professor at Pennsylvania State University. The film “Gone with the Wind”, while incredibly popular, is based in “Lost Cause” ideology. This ideology, with the recent controversy concerning the Confederate Flag, is being contested. John Price, a folklorist, joins us now, live to discuss his article for the Huffington Post: “You’re a racist, and a traitor”. Parent Previews (1:24:04) Rod Gustafson from Parent Previews joins the show to look at what is new in theaters this week. Dr Matt and Rod talk about the movies Minions and Self/Less Coaches Corner with Matt (1:51:27) Dr. Townsend talks about the emotional lessons that can be learned from the movie “Inside Out”. The movie is about emotional development in the human brain and delivered in such a way that children and adults can understand. The major lesson is recognize the emotion and understand everyone's emotional make-up is different.

Student Credit, Shame and Bullying, Kids Career Choices Jul 09, 2015

Show notes

Student Credit (14:14) Bill Welsh is the Collections Manager for BYU Student Financial Services. Former President & Owner of the Credit Bureau of Provo, Credit Bureau of Price, Manager Motor Credit Company, owner Credit Bureau of Price Collection Service Division. Served on various National boards of directors including Medical Dental Hospital Bureaus Association and Associated Credit Bureaus Inc. where he served as chairman of the board from 1999 to 2000. Today he talks about student debt and the importance of credit scores. Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Bullying, and Violence (55:16) Dr. Jonathan Fast is the author of "Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Bullying and Violence." He is an Associate Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Dr. Fast has researched Shame, Bullying and Violence and how it impacts individuals and society. Today he talks with Dr. Townsend about how to address our culture that tends to “weaponized shame” and how to combat its negative effects. Counseling Children on Finding a Career (1:40:16) Jim Citrin is the author of The Career Playback: Essential Advice for Today’s Aspiring Young Professional. He is also the senior partner and member of the board at Spencer Stuart, where he leads the firm’s CEO practice. He has served as a director here for 15 years. Jim Citrin talks with Dr. Townsend about how to talk to your kids about the realities of finding a career. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:14:14 - Student Credit 00:55:16 - Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Bullying, and Violence 01:100:16 - Counseling Children on Finding a Career

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