The Matt Townsend Show: Recent Episodes
BYU Radio
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. New episodes Monday through Friday at 9 am Eastern.
This time of year is filled with shopping and you eventually will end up bringing the kids, and they will want something and not get it. The behavior where children whine and demand by using the phrase, "gimmie" is the behavior we can talk about today, particularly introducing young children to finances. To talk about this Matt has Alisa Weinstein on the show. Alisa is a financial and lifelong planner and will help us understand how we can teach children about these financial matters but still retain the magic of santa and Christmas. Stay tuned later in the show for one matt's own coaching corners on what really matters during this time of the year. We hope you have a merry christmas season from us here at the Matt Townsend Show!
If you are having anyone over this season you are going to have to host people, and odds are that you will be doing this multiple times during this busy time of the year. Today Matt is talking with some people that are going to help us be in tip top shape when it comes to hoasting. First Matt gets some helpful tips from Alisa Andrus about how to make our homes ready for guests and how our preperations can make others feel comfortable when they visit. After, Matt talks with Dr. Marvin Brown about mastering somthing we must all suffer through when it comes to family gatherings this season, small talk. Dr. Brown teaches us all about how to start, hold and polietly end a conversation. Everything today will come in handy real soon when comes to your holiday plans!
Today is all about how to bring an increase of love into your lives. Matt begins by talking with author Andrew Solomon about how parents can learn to deal with their children that have not turned out the way they wanted them too. Andrew brings Matt on a journey to acceptance and healing. Later on, Matt talks about having love for someone critical in our lives, ourselves! He will talk with Shannon Kaiser about the process of accepting ourselves as we are.
Today is all about the kids! Today Matt takes a pretty deep dive into the temperament of children. He is helped by an expert, Dr. David Rettew. Dr. Rettew has studied children for years and condensed childrends temperaments into five basic categories. Later n in the show Matt talks about child temperament with another expert named Julie Nelson. This will be a good one so listen up parents!
Today is all about how we can live happier lives. We start off with Syd Hoffman who talks about how we can be happier people overall and how hapiness is related to our energy levels. Later on in the show we hear from Emma Seppala about how compassion for other people is what truly breeds internal happiness. Enjoy!
Dating is a popular subject here on the Matt Townsend Show and today we have another episode focused on dating with the ultimate dating guru Alisa Goodwin Snell. But before Matt dives in with her we get to hear from the author of the book,"Labor of Love: the Invention of Dating". Moyra Wygull is the author of this book and she examines how dating has changed and evolved over time. We then get to learn from the talented dating expert Alisa Goodwin Snell and she will be telling us what we are doing wrong with dating and a few common things men do that creep women out.Â
The old saying goes that you should, "never hire [or work] with your family". Well today Matt is addressing this convetional wisdom directly with some stellar examples of couples that work togeather and buisinesses that are run out of peoples homes. Kathy Mollo comes on the show to share her experiance of being in business with her spouse for over 45 years! Later we will learn about how to best run a business from your home. Expert Vikki Winterton shares with us the important principles needed such as time managment.Â
Happy Friday everyone! Today Matt is focused on the Internet. Matt has blogger Becca Dulgarian on to talk about internet etiquette. We also get to learn about how the internet can be more hurtful than helpful, and the no nos of Facebook use.Later on the episode Matt has on a millenial and a baby boomer and stages a contest to whoo can stump eachother. It promises to be good fun! All this fun included in this Friday episode!Â
Today we have a throwback Thursday! We are going back to Matt's first ever episode all the way back in 2012. In this episode Matt talked about happiness and how we can best deal with the constant march of change. Matt also interviewed Mike Schlappi an influential and inspirational figure who tells his story. Matt will wrap things up with his first ever coaching corner! All this on this nostalgic episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Matt is focusing on a variety of things today. First we talk about our relationship with ourselves with guest Van Moody and we get to learn about his special thing which he calls the "i-factor". Later on we talk with Dr. Sandra Russ about children and their imaginations. We learn from Sandra the importance of playing and make believe in the development of our children and how their parents can helpfully add to these adventures! Hope you have a great Wednesday!
Today we have a full episode for you guys! We first hear from Dr. Thomas Faylin and he teaches matt about how we can have better relationships with our teens. We learn about helpful topics like the difference between discussing things with our children and lecturing them and much more! Later on we hear from a regular here on the Matt Townsend Show, Ron Hager. Ron helps us learn how we can integrate exercise into our daily lives so we can be more healthy overall. We learn about healthy habits that can be the secret to longevity! All this and more on this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Today is all about parenting advice. We first hear from Dr. Say-lin Ghoul-goze who teaches us all about how children understand authority and instinctivly know who is in charge. We also hear from Dr. Karrinna Reega about childrens sleep cycles. Apparently a child's sleep is affected by the confidence and knowledge of the prents putting them to bed! All this and more on this Monday's edition of the Matt Townsend Show!
Hello everyone! Today Matt is talking about forgiveness a topic that can hit close to home this time of year when you have to spend so much time with relatives that may have offended you before or are likely to offend you soon. Matt gets some excellent help from Dr. Jim Dincalci who is a psychotherapist and university instructor. Jim talks all about how we need to cultivate the ability to forgive and nurture that precious skill. We finish up with a special coaching corner from Matt about how we can avoid self-destructive behaviors by having better emotional management.
Happy Holidays everyone! Today Matt is talking all about how this time of year can be especially hard for us to stay healthy and fit. Luckily Matt has assembled a team of experts to help us defeat that dreaded holiday weight gain! First he talks with expert Jenny Grothe who will give us some helpful tips for us to keep in mind when we sit down to eat and feast this time of year. Matt also hosts Dr. Ron Hager who is always trying to get Matt a little fitter mainly because he is a professor of exercise science at BYU. He gives us some of his useful health rules to follow and also remember when it is time to work off all that weight we gained during the holidays! Hope everyone has a healthy day from the Matt Townsend Show!
Happy Holidays everyone! We hope your holiday shopping is going well! Today Matt is focused on our holiday finances and how we can safely navigate the biggest spending season of the whole year. First we hear from Author financial expert Diane Tegarden. Diane shares some tips from her recent book about how we can prevent the financial pressure of the holidays from ruining our relationships and our lives. Later on we get to hear from another personal finance expert Helaine Olen and her advice about broader financial topics and best principles of personal finance. All this and more today from the Matt Townsend Show!
Happy Cyber Monday listeners! Today is focused on how to keep you safe while your shopping away on your computers for those Cyber Monday deals! Matt first interviews Supervisory Special Agent Jim LaMadrid who is an FBI agent and has experience while leading the Salt Lake City Cyber Task Force. We learn from Jim all of the ways people will try to scam you online during your holiday shopping season, he teaches us what to look for and stay away from. In addition, Agent LaMadrid tells us how we can get help from the FBI of we have been the victim of one of these fraudulant scams. Later on in the show Matt interviews Neil Wyler who is a computer security and anylist specialist about the ins and outs of cyber security. Neil shares with us some helpful tips so that we can change our behavior online so we can be safer all around. Relax and enjoy this special episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Happy Cyber Monday listeners! Today is focused on how to keep you safe while your shopping away on your computers for those Cyber Monday deals! Matt first interviews Supervisory Special Agent, Jim LaMadrid, who is an FBI agent and has experience while leading the Salt Lake City Cyber Task Force. We learn from Jim all of the ways people will try to scam you online during your holiday shopping season; he teaches us what to look for and stay away from. In addition, Agent LaMadrid tells us how we can get help from the FBI of we have been the victim of one of these fraudulant scams. Later on in the show Matt interviews Neil Wyler who is a computer security and anylist specialist about the ins and outs of cyber security. Neil shares with us some helpful tips so that we can change our behavior online so we can be safer all around. Relax and enjoy this special episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Happy black friday listeners! Today we have a special themed episode for you all about our consumption and habbits and what we buy. What better thank black friday to hear about this? We learn first from Meg Conley, a regular on the show and a popular blogger about how somtimes buying certain things can make us happy. Latter on we take a more measured and clinical view of consumerism with Doctor Ian Zimmerman a psychologyst and professor at the University of Missouri. From Ian we learn all about spending habits and how they can both help and harm us and how to be careful when dealing with money. All that and tons more on this the biggest shopping day of the year! Happy Balck friday from your friends here on the Matt Townsend Show!!
Happt Turkey Day from the Matt Townsend Show! Today we have full lineup of guests to give us the tips and tricks to getting through this haliday and how to make it the best one yet. We start off with Karen Mangum, mother of BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum, and a fantastic dietician and healt coach in her own right! Karen shares with us some tips on how we can stay healthy during this day of feasting so it doesn't come back to gett us in the butt later. Next Matt has the one and only Mardi Townsend (Matt's Wife) on the air to discuss a strange tradition that they share every Thanksgiving! After we say goodbye to Mardi we say hello again to Proffesor Jeff Thompson from BYU as he teaches us all about how we can stregnthen our relationships with our extended family members today during our festivites rather than just muddle through. Finally, we have reknown blogger and writer Jenny Laton on the show to wrap things up by telling us how we can better teach our childern the meaning of service through our own example. This is jam packed specail Thanksgiving episode for you today on the Matt Townsend Show!
We have a real special episode today! Matt has Stan Ellsworth the host of the BYUtv show American Ride on the show to talk about Stan's favorite topic; American History. In honor of the thanksgiving holiday coming up we are reviewing all the great things that we have to be thankful for. Stan and Matt discuss the events and characters that make up our uniquely American story and we learn who we need to know in american history for Stan himself. All this and a coaching corner on this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Today is another Thanksgiving themed episode! Today Matt talks all about Gratitude! He interviews marketing proffesional and author Nina Lisawitz about how being more greatful and choosing to have a greatful heart can have a significant impact upon your mental and social health. Then Matt talks with John Israel, who has committed to write 5 thank you notes a day for an entire year! We hear all about the challenges and rewards of his experience. All this and more on this new episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
We have a real special episode today! Matt has Stan Ellsworth the host of the BYUtv show American Ride on the show to talk about Stan's favorite topic; American History. In honor of the thanksgiving holiday coming up we are reviewing all the great things that we have to be thankful for. Stan and Matt discuss the events and characters that make up our uniquely American story and we learn who we need to know in american history for Stan himself. All this and a coaching corner on this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Matt gets to learn lots from Russell Irving, the author of the popular book "Improve your Marriage don't Overlook the Obvious". Today we learn all about what is required from us to make our marraiges continue to survive and thrive. There are simple things we can do every day to make marraige contiuously vibrant. Later on Matt has Profesor Heather Johnson from BYU on as they discuss marriage and family. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Today is all about technology. The forces that copnstantly bombard in the form of push notifications, emails, news updates and more can come to control our lives and the lives of our children. Matt takes a serious look at this issue with Doctor Jill Manning who is a licensed family therapist. Jill teaches Matt several strategies for taking back control of our lives. And stay tuned till the end when Matt gives us one of his great Coaching Corners on nothing other than, technology!
Today Matt talks dating with his friendly guests. He begins by taking the sage advice of relationship and dating guru Alisa Goodwin Snell about how somtimes you need to leaern to let go while your dating and how it may not be a problem with you as it is with your dating technique. Matt then as the familier face of Dotor Brian Willoughby (a professor at BYU) about dating in the modern world. All this killer advice and more in store for you on this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Today's episode is about one question, What is your calling in life? Matt hosts Doctor Jeff Thompson from Brigham Young University who's research involves understanding other people's passions in life. He tells us all about one profession's passion that will suprize you! Stay tuned for this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Happy Veterans Day! Today we celebrate and give thanks for all of those who have and are currently serving our country. Today's episode is all about veterans and how we can help them. Matt first interviews Vietnam veteran T. Herschel and learns from the source about what it is like to be in combat and to face danger on a dily basis. Later on Matt learns how we better help our veterans after they have hunfg up the uniform and he does that with the hlep of Doctor Mike Haney from Syracuse University. Stay tuned to the end of the episode where Matt wraps it all up with one of his great Coaching Corners! It's a full day here on the Matt Townsend Show!
Today's episode is all about siblings. We begin with matt talking to Psycotherapist and director of the Center for Familiy Research Doctor Avidan Milevsky. They help us laern all about the relationships we have with our siblings and how important they are to us into adulthood. Matt also learns how unresolved problems from childhood can really hurt those relationships in the long run. Siblings may have there ups and downs but on the whole they are great for us! Matt later talks with Author Julie Nelson more about her experiance as a mother and sister. Enjoy!
Matt Hosts small business expert Cevin Ormand of the sucessful smallbusinessdoctors.com on the show to talk about what is really needed to start a small business. They talk about how it will effect your family and how to take a calculated risk as opposed to jumping in with both feet. Later on Matt addresses a growing consern in the small business community, cyber security. Matt hosts Doctor Scott Shackleford from the University of Indiana who is an expert in the field. We will learn from Scott 3 simple things every small business can do to protect itself. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
In the spirit of change brought on by election day this week, todays episode is all about leadership. Matt begins by speaking with Author John Gordon about his new book, "The Power of Posative Leadership". Matt learns all about how our posativity can effect how good of a leader we are and that we don't have to be in a leadership position to be a real leader. Matt then has CEO. proffesor, and author Doctor Steven Mundall on the show to talk about the principles for effective leadership. Steve reveals the formula that you can follow to learn how to be an effective leader. All this and more leadership goodies in this episode of the Matt Townsend Show!Â
Happy Election Day! Today's episode is all about priming you up to vote on this great Tuesday! Matt is investigating how we can make better decisons and he starts out by having Art Markamn on the Show. Art is a cognative Scientist at the university of Texas and author about how we can better make decisions. Matt later on talks with Shawn Moon who is an exsecutive at Franklyn Covey about families and parenting. Matt learns from Shawn all about how we can help our kids make better decision in there lives and more. All of that and mre is in this special election day episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
In today's episode Matt explores Step families and how they and blended families are become more and more common today. Matt sits down with Matt Barkdull (a licensed family therapist) to talk about how to make happy healthy step families. They discuss the challenges faced by both sides coming into a new marriage from both the parents and child perspectives and really show us how they can succeed. Later on Matt and Brian Willoughby discuss marriage and good strategys for health parent child relationships.Â
Today's Show is all about addiction, one of the great plauges of our modern world. Matt begins by focusing on the issue of pornography and interviews Doctor Ken Schwab (an expert in personal counseling and coaching) about the harmful effects of addiction to pronography. Matt and Ken talk about the deep emotional damage that can be done by pronography and what to do if you are in need of help or if it is someone you love who needs the help. Matt also talks with MMA fighter Court McGee about his long road to recovery from his addiction to drug's and alcahol. Court's inspires Matt with his story of going from being revived in an ambulance to now living his dream as a professional athlete and father. Be sure to check out today's episode!
Today Matt is talking all about money, specifically personal finance. Money is the greatest source of problems in marriage and relationships and Matt helps us become a little better at it. He talks with reknowned educator and creater of the "Money Habituals" methodology, Sybill Solomon about how we can avoid the common pitfalls of finance in marriage and even before we're married. Matt then has Matt Bell on the show to talk about his article entitled, "10 ways to prevent money from ruining your marriage". They go over his article and learn some useful principles for avoiding financial strife and arguments within marriage. All this in today's episode of Matt Townsend!
Matt talks all about Halloween and takes some great advice from experts on how we can make this year the best Halloween yet! He first talks about the potential pitfalls and potential weight gain that can result from eating too much Halloween candy with healthy living expert Margret Marshall. She discuses a few simple tips that you can keep in mind to prevent you from becoming a slave to the sugery goodness. Next Matt hosts author Susan Linn to talk about how you can help your children and family deal with the scary things that tend to abound at this time of year. Matt learns how to help children through scary situations and how to help them distinguish between what is real and what is fake. Finally Matt has author and former big mountain skier Kristen Ulmer on to talk about the root emotion that we always seem to face at Halloween, fear. In their interview Kristen shows us how we never really have to conqure our fears as much as embrace them. All this and more on this special episode of the Matt Townsend Show!
Rise of Global AuthoritarianismÂ
Dr. Manu Bhagavan, a professor of History at Hunter College, The City University of New York.  Blaming the worldâs problems on a specific group of people is an easy solution to many of the challenges we see today. History has shown us that political leaders will sometimes use this tactic to gain power and keep it. Dr. Bhagavan explains the global shift towards authoritarianism.
Matt discusses communication in all the facets of our lives. He begins with the communication that exists in our relationships by talking with married couple Aaron and April Jacobs and their advice on how to effectivly communicate with each other. Matt then has on retired military intelligence specialist and current high school teacher Jeremy Stevens to talk about non-verbal communication. It turns out we say and can learn a lot about a person by their body language and behavior
Matt takes on procrastination one of our most common faults as humans. He begins by discussing how we priortize the things in our lives with Revrend Jenenne Macklin. They talk about how we choose what we want to do and how we can change our bad habits. Matt then hosts recent author Doctor Krishna Pendyala who discusses his recent book "Beyond the Pig and the Ape". The book is all about procrastination and how our animal instincts play a critical role in how we avoid potentially painful tasks.
Matt hosts Lisa Ferentz as they discuss the gravety of Self destructive behaviors and the impact they can have on ourselves and those we love. They also discuss ways that we can personally overcome these habits or assist a friend or a loved one. Matt then speaks with Dr. John Hilton about his class taught at BYU's Education Week about becoming our best selves. They discuss how hard it is to always choose the high road and swap stories of family life and fatherhood.
Dr. Matt Townsend explores the challenges and problems that come when our children leave home with Linda and Jim Brookes. The Brookes teach classes and retreats for couples on the subject of Empty Nesting and the difficult transition that marriage and home life undergoes when the children are all grown and gone. Also stay tuned for one of Matt's Coaches Corners where he gives short bits of life advice on the side. Today he speaks on communication in relationships.
Why we are so afraid of commitment
Dr. Scott Stanley joins Matt to discuss how attachment issues from childhood may lead to a struggle with commitment in adulthood.
Matt talks with Dr. Roger Dean Duncan about tips for creating a healthy, happy workplace. Odds are you spend the majority of your time at work, so it's important to be happy there!
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Dr. Amy Morin is a liscenced clincal social worker, psychotherapist, college psychology instructor, and internationally recognized expert on mental strength. She's the author of "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success." Amy Morin joins the show to teach us about the relationship between the workplace and staying healthy.Â
Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Bullying, and Violence
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 âweaponized shameâ and how to combat its negative effects.Â
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Why Parents Let Their Kids Bully Them
Dr. Sean Grover is a psychotherapist and author of the book WHEN KIDS CALL THE SHOTS: How to Seize Control from Your Darling Bully â and Enjoy Parenting Again. Dr. Grover has worked with parents and children for over 20 years, and maintains one of the largest group therapy practices in the United States. More and more parents these days donât realize they are actually letting their own children bully them and fill their homes with screaming, kicking, and floods of tears. Dr. Grover teachs us how to reassert our roles as parents.Â
Gwendolyn Seidman is an associate professor of psychology and studies self presentation on the internet. She talks with Matt about deception, relationships, and other issues in social media.
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Becca Dulgarian is the owner of website BlueCricketDesign.net. She talks with Matt about social media addiction, and how we can overcome it.Â
Neil Patel is the co-founder of Crazy Egg and Hello Bar. He helps companies like Amazon, NBC, GM, HP and Viacom grow their revenue through digital marketing. Named by Entrepreneur as the #1 marketer in the world. Psychology and business go hand in hand. It's been well documented that people like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Richard Branson all have unique mindsets that have contributed to their success. Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, character becomes destiny, and all that jazz. Our thoughts are powerful!
Steve Mariotti founded a network of teaching entrepreneurship. He believes teens from lower income communities and those with major life challenges such as disease or disability are the treasure troves of future business leaders. He talks with Matt about the benefits of a market economy and why these communities should be targeted as entrepreneurship students.Â
Jeanette Bennett is founder and editor-in-chief at Bennett Communications, where she primarily focuses on Utah Valley Magazine, BusinessQ Magazina, and Prosper Magazine. Jeanette earned a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism from BYU and has been a regular guest on HuffPostLive. Jeanette discusses how business, leadrship, and life intersect.Â
Someone you love may be suffering from depression and you wouldn't know. They might not even now. Matt and Melissa Lambert explore what signs and symptoms to look for.
There are many things that get in the way of a relationship. Life is hectic and kids take time away from a couple spending time together. These other responsibilities can "suffocate" a relationship and may lead to a break-up. Diane Barth is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She leads private study groups in New York and workshops for therapists around the country. Diane wrote an article that explains how to Rescue a Struggling Relationship.
Death can be scary! Or, at the very least, hard to talk about. Matt talks with hospice expert and author Fran Smith about what you should know about hospice care. Karen M. Wyatt talks about what really matters to people when they reach the end of thier days.Â
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 How Time Measurements Affect Goals
Dr. Daphna Oyserman is Deanâs Professor, Department of Psychology, and Professor of Education and of Communication at the University of Southern California. A recent study conducted by Dr. Neil A. Lewis and Dr. Daphna Oyserman shows that when we start to think of time in smaller units, weâre more likely to start planning earlier.
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Immediate Gratification Versus Delayed Gratification
Kaitlin Woolley is a candidate at the University of Chicago school of Business. She joined the marketing faculty at Cornell University as an assistant professor in 2015. The importance of delaying gratification is universally recognized and being able to forgo immediate benefits in order to achieve larger goals in the future is viewed as a key skill. For example, consider the classic âmarshmallow testâ experiment: childrenâs ability to delay eating one marshmallow so that they can get two marshmallows later is linked to a number of positive life outcomes, including academic success and healthy relationships. But what about the importance of immediate gratification? Kaitlin Woolley discusses what separates goals we achieve from the ones that we donât.Â
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Climbing Mt. EverestÂ
Bart Williams is a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor from Salt Lake City. He is an avid mountain climber. Do you still have dreams and goals from when you were a child that you havenât accomplished yet? As we get older and our families grow up, sometimes it seems like our life goals are just dreams of the past. But itâs never too late to do what you want with your life. Bart Williams is a great example of this and shares his experience achieving his dream of climbing Mount Everest at age 61.Â
Is it possible to fall out of love? Matt brings on guest Dr. Kelly Campbell to talk about understanding the complexities of love and still having hope.Â
Matt talks with Kristen B. Hodsen and Alicia B. Worthington as they talk about social, mental, emotional -- and yes THAT intimacy.Â
Surviving Infidelity
Scott Haltzman, M.D., is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a graduate of Brown University and received his medical degree from the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Dr. Haltzman has gained international recognition for his work on infidelity and in support of marriage and committed relationships. His most recent book was published in the summer of 2013, The Secrets of Surviving Infidelity. He talks with Matt about how to recover from infidelity in a relationship.
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What It Means To Forgive
Alex Lickerman, M.D., gives his input on the show about how to traverse the process of forgiveness. Alex works at the University of Chicago and is also the author of the book, "The Undefeated Mind." Listen to his interview with Matt Townsend about how to forgive and the different sides of forgiving and being forgiven.Â
How To Cope with Someone Who Has A Chronic Illness
Matthew Dean Barkdull is employed as a health officer in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified medical family therapist, receiving his training at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is a nationally published author and inspirational/motivational speaker. He talks with Dr. Matt about how to cope with and care for someone who has chronic illness.
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Open-Mind and Positive Attitude Will Make All the Difference
Christopher Connors is an enthusiastic writer, career coach and speaker and the author of The Value of You: The Guide to Living Boldly and Joyfully Through the Power of Core Values. He focuses on personal development, values, and emotional intelligence, in an effort to deliver value that will help enrich life. Weâve all been given life advice whether we asked for it or not. Most commonly the advice revolves around some sort of positive thinking. The thing is your own experiences are a much more powerful influence than hearing about someone elseâs. Positivity becomes a mindset that permeates your thinking, influences your actions and shapes the way others think of you. Christopher Connors shares the importance of An Open-Mind and Positive Attitude.
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Teaching Kids the Value of Work
Alisa Weinstein is founder of Earn My Keep and author of the book, "Earn It, Learn It: Teach Your Child the Value of Money, Work, and Time Well Spent." She talks with Matt about everything from allowance to chores and the benefits of children learning to work.
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Balancing Work and Life
New statistics show that work-life balance matters more to the younger workforce than ever before. With a shaky economy, it is harder than ever to see that as an option. Whether you're a teacher or a manager, it can be hard not to let work take over. Dr. Matt Townsend is joined by business owner Susan Petersen (of freshly-picked.com and Shark Tank) to discuss the issue. You can follow Susan's Freshly-Picked page on twitter @freshlypicked or visit the Freshly-Picked Website.
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More Balance
Brooke Walker is the host and executive producer of "Studio 5 with Brooke Walker." She is an Emmy award-winning journalist and a member of the KSL News Team, where she frequently contributes as an anchor and reporter. Brooke's most important and cherished titles are wife and mother. She and her husband, Marc, are the proud parents of Emme and Boston. She talks with Matt about the things she has learned being a mother in the workforce.
Accepting Children Who Are Different From You
Andrew Solomon, Ph.D., is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture and psychology; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. He is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University Medical Center, and President of PEN American Center. He is author of the book, "Far From The Tree." He talks with Matt about how to accept children who are different from their parents.
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Self Love
Shannon Kaiser is an international empowerment coach and best-selling wellness author. She has written several books including her most recent book " The Self-Love Experiment" where she shares the personal challenge she designed to explore the self-harming beliefs that were holding her back and learn how to take action, lighten up, and increase her self-confidence, self-acceptance, and accountability. In our constant quest to be happier, skinnier, smarter, and wealthier, weâre living our daily lives based on some notion that we arenât enough as we are. The fact is that many of us just donât like ourselves all that much: 90% of women reportedly hate their bodies, twice as many American women than men are on antidepressants, and studies estimate 10 million women and girls suffer from eating disorders. Weâre suffering from a self-care deficit, and Shannon Kaiser knows itâs a time we made a change. Shannon shares her personal experience with " The Self-Love Experiment" and how we can treat ourselves better.
The Five Types of TemperamentsÂ
David Rettew, M.D., is a child psychiatrist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is the author of "Child Temperament: New Thinking about the Boundary between Traits and Illness." Dr. Rettew is the Training Director of the UVM Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and the Director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Clinic at Fletcher Allen Health Care. He talks with Matt about the five different types of child temperaments and how to handle and understand them better as parents.
Parenting Different Temperament StylesÂ
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. She is the author of a couple of parenting books including "Keep is Real and Grab a Plunger". You can read more from Julie at her blog "A Spoonful of Parenting." She continues the discussion of child temperament and talks with Matt about the different ways to parent different types of temperament.
Finding Happiness and Energy
Syd Hoffman is a speaker, life coach, and author of the book, "All Day Energy: 100 Ways To Boost Your Energy...Now!" Syd created EatPlayHug.com, a website to motivate real women over the age of 40 to get healthy and stay healthy based on her momâs philosophy to âeat well, play hard, and hug often.â Her website encourages sensible eating, sane exercising, and sensational self-care. She and Matt discuss how to live happy lives and how happiness directly relates to healthy bodies and energy levels.
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How Compassion Breeds Happiness
Emma Seppala, Ph.D, is Science Director of Stanford Universityâs Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and the author of "The Happiness Track." She is Co-Director of the Yale College Emotional Intelligence Project at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and Faculty Director of the Yale School of Managementâs Womenâs Leadership Program. She talks with Matt about how happiness actually comes from selflessness versus self serving behaviors.
Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating
Moira Weigel is a PhD Student at Yale University, in Comparative Literature and Film and Media Studies. She earned her BA (summa cum laude) from Harvard University and is the author of "Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating", her first book. Men and women used to go out on dates but now seems that itâs all snapchat and tinder. But is that really as awful as it seems? How did we decide whatâs appropriate for dating? And how did dating even start? Moira Weigel explains the history of dating.
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Dealing with Rejection
Alisa Goodwin Snell is a relationship and dating coach, public speaker and author. Matt refers to her as "the dating guru." Dating can be tough and has evolved throughout the years. But there are some tips for dating that last a lifetime.  Alisa teaches specific reasons why people get rejected when dating and how they can improve their dating and flirting techniques.
Nettiquette
Becca Dulgarian of Blue Cricket Design talks about the rules of courtesy and etiquette on blogs and social media. She teaches us how to leverage technology as a servant to us rather than a master. Matt also gives Autocorrect and Youtube prank videos as examples of shortcomings in the world of technology. Matt has a couple of in-studio guests play a past vs. present game to see who can stump whom, the older generation or the millenials.
Don't Worry, Be Happy- the first ever episode of "The Matt Townsend Show" on BYU Radio; the "Inaugural" edition.
Mike Schlappi was one beat of the heart away from death during an accidental shooting by his friend. Now a world-class athlete, Shlappi has four olympic games under his belt, four medal attempts, and four medals (two golds, two bronze). Though he could have sat and stewed, Shlappi made the decision to accept his circumstances and get to work. The following statement is representative of his philosophy, "If you resist change, you fail. If you accept change, you survive. If you make change, you succeed." He likes to say that he has earned the Gold, the Bronze, and the Lead, nodding to the bullet that was the basis of his book, "Shot happens," which tells his story and his coping process.Â
The I-Factor: Building A Great Relationship with Yourself
Van Moody serves as a pastor of the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama and is on the board of Joel Osteenâs Champions Network, is a member of Dr. Ozâs Core Team, and is an associate trainer in Japan for Dr. John Maxwellâs EQUIP leadership organization. Van is the author of a few books including, âThe People Factorâ and his newest book, âThe I Factor: How Building a Great Relationship with Yourself Is the Key to a Happy, Successful Life.â Itâs so easy when bad things happen in life to blame your circumstances. Maybe you grew up in a broken home or lost a job or are in a foreign country and you use those excuses every time something bad happens. But maybe life isnât about our external circumstances. Van Moody says âthe key to the life you want is inside you.â He teaches us how to understand our identity, significance, and perspective better so that we can manage ourselves and our whole lives well.Â
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Importance of Imaginative PlayÂ
Dr. Sandra Russ from Case Western Reserve University's Department of Psychological Sciences. She is the author of âPretend Play in Childhood: Foundation of Adult Creativity.â Have you ever stood in the doorway and just watched your child play out a story? Whether theyâre playing with puppets or Barbies or action figures, it can be quite entertaining. But kids donât just play pretend to keep their mind off of adult things, it is actually a vital part of their development. Watching your kids play can give you a lot of insight on your kidâs mind. Dr. Sandra Russ teaches us the importance of imaginative play and how we can foster it for our children.
How Little Kids Figure Out Whoâs in ChargeÂ
Dr. Selin Gülgöz is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington in the Social Cognitive Development Lab. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan, and is interested in how young children learn and reason about their social world. Whether you may think so or not, research shows that kids are paying attention and soaking up all the complexities of life as a social human. By 13 months, they have a pretty decent understanding of tense, complex social situations, making mental notes of who witnessed the offending incident and whether it was purposeful or accidental. Now, new research is also shedding some light on how kids learn about power dynamics in social situations. Dr. Selin Gulgoz shares her research.
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Parents Confidence Can Play Role in Kids Sleep DurationâÂ
Dr. Corrina Rea is an attending in the Division of General Pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital, and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Many families struggle to get their kids to sleep not just on Christmas eve but every night of the year. Dr. Corrina Rea, recently completed a study that might help parents get their kids to sleep and shares her findings.
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Making Summer MatterÂ
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 low maintenance mothers. Heather and Dr. Townsend talk about how to make the most of the summer.
 Summer Skin CareÂ
Dr David Myers is graduate of Brigham Young University. His training includes medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. David Myers founded Utah Valley Dermatology in Utah County. He is currently the dermatology lecturer and attending physician for the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Family Medicine program. Dr Myers talks with Dr Matt about how to protect yourself and your faimly from the dangers of the sun.
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Ways To Unplug When You're Short On Time
Paula Davis-Laack is is the Founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute, a former practicing lawyer, an internationally-published writer, media contributor, and a stress and resilience expert. As part of her post-graduate training, she taught and trained resilience skills to more than 25,000 soldiers as part of the Armyâs Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program. She is the author of  âAddicted to Busy: Your Blueprint for Burnout Preventionâ Paula share tips on how to reduce stress, improve resilience and unplug.
Laws of TrustÂ
Joel Peterson is the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford as well as the Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways. He is on the faculty at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and has been since 1992. Peterson is the Founding Partner and Chairman of Peterson Partners, a Salt Lake City-based investment management firm. Joel Peterson shares insights from his book The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great.
Rise of Global AuthoritarianismÂ
Dr. Manu Bhagavan, a professor of History at Hunter College, The City University of New York.  Blaming the worldâs problems on a specific group of people is an easy solution to many of the challenges we see today. History has shown us that political leaders will sometimes use this tactic to gain power and keep it. Dr. Bhagavan explains the global shift towards authoritarianism.
Why so Many People Regain Weight after Dieting (6:31)
Dr. Kenneth McLeod, Director of the Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory at Binghamton University. His research interest are primarily in physiologic adaption, or how the body tissues adapt to the mechanical and electromagnetic forces to which they are exposed. The new year is just around the corner, and a common New Years Resolution is to work off those couple of extra pounds gained from Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. The strategy seems simple: Just exercise to burn more calories and reduce your calorie intake. Many studies, though, now shown that simple strategy doesnât work very well for the majority of people. Dr. Kenneth McLeod explains the reasons why keeping weight off is so tough.
Minority Suicides Undercounted (11:23)
Kimya N. Dennis, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal studies. She does multidisciplinary community outreach, teaching, research, and consulting to reach underserved populations and to address demographic and cultural variance in a range of social issues. How we approach mental health, we need to evaluate how we treat people from different ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations and gender identities. Not all treatments should be the same. Kimya N. Dennis talks about the problem of suicides by racial and ethnic minority groups and shares some ideas on how to address the issue.
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Childhood Emotional Neglect (1:00:37)
Jonice Webb, Ph.D., is a recognized psychologist expert with over 25 years of experience, and the author of the best-selling books "Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect" and "Running On Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships With Your Partner, Your Parents & Your Children". Dr. Webb discusses Childhood Emotional Neglect.
Ways to Teach Your Kids About Work (18:01)
Sabina Nawaz is a global CEO coach, leadership keynote speaker, and writer working in over 26 countries. She advises C-level executives in Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and academic organizations. Balancing work and family responsibilities is a juggling act that can be very stressful. How do you spend more time with your children, but still finish all your work obligations? Sabina Nawaz shares her ideas about teaching work to kids.
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Unsafe Thinking: How to be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Most (1:08:55)
Jonah Sachs is an author, speaker, and marketing innovator whose pioneering new approaches to digital media were critical in bringing the ideals of social changeâsuch as equity, empowerment, responsibility, transparency, and advocacyâto the forefront of business and popular culture. Trying to stand out is something that many people attempt. They do it with clothes, cars, and accessories, but author Jonah Sachs says the best way to stand out and be creative is to be an âunsafe thinker.â He discusses his new book âUnsafe Thinking: How to be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Mostâ.