The Scott Townsend Show

Are libraries becoming obsolete, or are they more important than ever? In this episode of The Scott Townsend Show, I sit down with Kiley Cortez, Director of the Bartlesville Public Library, to explore the transformative power of libraries and why their role in our communities may be more important today than ever before. We live in an age when almost any question can be answered with a quick inter...

Why do retailers cut hours when business slows down, and what can employees do about it? Scott Townsend looks at why schedules shrink after the busy season. He uses a simple store example: a $100,000 sales week leaves $5,000 in operating profit. When sales fall 20% to $80,000, the same store loses $1,000, because rent and insurance don't shrink with sales. He also covers what employees and manager...

What does Bartlesville need to do today to make sure it's a great place to live tomorrow? In this episode of The Scott Townsend Show, I sit down with my good friend David Austin, who's running for the Ward 2 seat on the Bartlesville City Council in the November 3 election. David and I have known each other for years, and while we've talked plenty about football and his impressive collection of NFL...

I liked Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life. Some of it was basic, and some stories were familiar—but the book still gave me plenty to think about. In Episode 260 of The Scott Townsend Show, I share my honest reaction to the book, including a passage about reconnecting with what you loved doing when you were young. I also discuss why his examples of leadership as governor of Ca...

In this episode, I walk through some of the most damaging ways people handle complaints at work and at home—and why those habits create more conflict instead of solving the original problem. I explain how a legitimate concern can turn into an angry blowup, a rumor campaign, or an even bigger workplace problem. This episode is for anyone who wants to raise concerns without damaging trust, morale, o...

Customer service is usually treated as a department, a slogan, or a survey score. In this episode, I make the case that it is better understood as a professional practice—a craft built through judgment, reflection, and thousands of small encounters with real people.

Where were you on September 11, 2001? In Episode 257 of The Scott Townsend Show, I sit down with my brother, Ben Townsend—a rancher and regular contributor to the show—to remember the morning that changed America. Ben recalls driving to work at USAA in San Antonio when the first reports described a small plane hitting the World Trade Center. By the time he reached the office, employees were gather...

I Tried to Pay My Library Fine I recently returned two overdue library books expecting to pay a fine. Instead, I learned that my local library no longer charges overdue fines. That announcement surprised me. I’ve been going to the library since I was a child, when my grandfather would take me to pick out books. Back then, returning a book on time—and paying a small fine when you didn’t—was simply...

I finally discovered the story behind the famous phrase “tilting at windmills” after finding Rob Davis’s illustrated adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote at my local library. What I expected to be a funny tale about an overly confident would-be knight became a surprisingly thoughtful story about imagination, purpose, friendship, and the stories we create about ourselves. In this episode...

In this episode of the Scott Townsend Show, Tyler Glenn shares his journey from a casual cook to the founder of Red Dirt Rubs, a seasoning company rooted in Oklahoma culture. He discusses his passion for cooking, the challenges of developing unique flavor profiles, and the importance of community engagement in building his brand. Tyler emphasizes the art of barbecue, the significance of fire contr...

In this episode, Scott Townsend chats with David Austin about his unique NFL helmet collection, the stories behind each piece, and the evolution of helmet design over the years. Whether you're a sports memorabilia enthusiast or just curious about the intricacies of helmet history, this conversation offers insight into collecting, safety advancements, and the personal meaning behind these iconic sy...

Send us Fan Mail Guests:   Liz Draven Hope @lizzzliftsss Sebastian Pierce  @seabasslift_ Mentions: Warren Biesiadecki  @warrenbies50 Alex Eubank  @alex_eubank15 In this episode of The Scott Townsend Show , I sit down with Liz Draven Hope and Sebastian Pierce for an honest conversation about fitness, discipline, and what it really means to put yourself out there publicly. We talk about how working...

Send us Fan Mail A single Instagram line flips our mindset from “one more day” to “one less day,” and that change sharpens how we live right now. We trade delay for urgency, not to feel heavy, but to choose what matters and act on it today.  • reframing time as finite instead of unlimited  • seeing “one less day” as a wake-up call  • grounding urgency in faith and the idea that God numbers our day...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with April Whitson, Global VP of HR for ABB and author of The Stay Challenge, to unpack seven leadership regrets and how intentional habits prevent them. From regrettable retention to culture drift, we share practical moves that raise standards, protect trust, and improve results. • work–life integration replacing identity-through-work • regrettable retention and the c...

Send us Fan Mail What if sitting with one story could change how you see your life? We launch the Up Project with a bold commitment: fifty viewings of Pixar’s Up, each one an experiment in attention, emotion, and meaning. Rather than chasing the next hot take, we trade speed for depth and explore how repetition turns a familiar plot into a mirror that reflects who we are today. We talk about the f...

Send us Fan Mail In this third annual Christmas tradition, I welcome Eric back to the show for a wide-ranging conversation about books, reading, and the lifelong pursuit of understanding. We talk about his ambitious “great books” journey—now stretching toward what may become a 40-year project—covering everything from Greek tragedies and Plato’s dialogues to Confucius, Viktor Frankl, and modern cla...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show I ♥ my podcast host @Buzzsprout. This link will get us both a $20 credit if you upgrade! https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1087190 The Scott Townsend Show Merchandise https://teespring.com/stores/tsts-2 Resources and Links -------------------------------------------- My contact info: LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2ZZ4qwe Twitter  https://bit.ly/3enLDQa Facebook   ...

Send us Fan Mail Likeness isn’t luck—it’s design. On this episode, I sit down with live digital caricature artist Angie Jordan to explore how she turns a trade show aisle into a packed crowd and a stream of branded keepsakes. Angie breaks down the math behind caricature—allocating space to the biggest feature, exaggerating for clarity, and composing faces that are often more recognizable than a ph...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Scott Townsend Show , I reconnect with longtime friend and marketing leader Jacquelyn LaMar Berney , President of VI Marketing and Branding in Oklahoma City. Jacquelyn—an accomplished marketer, community leader, and trustee for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art—joins me for a thoughtful and energizing conversation about authenticity, personal branding, and the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I visit with Max Skinner, Senior Manager of Community Development for Movember . Men’s health needs more than awareness—it needs action people can see, measure, and join. Max and I explore how a global mustache movement has evolved into a U.S.-anchored engine for impact, funding programs that tackle prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and the growing crisis of men...

Send us Fan Mail Jake Frew's YouTube channel  https://www.youtube.com/@JakeFrew Jake Frew's Patreon page  https://www.patreon.com/c/JakeFrew What would you choose if YouTube hid views and subscriber counts—hype or your own taste? I respond to Jake Frew's Patreon post about YouTube Metrics and Airline etiquette.  I discuss a world without public metrics and trace how that shift might bring us back...

Send us Fan Mail Join me as I sit down with Sam McCullough from OneHope.com to explore the world of Gen Alpha —kids who’ve never known a life without screens. We dive into the real sources of influence shaping their decisions, from social media feeds and AI to mental health pressures, and discuss how parents and leaders can guide them toward grounded faith. In this episode, we cover: Who Gen Alpha...

Send us Fan Mail A mustache can start a conversation, but the real goal is changing the rules men grew up with. This episode digs into Movember as a catalyst for men’s mental health, exploring why so many guys carry stress, anxiety, and depression in silence and what it takes to make sharing feel safe. We talk candidly about the phrases that shape boys—man up, boys don’t cry—and how those scripts...

Send us Fan Mail We trace how a dining table mic turned into a focused blue-collar podcast and why showing up beats having perfect gear. We dig into trade careers, union vs non-union nuance, and the real time cost of making a quality show while life and work keep moving. • origins of a three-host shop-floor show • evolving into interviews, leadership, and growth • audience focus on hands-on worker...

Send us Fan Mail We share a six-book reading stack and explain why switching between genres—biography, classic epic, mystery, gothic, and marketing—makes ideas stick. We show how fast first reads, slow second reads, and simple note-taking turn reading into a useful habit. • six-book list from Lucas to Homer to Hopkins • how the chapter-by-chapter “buffet” system works • why second reads deepen ins...