Dr. Jane Goodall Teaches Conservation - Masterclass review

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Length: ~5hrs, 29 lessons

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Every single one of us can make a difference to the planet, for good and for bad.

Dr. Goodall starts off by explaining what inspired her passion for studying animals and the natural world. She credits her mother for nurturing her dreams from a young age, despite how impossible it seemed for a girl in the 1930s to become a scientist out in the field. Through luck and perseverance, she find herself studying chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania where she makes a breakthrough observation about the social nature of the animals. She describes the dismissiveness of the scientific community at her findings and the uphill struggle to embrace her research. While superficially I understood the connection humans have to these primates, I never fully appreciated it until hearing about their patterns of aggression, conflict resolution, grieving process, and more.

Much of the course is devoted to conservation and the damage inflicted by humans on the planet, and ultimately ourselves. Dr. Goodall doesn’t mince her words and is quite direct that much of the problems (e.g., feeding ourselves junk, living beyond our means, and overpopulation) are within our means to solve. Rather than ask us to think globally, she asks that we think locally lest we fall into despair at the enormous burden of turning the tide around the globe. She asks us to think about making smarter choices in what we eat, what we buy instead of repair, and even asks us if we really need to shower for that long. Dr. Goodall has reason for hope, mostly in seeing how younger people are calling for change and shifting their behaviors.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Dr. Goodall, check out her course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Daniel Pink Teaches Sales and Persuasion - Masterclass review

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Length: ~3hrs, 16 lessons

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Humans aren’t rational, and knowing the weak spots can help you get ahead and also protect you from yourself.

Dan starts off by emphasizing that persuasion is not about pressuring and that it’s a universal skill, encouraging us to drop our preconceived notions about pushy salesmen. In order to be effective at it, we have to first tune our minds to how the person across from us thinks. Through a few silly (and unnecessary) exercises, he makes a point about empathy and listening being the fundamental starting point. From there, he provides a broad array of tactics ranging from the “five whys”, social proof, cognitive biases like loss aversion, context framing and many others to improve our chances of success. I took more notes in this class than any other, often pausing lessons mid-way to reflect on how to practically apply them and how I’ve been convinced by smart marketing.

One lesson that stuck out for me was his advice to shift from problem-solving to problem-finding. He uses an example of someone shopping for a vacuum cleaner. Their problem may seem obvious at first, they need a vacuum cleaner, but their real problem is that they want clean floors. This opens up the possibility for up-selling the person cleaning services, carpet stain removers, etc. My personal take is was that problem-finding often is really problem-creating. All day products and services are promoted to us that we become convinced we need to have complete lives. Recently, I was shopping for a simple bike trainer for the winter season. My problem was simple: I want a cheap way to ride indoors. After reading through product reviews, my problem grew: I was convinced I needed a quiet trainer and only the expensive magnetic resistance models would do. There was an overwhelming amount of strategies presented, and I’ll likely give this course a second watch. I already have Dan’s book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, so I’m hoping to internalize as much of this as possible.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Dan, check out his course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Doris Kearns Goodwin Teaches U.S. Presidential History and Leadership - Masterclass review

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Length: ~3hrs, 15 lessons

My rating: ★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: There’s an inexhaustible amount we can learn about our present from those who’ve come before if we understand them as people.

The driving message of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Masterclass is that what is happening today isn’t new or unique. Throughout American history we’ve seen anti-immigration sentiment, rapid industrialization making life feel out of control, struggles between different classes, and more. What she prescribes is that we look to the past and learn from how these challenges have been managed by great leaders. She draws moments from the lives of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson to make her point. Rather than turn this into a History Channel lesson, she brings these personalities to life, helping us understand them as persons with unique traits.

She notes that learning history is too often fixated on key dates, which overlooks the drama from events unfolding in real-time. Too often we gloss over the past, failing to see how much it rhymes with the present. Doris is a Pulitzer-winning biographer and a Harvard professor, so she is brilliant at teaching and getting a message across. The lessons are full of inspiring moments in history, and a reminder that there’s reason to be hopeful if we engage ourselves.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Doris, check out her course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication - Masterclass review

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Length: ~2hrs, 13 lessons

My rating: ★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: It matters little to being right if you’re not effective in communicating that message.

Neil kicks off this series by making it clear that he isn’t here to tell us cool facts about the galaxy; there’s nearly endless hours of him doing so on YouTube. Instead, he uses this as an opportunity to explain how to determine truth for yourself and then share that knowledge out effectively. It’s quite odd that an astrophysicist would become a pop culture figure, but it’s entirely due to how good he is at inspiring curiosity within listeners. It’s a very timely moment to absorb these lessons, with misinformation traveling spreading like a virus and wreaking havoc on our country.

He covers a vast set of communication tactics, even sharing how he prepares for his audience by understanding their perspective first. It may tough realization to accept but it intuitively makes sense: unless you’re willing to understand just how the other side thinks, you’re just flapping your gums. No one in history has been convinced to change a perspective by name-calling. He also warns about our inherent cognitive bias. Humans are wired poorly to understand statistics, not through any fault of our own. It’s just a weakness in our wiring. The most telling illustration is how the power of a single person’s testimony has far more influence on our behavior than the collection of data from a study. For example, you could read a thorough report on a car’s high safety and reliability scores but be totally be swayed by the single person you run into fuming over their experience with that car. Finally, another great reminder is how to use your body to double your effectiveness in communicating. Once he mentioned it, I couldn’t un-see how he goes about this. I decided to mirror his movements alone in my room. It’s not embarrassing if no one’s there to see it.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Neil, check out his course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting - Masterclass review

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Length: ~3hrs, 14 lessons

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Acting is really hard, but not impossible if you work at it.

I have no interest in voice acting, but I’m a huge fan of mimicking voices to amuse myself. Nancy Cartwright is famous for voicing animated cartoons, most notably Bart Simpson. This class goes into the specifics of what it takes to do the job, and how to do it well. Even though 90% of it was irrelevant to me, it helped me appreciate the skills needed to bring breathe life and personality to characters on screen. The remaining 10% I found relatable was in learning how I could use my voice to tell stories. Something I love doing is reading aloud to Leah, and I insist on making the dialogue as realistic as possible by whipping up accents or distinct speech patterns. Of course, what I’m doing is quite basic but it gives me a lot of joy, the same way a parent might read a bedtime story to a child.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Nancy, check out her course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Jeff Goodby & Rich Silverstein Teach Advertising and Creativity - Masterclass review

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Length: ~2hr30min, 18 lessons

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Pay attention to the world around you; that's your best source for brilliant ideas.

I didn't recognize the names Goodby and Silverstein (founders of the legendary SF-based ad agency GS&P), but I certainly grew up with their work. They're responsible for iconic campaigns that have entered pop culture like 'Got milk?', the Sega scream, and the talking Budweiser lizards. I'm interested in creating an ad campaign, and fortunately that's not what this class was designed to help me do. Instead, the course serves as a highlight reel for the firm, showcasing key lessons from past campaigns. Jeff and Rich are quite goofy and absolutely love what they do. It's clear that some of their success can be credited to their strong partnership. They both believe firmly in never settling for good enough. If you’re interested in marketing, this’ll be great inspiration. If you’re not, this’ll be pretty entertaining.

If you’d like to hear it directly from them, check out their course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Emily Morse Teaches Sex and Communication - Masterclass review

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Length: ~2hrs, 7 lessons

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: You're not doing yourself or your partner any favors by quietly pretending sex is something you can't talk about.

I didn't know anything about Emily Morse. I clicked through because the of the title. There are classic books on love openly talked about in the mainstream, but very little about sex. We obviously avoid it at work and with family, and may dance around the subject with friends. As a result, with partners we often lack the language skills, worrying we'll come off as awkward and hold back on trying for fear of rejection. Emily gets right to the point by underscoring the importance of knowing what you and your partner want and how to go about having that conversation. She covers a tremendous amount of ground in just two hours, and it's clear this is only the first layer of the onion.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Emily, check out her course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing - Masterclass review

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Length: ~5hrs, 24 lessons

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Don't aim to be the best writer; instead, aim for interesting.

This series felt like a pleasant afternoon spent with Malcolm as he unpacks his mind. It was both fascinating and highly entertaining. He has such a quirky way of thinking about the world and despite his fame, speaks with a heavy dose of humility. He does go on frequent tangents, a few times to apologize-but-not-really for past writings (e.g., when the broken windows theory he helped popularize was used to justify over-policing). These digressions all serve to make the videos more enjoyable, almost like what he calls giving "candy" to his readers: in addition to the main point being made, you should insert some semi-related bite-sized tidbit (i.e., candy) that the reader will pick up and remember to share with others at parties.

There are some gems that stood out to me. He emphasizes not using Google to do research, since the algorithm is designed to return sources ranked by popularity. This of course means you're reading at what pretty much everyone else is reading. Instead, go to the library and look at books. Because of how they’re organized, the ones physically near the one you're interested in will be slightly related, but not the same. Move your hand a little further, and you'll take another small step away from your starting point. I also loved that he recommended striving to tell more interesting stories, which means putting yourself out there. For example, no one wants to hear you talk about how one kind of apple is like another type of apple. Instead, writing about how apples are kind of like oranges is sure to get attention. Here’s a great essay by Morgan Housel on the topic.

If you’d like to hear it directly from Malcolm, check out his course here. As of now there are over 100 instructors to learn from, with more being added every week!

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This review is part of a larger series, where I try learning from every single course within the catalog. Find my full list here.

A personal review of every single Masterclass

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks for supporting me!

I keep a list of every TV show or film that I’m told that I must see now. Instead of tuning in, I add a tally mark to my running inventory and file it away for later. It’s only when the evenings grow long and the temperature takes a plunge that I find myself with enough time to sink my eyes into a lengthy series or embark on a film binge. I dust off my notes to see which shows came out ahead and work my way through the very best (Note: not all recommenders are created equal, Obama’s word goes a very long way).

I’ve been practicing this sort of pop culture record-keeping for years. I’m overwhelmed away by the deluge of content on streaming services, network channels, blockbuster titles, and indie studios. Sometimes I’ll find myself with little to contribute at a social gathering when the conversation turns to what’s on screen. I don’t mind, even if the ending gets spoiled (the arc of story is what matters). In any case, with everyone able to stream at their own pace and entire series being dropped in bulk, there are fewer moments of episode-synchronicity to be found between friends. Those conversations just don’t happen like they used to.

This year, I had some more idle time (with the pandemic and all). I decided to take advantage of a friend’s unlimited MasterClass pass and browse through the vast catalog. Much of it seemed irrelevant to me beyond Jimmy Chin’s Adventure Photography course. I wasn’t interested in being a journalist, a beat-maker, or part of a creative ad agency. However, I realized that there was probably some nugget of wisdom that I could take away and apply to my own life. I would certainly walk away with a different perspective on the world. I may not be a journalist, but I am a reader who could better appreciate what makes for good writing. I may not be a pastry chef, but I could appreciate the craft of making a perfect croissant. In addition to an all-star cast of instructors, the production quality on these videos is top notch, so I’d be bound to have some fun along the way. Here are my thoughts on the catalog of over 100 classes, which I’m still working through!

Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing - Masterclass review

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: You don’t have a compelling story until the pattern of normalcy is broken; something has to happen.

Margaret Atwood is responsible for giving the world The Handmaid’s Tale (now a hit show on Hulu) but also for other novels that force us to pause and think about our own world, despite… (read more)

Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking - Masterclass review

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Nothing else comes close to teaching you how to put together film like actually putting together a film.

I’ve taken more notes on this Masterclass than any other I’ve seen so far. Ken Burns uses the entire five hours effectively to share his theory around documentary film as well as the practical… (read more)

Natalie Portman Teaches Acting - Masterclass review

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Acting is an exercise in empathy, so being good at it requires you to be sensitive to your character, the crew, and the environment you’re in.

Natalie notes that her young start into acting allowed her to take on the perspective of a learner more naturally, given the lower expectations everyone had from what a child… (read more)

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Don't aim to be the best writer; instead, aim for interesting.

This series felt like a pleasant afternoon spent with Malcolm as he unpacks his mind. It was both fascinating and highly entertaining. He has such a quirky way of thinking about the world and… (read more)

Emily Morse Teaches Sex and Communication

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: You're not doing yourself or your partner any favors by quietly pretending sex is something you can't talk about.

I didn't know anything about Emily Morse. I clicked through because the of the title. There are classic books on love openly talked about in the mainstream, but very little about sex. We obviously avoid it… (read more)

Jeff Goodby & Rich Silverstein Teach Advertising and Creativity

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Pay attention to the world around you; that's your best source for brilliant ideas.

I didn't recognize the names Goodby and Silverstein (founders of the legendary SF-based ad agency GS&P), but I certainly grew up with their work. They're responsible for iconic campaigns that have entered pop culture like 'Got milk?', the Sega scream, and… (read more)

Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Acting is really hard, but not impossible if you work at it.

I have no interest in voice acting, but I’m a huge fan of mimicking voices to amuse myself. Nancy Cartwright is famous for voicing animated cartoons, most notably Bart Simpson. This class… (read more)

Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

My rating: ★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: It matters little to being right if you’re not effective in communicating that message.

Neil kicks off this series by making it clear that he isn’t here to tell us cool facts about the galaxy; there’s nearly endless hours of him doing so on YouTube. Instead, he uses this as an opportunity to… (read more)

Doris Kearns Goodwin Teaches U.S. Presidential History and Leadership

My rating: ★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: There’s an inexhaustible amount we can learn about our present from those who’ve come before if we understand them as people.

The driving message of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Masterclass is that what is happening today isn’t new or unique. Throughout American history we’ve seen anti-immigration sentiment, rapid… (read more)

Daniel Pink Teaches Sales and Persuasion

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Humans aren’t rational, and knowing the weak spots can help you get ahead and also protect you from yourself.

Dan starts off by emphasizing that persuasion is not about pressuring and that it’s a universal skill, encouraging us to drop our preconceived notions about pushy salesmen. In order to be effective… (read more)

Dr. Jane Goodall Teaches Conservation

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Every single one of us can make a difference to the planet, for good and for bad.

Dr. Goodall starts off by explaining what inspired her passion for studying animals and the natural world. She credits her mother for nurturing her dreams from a young age, despite… (read more)

Will Wright Teaches Game Design and Theory

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Successful video game design requires as much creativity as it does savviness in project management.

I haven’t played video games in almost a decade, mostly out of the guilt I’d feel when considering the hours I’d sink into what would ultimately amount to nothing. I did feel the temptation arise when… (read more)

Simone Biles Teaches Gymnastics Fundamentals

My rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Doing something exceptionally well doesn’t necessarily mean you can teach it well.

Despite the title, I assumed this’d be a course from Simone Biles explaining how to be a high-performing gymnast. After all, why else pay $90 to sit with a master of the craft when you can… (read more)

David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film

My rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

My one-liner takeaway: David Lynch is creative on a level few people will ever feel comfortable reaching for.

David Lynch has been described to me as a ‘filmmaker’s filmmaker’ and the adjective ‘Lynchian’ has become a part of our vernacular, rising to the same eponymous ranks as ‘Kafkaesque’ or… (read more)

RuPaul Teaches Self-Expression and Authenticity

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Choosing to present yourself as you truly are can create moments of magic.

RuPaul’s Masterclass is bursting with messages of self-love, confidence, and joy. The course kicks off by wiping the slate clean, with Ru noting “we’re all born naked and the rest is drag.” While the… (read more)

Kelly Wearstler Teaches Interior Design

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: The choices you make designing a room help tell a story about the space, the intended use, the history, and its inhabitants.

I started the course with an appreciation for how good design can enhance the pleasure of a meal or even the reading of a book (see the hardcover copy of 1Q84). I hoped to understand… (read more)

David Axelrod and Karl Rove Teach Campaign Strategy and Messaging

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: You can’t possibly get everyone’s vote, so be strategic about how you spend your time, funds, and energy.

It’s an unusual pairing, seeing Karl Rove and David Axelrod sharing a screen with a shared message. Rove and Axe were the masterminds behind the successful presidential campaigns of… (read more)

Joe Holder Teaches Fitness and Wellness Fundamentals

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

My one-liner takeaway: A healthy life is about a lot more than just lifting weights and looking good.

I hadn’t heard of Joe Holder before this Masterclass. He’s a master trainer with Nike and an extremely wholesome and thoughtful guy. Throughout the videos he explains… (read more)

St. Vincent Teaches Creativity and Songwriting

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My one-liner takeaway: The ultimate goal of a songwriter is to serve the song, and the only way to do that is to be open to trying out all those ideas in your head.

I’ve listened to and enjoyed a few of St. Vincent songs, maybe just one or two. She’s a Grammy-winning solo artist and is very popular amongst the NPR-listener crowd. I might say she’s… (read more)

Dominique Ansel Teaches French Pastry Fundamentals

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

My one-liner takeaway: Once you understand the fundamentals and master the precision, what makes baking fun are the opportunities for creativity.

I’ve known of Chef Dominique since my food blogging years and from walking past his SoHo bakery on my way to work, sometimes stopping in for a pastry whenever I needed… (read more)

Books that are good for the eyes vs good for the ears

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In a conversation with my friend Tom, he mentioned something that stuck with me. He talked about books that are “good for the eyes” and books that are “good for the ears.” He was referring to books in print or on Kindle vs audiobooks. It sounded smart and clever, the kind of thing you’d say at a gathering of friends to sound sophisticated and spark new conversation.

I tucked the idea away but once I had that distinction in my head, I started to feel what he meant. Typically I’ll listen to an audiobook throughout the day while cooking, cleaning, or exercising. In the evenings, I’ll carve out an hour or two to read. After a few weeks, I started to understand.

Some books are better enjoyed when you could scan the actual words, stop on a dime, and snap back a paragraph or a sentence. Visualizing that static text allows you to hold onto a line, savoring it for just a half second longer to appreciate the turn of a phrase or furrow your brow at the choice of a word. Some books, like some meals, are just dramatically better when you aren’t multitasking and your full attention is devoted to to holding it with your hands and eyes.

Other books truly shine when read aloud, often by a professional who can find just the right emphasis and tone (far superior to that voice in your head). Their speech can carry the story and transport you more effectively to a mood, a space, and a moment. This happens despite your other senses being bombarded with other stimuli: focusing on the road, checking your HR on a jog, or chopping vegetables for a soup. The narrator can make it all feel more real, more soulful. Some books have the kind of writing whose real beauty is realized when the sounds of the words can play against each other inside your ear canal.

I’ve got a lot of friends who love books, but seem allergic to the idea of listening to one. One excuse I’ve heard is “I can read faster than someone can speak.” While that may be true (and ignoring there’s a feature to tweak playback speed), there’s more to the pleasure of a book than flipping past the last page. Still, if you insisted on the rate of absorption being a prime motivator, consider that there are lots more opportunities throughout your day for listening than for sitting idly.

If it’s your first time indulging in an audiobook or if you’re just looking for another great read, I’d highly recommend Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights, which has been a chart-topper for weeks. He’s as professional as they get, and this memoir was meant to be performed by the man himself just for your ears.

NOTE: I’ve got a work perk that allows me to get a free audiobook each month. If you want to hop on the bandwagon without working at my job, check out this promo on Audible that’ll give you a 30-day trial and two free audiobooks. Pretty much a no brainer even if you choose not to renew beyond the trial.

Greenlights

By McConaughey, Matthew

Buy on Amazon