“Copy my homework”
Originally published on 21 September 2022
This year has been all about developing my skillset and knowledge – professionally and personally. One aspect of broadening my range is by learning from others, not just through reading books and taking courses but through other content that is freely available out there. I never used to have the time to listen to podcasts or join webinars (apart from work-mandated ones) or read newsletters, and so I have started doing this more regularly over the past few months. What I have learned on this journey though is that I probably did have the time, I just didn’t make it.
There is so much free content out there though that you have to filter through it all to get to some of the good stuff and who to follow. So, for this post, I’m copying the “copy my homework” mantra from one of my new favourite follows on social media and sharing my homework with you to copy.
I’m sure people know about some of the people on this list already, but for the past few years, I was living in the black hole of workaholism so a whole world of content was happening that I didn’t know about. All the people I have selected for this list are people who love to share knowledge and their journey with others in some way which is why I think they’re good follows.
I’m going to start with Kim (and I’m using a first-name basis here because she feels like my virtual work bestie now) who is the new favourite follow that always says, “copy my homework”. I found her when I was considering starting up my business and I did her LinkedIn Learning course on Entrepreneurship Foundations. I am always sceptical about these kinds of courses because you never know what you’re going to get and whether the course instructor is actually going to be worth the time. Kim’s course was fun, relatable, smart, and engaging. I immediately followed her on LinkedIn and found she had a weekly LinkedIn Live session called Coffee with Kim. I have only managed to attend a few sessions so far but they’re great and she’s had amazing guests in the past. I’ve been exploring her past episodes and if you’re looking for a good starter session to get a glimpse of what to expect with the show, watch her 99th episode. The show is also available as a podcast so you can listen whenever you’d like.
In addition to the Entrepreneurship course, she has another one on Launching Your Creator Business. Plus, Kim has a four-week paid course on building your career capital as well as some free resources on her site and a newsletter.
Kim led me to Dorie Clark. I think I have found my work spirit animal. Clark had done all sorts of different things in her early career until she eventually found her way to helping other people find their way and reinvent themselves. She has amazing content on strategy and playing the long game (her latest book is called The Long Game) both in your personal and professional life. A recent post I love from Clark:
Also, reason one she is my spirit animal, she had a TEDx talk on busyness that I wish I had discovered before I wrote my piece on busyness. It’s called The real reason you feel so busy (and what to do about it). Reason two, every newsletter she sends out really speaks to you if you are a long-term thinker, in a process of reinventing yourself or navigating your career. Reason three, she really loves cats.
Clark has a regular newsletter, several free self-assessments, as well as other resources on her website for you to access. You can also take one of her several paid courses.
Mel Robbins is that coach who gives you that much-needed motivational kick in the butt (but in a kind way) on a daily basis. This goes for everything from your career to not texting your ex. You can find her on all your social media. Robbins also has a free training module on her site called The Reset. We could all do with a reset now and then, so I’m going to give it a try.
Robbins has so much content that I do not know where to begin but just visit her website and you will find it all.
Jim Kwik was another find through a Coffee with Kim episode. I’m sure so many people know about Kwik but I had never heard of him before and he has got me on the Limitless train. Kwik is obsessed with the brain, helping people learn and reach their potential so of course I would be a fan. He has a regular podcast and what is great about each episode is that they are, well, quick. No episode is longer than 20 minutes if you cut out the intro music stuff. A little learning from one of his recent podcasts was a switch from thinking about a ‘to-do’ list first to a ‘to-be’ list. I’m going to try that out for the rest of my week and see how it feels.
Kwik has released a book called Limitless, has a weekly podcast called Kwik Brain, and you can also sign up for his paid Kwik Thinking course.
I can’t remember how I found Lynette Pretorius’s profile on LinkedIn but she heads up global customer success at Shopify. What makes her interesting is that she recognised that so many of the popular non-fiction books on her shelf were written by male authors and committed to reading more books by female authors. When I saw that post, I had a look at my shelf and was ashamed to see the same. She has started a monthly newsletter on LinkedIn called #readmorewomen with the books she has read which will broaden your range of reading options. Pretorius also posts other great content so give her a follow.
Share your homework!
What I would really like to add to this list is people from our side of the world who are creating content like this so if you have any recommendations, please share your homework!
Alex the Generalist
