Time to Level Up

There is no time like the present to learn a new skill, or sharpen the ones you have. Resources are unlimited for people to level up. We have put together a small list that might help you make your game even stronger. Online courses, videos, podcasts and blogs. All the content you need to pursue a passion or find a new one. Who knows, you might even have some fun in the process.

Online Learning

1. LinkedIn Learning, Limited time free online courses or subscription Free and paid “Courses for every step of your career. Instructors with real-world experience. LinkedIn Learning is an American website offering video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills. It is a subsidiary of LinkedIn. It was founded in 1995 by Lynda Weinman as Lynda.com before being acquired by LinkedIn in 2015.” https://www.linkedin.com/learning/
2. Skillshare, Limited time free online courses or subscription “Join Skillshare to watch, play, learn, make, and discover. online learning community for people who want to learn from educational videos. The courses, which are not accredited, are available through subscription. The majority of courses focus on interaction rather than lecturing, with the primary goal of learning by completing a project.” https://www.skillshare.com/
3. TED talks “TED posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan “ideas worth spreading”. 3400+ talks to stir your curiosity https://www.ted.com/talks
4. Harvard University, Free online courses “Browse the latest free online courses from Harvard University.” https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog/free
5. Coursera, Free online courses you can finish in a day “These popular free courses all have top ratings and can be completed in 8 hours or less, and are among Coursera’s most completed courses in 2019. Take the course for free and decide whether or not you’ll choose to pay for a certificate.” https://www.coursera.org/collections/free-online-courses-finish-in-a-day

Business Podcasts

1. How I Built This with Guy Raz, NPR “Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.” https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
2. Masters of Scale, Reid Hoffman “Masters of Scale is an original podcast hosted by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and investor at Greylock. In each episode, Reid shows how companies grow from zero to a gazillion, testing his theories with legendary leaders. Masters of Scale is the first American media program to commit to gender balance for guests.” https://mastersofscale.com
3. TechTrends, JPMorgan Chase “TechTrends is a podcast featuring the latest trends in tech, fintech and digital. We discuss cutting-edge technology topics that are impacting every industry, and how to apply emerging technology to drive business innovation.” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/techtrends/id1386843592
4. The McKinsey Podcast: Insights from Experts on Business & Management, McKinsey & Co. “The McKinsey Podcast, a business and management podcast featuring conversations with leading experts. The series features topics ranging from leadership and change management to digital, analytics and deep-dives into specific regions and industries.” https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast
5. HBR IdeaCast, Harvard Business Review “HBR IdeaCast features interviews and discussions from “leading world thinkers” in both business and management. The show is hosted by senior editors Alison Beard and Curt Nickish and airs weekly episodes on pertinent issues and affairs affecting both entrepreneurs and the business world at large.” Murray Newlands https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hbr-ideacast/id152022135?mt=2
6. The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim Ferris’s “Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and (50 others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers…. The Observer and other media have called Tim “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferris Show…” https://tim.blog/podcast/
7. The GaryVee Audio Experience, Gary Vaynerchuk “The irreverent-yet-lovable host of this insanely popular podcast perhaps needs no introduction. CEO, investor and public speaker Gary Vaynerchuk has successfully solidified himself as one of the leading entrepreneurs of our generation and hosts The GaryVee Audio Experience to offer insightful information in the world of marketing and business to his listeners. The show contains a mix of his popular #AskGaryVee episodes, DailyVee video episodes, as well as speeches, interviews and fireside chats he’s conducted.” Murray Newlands https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-garyvee-audio-experience/id928159684?mt=2

Design Podcasts

1. Design Matters, Debbie Millman “The world’s first podcast about design and an inquiry into the broader world of creative culture through wide-ranging conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians, and other luminaries of contemporary thought” https://www.designmattersmedia.com/designmatters
2. The Crazy One Podcast, Stephen Gates “The Crazy One is created out of the real experiences and insights that host and award-winning design leader Stephen Gates who gives you actionable insights to be more creative, become a better leader, create more innovative work, build better relationships with your clients, grow a stronger career and more. He shares the things he has learned first hand leading global in-house and agency creative teams, building multiple Fortune 100 brands, and working with some of the world’s most innovative companies like Apple, Google, Nike, AirBnB, Amazon, WeWork, Disney, The Home Depot and more.” http://thecrazy1.com
3. The Design Better Podcast, InVision “On the DesignBetter.Co Podcast, we chat with design leaders to uncover how they achieved success. Hear stories and insights from the best in product design.” https://www.designbetter.co/podcast

Just for the fun of it Podcast

1. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Conan O’Brien “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly podcast hosted by American comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien. It is co-hosted by O’Brien’s assistant, Sona Movsesian, and producer, Matt Gourley.” Hilarious. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend/id1438054347

Blogs

1. Harvard Business Review “Sampled from a variety of prominent bloggers, HBR offers up daily content on a wide variety of sectors.” https://hbr.org
2. Accelerate blog, McKinsey & Co. “Short insights on execution excellence, leadership development, and capability building.” https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-accelerate/our-insights/accelerate-blog
3. Seth Godin’s Blog “For more than thirty years, I’ve been trying to turn on lights, inspire people and teach them how to level up. This blog has been appearing daily for more than a decade. “ Great stuff here. https://seths.blog
4. Interbrand, Views “Blog by the world’s largest brand consultancy is built on almost half a century of experience, from the days when companies thought of a brand as simply a logo, to today, where brands are central to company strategy.” https://www.interbrand.com/views/
5. Forrester, Insights “Created by a team of industry analysts, the Forrester blog for Customer Experience Professionals covers all facets of managing the customer experience, from strategy and people resources to marketing methods and technology requirements. ” https://go.forrester.com/blogs/
6. DesignMind, Frog “A blog devoted to bold insights and trends on topics spanning design, technology, business and culture from our global team of thought leaders” https://www.frogdesign.com/designmind
7. The Octopus, IDEO “A quick hit of inspiration from friendly designers.” World class advice from a top notch consultancy. https://www.ideo.com/blog

About Buttonwood

We are the company behind the world’s most beautiful awards, deal toys, mementos, and corporate gifts. For over 10 years, Buttonwood has designed iconic awards for the most storied names on Wall Street. Our custom deal toys and mementos are designed in our studio in New York and can be shipped anywhere in the world. We are a women owned business and we have been at this for a while.