13 Online MasterClasses Taught by Southern Experts
Make this the year you commit to learning! These Southern authors, entrepreneurs, designers, musicians, and more share their most purposeful and fascinating life lessons via online courses on MasterClass. Image: iStock
If your 2026 goals include learning a new skill, exploring your creativity, or gaining more confidence professionally, MasterClass should be on your radar. It’s an online education subscription that lets you drop into classes taught by experts across fields, including food, art, entrepreneurship, sports, and beyond.
Among the huge names on the MasterClass roster — think Malcolm Gladwell and Hillary Clinton — there are quite a few talented Southerners! Here are some of the best MasterClasses from experts around the South.
Mashama Bailey | Southern Cooking
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Mashama Bailey is an award-winning chef with an iconic restaurant in Savannah, GA, The Grey. Through 10 video lessons, she teaches you how to replicate her cooking techniques at home, including recipes for everything from pork shank to collard greens to gumbo. She infuses Southern and African-American dishes with an innovative spin and tells stories along the way. Whether or not you’ve watched her episode of Chef’s Table or visited her restaurant (or both!), home cooks and Southern foodies alike will love her series.
Joanna Gaines | Designing a Home That Tells Your Story
More Info: masterclass.com
If you’re looking to make your home feel cozier or look more “styled,” Joanna Gaines’s class is the perfect solution. The founder of Magnolia discusses her design process and shares tips for bringing your dream home to life, whether you have a tiny apartment or a sprawling farmhouse.
President George W. Bush | Authentic Leadership
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What’s better than going to a former commander-in-chief for leadership lessons? The White House series on MasterClass features 12 videos with former President George W. Bush discussing the life lessons he’s learned throughout his long career in public service. Along with former First Lady Laura Bush, he discusses how to face challenges and develop an authentic leadership style that’s all your own.
Sara Blakely | Self-Made Entrepreneurship
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You may know Sara Blakely’s story of entrepreneurship and being named one of the world’s youngest female self-made billionaires, but have you heard it directly from her? In 14 videos, she shares how she transitioned from selling fax machines door-to-door to launching the world-renowned Spanx brand. Get ready to learn how to bootstrap your way to success.
Michael W. Twitty | Tracing Your Roots Through Food
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Michael Twitty went on a culinary journey to learn more about his African-American heritage, sharing everything he learned in his bestseller, The Cooking Gene. He connected his ancestors’ food heritage with his own, and now he shares how others can uncover their own family history through food. There’s incredible power in the dishes we eat — even if we don’t realize it — and Twitty gives insightful meaning to each ingredient that makes its way to the table.
Simone Biles | Gymnastics Fundamentals
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Simone Biles is largely known as the G.O.A.T. in the gymnastics world, and she’s a legend and an inspiration for gymnasts and non-gymnasts alike. Over 17 videos, she shares her impressive techniques for vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor, as well as how she performs under pressure and thrives in competition. It’s a must-watch for gymnasts and athletes of all levels.
Aaron Franklin | Texas-Style BBQ
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Aaron Franklin started perfecting barbecue in his own backyard. Today, he’s the James Beard Award-winning face behind Franklin Barbecue. Fans of his smoked brisket will wait in line for hours just for a taste of the mouth-watering meat. More than four and a half hours of video lessons offer insight into how he perfects his Central Texas barbecue, including the low-and-slow process he uses for ribs, pork butt, and brisket.
Reba McEntire | Life, Business, and Country Music
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Reba McEntire is more than music — she’s an impressive businesswoman and performer. In her MasterClass, she shares lessons on life, business, and country music, as well as a never-before-heard song and an acoustic version of her hit, “Fancy.” She also performs from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in a classic country music performance.
Coach K | Values-Driven Leadership
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Whether you love Duke basketball or love to hate it, Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski is indisputably the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history. In 17 video lessons, he shares how he created a formula for leadership and success built on reading body language, identifying talent around you, and constructively delivering difficult feedback.
Robin Roberts | Effective and Authentic Communication
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As the co-anchor of Good Morning America, Emmy Award-winning Robin Roberts is a household name across the country. She’s the person millions of people wake up to, and she’s a beloved presence in American media. Her communication skills are warm and welcoming, and she leverages her own authenticity and vulnerability to connect with both her audience and interviewees. In her MasterClass, she shares how to create genuine connections through communication and live with optimism and resilience.
Kelly Wearstler | Interior Design
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If you have a vision for your space but you’re having trouble executing, or if you’re not even sure where to start when it comes to making your home more beautiful, this is the class you’ll want to sign up for first. Kelly Wearstler, known for her luxurious, bold, hospitality-focused designs, teaches a class on interior design. She covers how to find inspiration and start a project, as well as how to experiment with color, use patterns, and pull it all together with furniture and art.
Steve Martin | Comedy
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Steve Martin, the world’s favorite movie dad and a native Texan, is a beloved comedian, and he’ll teach you how to make people laugh, too. Across 25 lessons, he shares how to find your unique comedic voice, develop a persona, write jokes and bits, and then deliver them successfully on stage. To add color to his class, he walks through several student sessions, sharing feedback and showing how comedy comes to life.
Usher | Art of Performance
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There are few people who can perform like Dallas-born Usher (remember that Super Bowl performance from a few years ago?!). But across a 16-lesson course, he’ll share his insights into how he’s built a career captivating audiences. He covers everything from where he finds inspiration to how to sing and dance to how he captures an audience’s attention while he’s on stage. He also touches on topics you can apply off-stage, like mental toughness, building a personal brand, and collaboration.
Happy learning!
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Heather Bien
A Virginia native and professional writer of over 10 years, Heather is passionate about home decor, cooking and entertaining, travel, ballet, and coffee. You can find more of Heather's work in Southern Living, Martha Stewart, The Knot, Apartment Therapy, and Virginia Living.