CapeSpace member Justin Green’s commute, from Wrentham to Mashpee, is over an hour each way. It’s the ideal time for Green to immerse himself in a range of podcasts and audiobooks focused on personal and career development.
Since January, Green has shared his love of both with his friends, family, colleagues, and followers on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube through a short video series titled, “What I’m Reading & Listening To.”
“I hear 2020 is the year of the video so I’m giving it a try,” he said in his first one in January where he enthusiastically plugs the book, “The Ride of a Lifetime” by former Walter Disney CEO Robert Iger, and the podcast, Chasing Excellence with Ben Bergeron.
In that video, Green highlights nuggets of wisdom he learned from the Chasing Excellence episode in which Bergeron, a professional trainer and owner of CrossFit New England, offers insight into preparing for his first TedX talk. “He’s been thinking about this idea [giving a TedX talk] for quite a while, he just never actually pulled the trigger,” Green said. “And he was saying, ‘Sometimes you’re only as ready as you’re ever going to be.’ … The takeaway from that is kind of don’t wait for perfect. Just get started. Sometimes you’re never going to be 100 percent ready. You just kind of have to dive in and adapt and learn from it.”
That statement also applies to Green’s decision to start his monthly video series. As a financial planner with Four Ponds Financial Planning, he wanted to experiment with video this year as it may be a tool the firm uses moving forward.
Using books and podcasts – he also ends each video with his own sports take – as the foundation for this series made sense for Green. “I read a lot and consume a lot of podcasts,” he said. “It’s something I always enjoy and people are always looking for new recommendations so I thought I could provide a little value with what I’ve been reading and listening to.”
In his most recent video, which came out at the end of October, he dives into “Advice That Sticks” by Dr. Moira Somers and Whoop Podcast Episode 92 featuring documentary filmmaker Jason Hehir (“The Last Dance”).
As far as recommendations for podcasts, Green suggested NPR’s How I Built This; Chasing Excellence with Ben Bergeron; The School of Greatness hosted by Lewis Howes; Building a StoryBrand with Donald Miller; and EntreLeadership. 
Recently, Green read Jim Kwik’s book, “Limitless” which provides tips on how to unlock your brain’s power.
Green acknowledged that he leans towards content that enables him to grow, both personally and professionally. “I’m a lifelong learner,” he said of his love for reading and podcasts. “With reading, I stick to nonfiction and anything to do with business or personal marketing. …The podcasts I like are mostly focused on topics that help you get better as an individual or professional. I’m always looking to learn more about personal growth.”
With two more months left until the end of the year, Green has not yet committed to continuing the series in 2021, but he’s proud to have explored this new medium as a way to share his passion of learning with others.