December 17, 2025 • 25 mins
Cat Greenleaf: Life after Talk Stoop. When your identity vanishes, how do you find sober purpose? Job loss, reinvention, & restorative housing.
What happens when the job that defined your life vanishes overnight? We sit down with Cat Greenleaf—the former host of NYC’s beloved Talk Stoop—to explore the unvarnished truth of losing status, facing depression, and finding reinvention through hard, humane work.
Cat shares the scrappy birth of Talk Stoop on her Brooklyn steps, the wild ride of success, and the unexpected career cut-off without a clean reason. Instead of chasing a new network, Cat designed two acts of repair, focusing on recovery and service:
- Soberness Podcast: A candid show where artists speak plainly about addiction recovery and sobriety.
- Restorative Housing Organization: A model that renovates undervalued waterfront homes using teams of formerly incarcerated residents, creating dignified affordable housing and reentry solutions.
This conversation is a direct, humane playbook for those rebuilding after job loss, divorce, or a stalled dream. You’ll hear practical steps to reclaim purpose: ask for help, volunteer to feel useful, and practice the concept of chop wood and carry water. Your identity crisis is a chance for a truer, better next chapter.
Key Topics for Search: Cat Greenleaf, Talk Stoop, Soberness podcast, Restorative Housing Organization, job loss identity crisis, career reinvention, sober recovery journey, losing status, affordable housing, rebuilding after job loss, facing depression, midlife pivot, staying sober, addiction recovery, NYC TV host, second chances.
Resources: For similar episodes on rebuilding your life from the ground up, check out episodes 98 and 123 of Aging with Purpose and Passion
Cat Greenleaf – Journalist, Creator & Host of Soberness
📧 Cat@Soberness.com
🌐 https://www.soberness.com
📸 https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279
🤍 https://www.restorativehousing.org
Beverley Glazer, MA – Transition Coach, Psychotherapist & Host
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_rei
🎁 BONUS: Take your first step to clarity, courage and momentum. Your free checklist: → From Stuck to Unstoppable – is here.
https://reinvent-impossible.aweb.page/from-stuck-to-unstoppable
Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at info@Reinventimpossible.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:06):
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer yourfears.
Here's your host,psychotherapist, coach, and
empowerment expert, BeverleyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:34):
How do you rebuild your life when the job
that defined you disappearsovernight?
Welcome to Aging with Purposeand Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer, atransition coach and catalyst
for women who are ready to raisethe bar in their own lives.
And you can find me onreinventimpossible.com.
(00:54):
Cat Greenleaf is the creatorand former host of NBC's Emmy
Award series, Talk Soup, whereshe became a familiar face in
New York City, taxi TV, anddaytime television.
She interviewed hundreds ofguests over nine years and then
(01:15):
lost the job that defined her.
But you had to rebuild herlife.
Today, she's sober and hoststhe podcast Soberness, where she
talks about recovery withguests in the entertainment
industry.
Kat Greenleaf founded anonprofit called the Restorative
Housing Organization and helpsex-Convicts to reinvent their
(01:40):
lives.
Welcome, Cat.
Thanks so much for having me.
You grew up in Westchester, andthat's not far from New York
City.
What was life like for yougrowing up?
(02:01):
Was there much alcohol goingon?
Like what was actually goingon?
Cat Greenleaf (02:07):
Westchester was an awesome place to grow up.
So I'm 53.
So, you know, uh my mainsentient years there were late
70s into the early 80s.
And um there was just so muchfreedom.
You know, it was beforeStranger Danger.
It was before 9-11, it wasbefore social media.
(02:30):
So it was lovely.
It was um all based around thewater.
That was my introduction tolife on the water, which has
become a very big part of mylife now.
Uh, and it was great.
I used to ride my bike.
I really, even then, even as akid, I knew it was a special
place to be.
Uh I was my family was on theboring side.
No one drank.
(02:51):
No one.
Uh, I don't even think myparents ever overeat.
You know, it was um, they'revery controlled.
And so it was, I would say itwas sort of a nondescript
upbringing.
Um, except I was feeling uh,let's see, I knew, I just knew I
(03:13):
was on my way to becoming adrinker.
I couldn't wait.
I really couldn't wait.
My sister and I used to startsneaking into the liquor
cabinet.
And so, really, by about 12:13,12, I was drinking uh on a
pretty regular basis with stolenhooch from the basement.
Beverley Glazer (03:34):
Right, right.
And and yeah, you knew it wassomething special for you, and
yet you went off to school inLA.
So did that continue withdrinking?
Was there lots of partyinggoing on?
Because that's college.
Cat Greenleaf (03:49):
Yes.
Well, so I was actually in highschool in Los Angeles, and
there was um a ton of drinking,uh alcohol and drugs.
I mean, it was Beverly Hills,you know, so there was access to
everything, and uh I wanted itall.
And so it was super fun.
Um, and then it wasn't, but itwas uh it was the party
(04:10):
lifestyle in Los Angeles was wasum a mandate almost.
Everyone was living that way.
Beverley Glazer (04:18):
And so what about school?
Did that interrupt your schoollife or could you carry it on?
Cat Greenleaf (04:23):
I could do it.
I I could do it.
I'm I guess a high functioningalcoholic, um, you know, which
isn't a good thing, but that'sthe thing I I am.
And so I was able to continueto get great grades, continue to
I had a job after school, um,but I just couldn't wait for
Friday night.
Beverley Glazer (04:40):
Yeah, you were able to fake it.
Cat Greenleaf (04:42):
Mm-hmm.
Beverley Glazer (04:43):
Yeah, yes.
I still feel like I'm fakingit.
And then you went off um andwent to college, and it was very
liberal, and you were in therainforest.
And um, tell us about thatexperience because that's a
whole other thing.
It's not Beverly Hills.
Cat Greenleaf (05:04):
No.
So what happened there was umat the end of my sophomore year,
I had my heart broken.
And being the dramatic drunkthat I am, I vowed I had to
leave school and I had to getoff this continent because
there's just not enough room forall of us.
And um, I went, I found aschool called Friends World
(05:25):
College.
It's a Quaker and experientialschool that had recently been
taken over by Long IslandUniversity here in New York.
So, under the auspices of LIU,I went off to India for my
junior year, where I worked withMother Teresa and her uh
orphanage.
And then my senior year, I wasin Brazil.
I didn't drink or party at all.
(05:47):
Those were very serious yearsfor me, and I really uh buckled
down.
Beverley Glazer (05:52):
And then, of course, school has to end.
School has to end.
Yep, and you came back, and youcame back to California.
So where did radio come in?
How did you get involved inmedia from the rainforest?
Cat Greenleaf (06:11):
I'll tell you, it's a funny thing.
I um I got to San Franciscoafter graduation uh for a job in
television.
It was uh they were going to doTV about the internet.
Okay, so this was 1994.
So boring, right?
Like TV about the internet, andlo and behold, it didn't take
(06:33):
off.
So there I was jobless in SanFrancisco, and uh I really
didn't know what I was going todo.
I just, you know, that it's ascary period after college, and
you're lost, right?
You don't know what you'regonna be gonna do.
And that was me.
I was lost.
I was fat, I was drunk, I wassinging in a band, I was just,
you know, kissing boys, I wasreally not doing um anything
(06:55):
that leads to anything.
And then one day it was socrazy.
I'm like, what are you doing?
And I it's almost like I hearda voice, what do you like?
What do you like?
And I thought, well, myfavorite thing in my day is the
Fox, the local Fox affiliatesmorning show uh called Mornings
on Two on KTVU.
(07:16):
And so I just called them.
I was 27 years old and I justcalled them and said, Can I come
be an intern?
And they're like, Well, you'rereally supposed to have be in
school and get credits, butokay.
And so I went.
And uh my favorite segment wasthe features in the morning.
So I walked up to that producerand said, Hey, can I help you?
And she said, sure.
(07:36):
And then that started it.
And then I really didn't feelsmart enough to do like actual
news.
You know, I I was I didn'tunderstand where the news came
from.
So I was like, Well, I can reada map, sort of.
So let me try to be a trafficreporter.
So that started that.
And uh, but very quickly Ibecame restless and wanted to do
more.
So that's when I myself gotinto features reporting and and
(07:59):
that started it all.
Beverley Glazer (08:01):
And what brought you to New York?
Because you were doing a fineover there.
Cat Greenleaf (08:05):
Well, so I used to have these um Sabbaths every
Friday night.
They were open door sabbathsand they were rocking, raging
affairs, and I got evicted frommy apartment.
And um, so I didn't know whatto do.
I had a dog and a cat and verylittle money and didn't know
what was gonna happen.
So I came out to New Yorkbecause truly I believe once a
(08:28):
New York Jew, always a New YorkJew.
And I knew I was gonna end upback here at some point.
So there I was, evicted, um,unclear on next steps.
So I thought, let's try it inNew York.
And so um, thank God there wasa traffic job open with my same
company.
So I was able to transitionpretty smoothly, moved right
into the West Village, and umand and and I felt like my life
(08:52):
got started then.
Beverley Glazer (08:53):
Okay.
And so tell us about yourprogram, Talk Stoop.
What was that about?
Cat Greenleaf (09:00):
Well, so I um, like I said, I'd been really I
started out trying to do hardnews, but I kept like throwing
in jokes and you know, Irealized I wasn't really hard
news material.
And so I love doing features,and that became my beat.
And I went from the littlestation that I was at to NBC and
I was doing features, and thenmy son was born, my first son.
(09:23):
And now my sons are adopted, soit wasn't like I was off with
my feet up, but uh I didn't takeany time off at all, in fact,
because I was so in love with mycareer.
I I it never occurred to me totake time off, but I did want to
be near my kid.
And Beverly, I my hand to God,the idea sort of hit me on the
head wholesale.
(09:44):
You're gonna sit on your stoop,you're gonna talk to neighbors,
and and that's how it's gonnastart.
And so I mentioned I walkedinto the newsroom one morning
and I said it, nobody looked up,nobody cared.
And so I just started doing it.
Really, no one said yes and noone said no, no one said
anything.
So I just started doing it, andum, it came together pretty
magically.
(10:04):
Uh Rosie Perez was our firstreal celebrity, and then Tommy
Lee from the band Motley Cruzsaw Rosie Perez on the show and
told his publicist, I want to beon that show.
And that's what started thecelebrities.
I I only had Rosie on becauseshe lived in my neighborhood.
I only thought I'd be talkingto neighbors.
I didn't know it was gonna turninto what it turned into.
(10:25):
Yeah.
And it blew up.
It blew up.
And here's and and besides thefact that I think it was a
really great program, um, NewYork City had introduced
televisions in the back of taxisat that time.
So everyone had to watch it.
It was always on, you know, Iwas on all the time.
Every time you got into ayellow cabin, this was before
Uber and this is before cellphones and before YouTube.
(10:47):
So, you know, it was really theonly game in town if you were
gonna ride around and beentertained.
And thank God for me, and allthe publicists in town would
ride in taxis, and they all sawit and they wanted their clients
on there.
So even though I lived acrossthe river in Brooklyn, which now
Brooklyn is very hot, but atthe time it's like you needed
immunizations, you know, toleave Manhattan and get over to
(11:07):
Brooklyn.
And but because we were the keyto getting in the cabs,
everybody came.
Everybody came.
And that was so cool and weird,you know.
And I've never really been likea pop culture celebrity person.
So uh not gonna say I didn'tknow who people were, like I
knew people's names, but Ididn't like know the the big
(11:29):
stories surrounding them.
So the conversations got to bereally real because I really was
asking, like I really didn'tknow, you know.
And um, and then the otherthing that worked in our favor,
I just think the physical setupof the stoop made people
recline, like like um RoshHashanah, right?
Like you're like you have torecline, and and so that made
(11:49):
people comfortable, you know.
And there was a baby aroundbecause my son had just been
born and there were always dogs,and so I think it made people
comfortable.
You know, now look, I'm sittingat home, you're sitting at
home, everyone does their showsfrom home.
But at the time, nobody wasdoing a show from home, you
know, and so it was cool, right?
Beverley Glazer (12:06):
And you were able to take care of your baby
and everything, you're right onthe step.
Cat Greenleaf (12:10):
Yeah, it was awesome, it was very cool.
Beverley Glazer (12:13):
You did nine years doing these interviews,
nine years.
You got Emmys, and then whathappened?
Cat Greenleaf (12:23):
Well, so I had always been an entrepreneur
inside a big company, and thatwas very hard.
Things are so different now inmedia.
Um, at the time it was veryregimented, and I wasn't trying
to not fit in, I just didn't.
I just was doing my own thing,and luck, you know, it was a
(12:44):
very lucky situation that it wassupported by NBC and USA
Network for all that time.
And uh somewhere in there,about a year before I lost my
job, I started to get verydepressed.
And um, I was working, youknow, 20 hours a day.
So I I I was anyway, I start toget very depressed, kind of
(13:05):
dissociated a little bit.
Um, and you know, I neverreally got a reason why I lost
my job.
I was never told.
And so I actually don't know.
It was it really it took us bysurprise, came out of nowhere.
Um, I was in a very dark placethough, so uh, you know, maybe
that led to it.
I I really don't know.
I was making a lot of money,um, you know, all the things.
(13:27):
And uh so yeah, but it but itwas not a good moment.
Beverley Glazer (13:33):
No, you lost your job.
And did you continue drinkingnow?
You were depressed, no job, nowhat went on.
Cat Greenleaf (13:42):
No, I actually had already stopped drinking by
then.
Um I was not drinking, it hadbeen years, but uh but when I
lost my job, I really did wantto drink again.
I didn't know how to cope withsomething so devastating.
Um, you know, I did have a wasit kalanapin or I some you know
(14:06):
great prescription.
Uh that was awesome and thathelped me out, but uh I probably
became too dependent on thattoo because I love to check out,
I love to not feel.
And so I was looking foranything uh to help me not feel,
but I did not go back todrinking because honestly, I
just didn't want the hassle ofstarting over again.
Um getting sober is reallyhard, and I didn't want to do it
(14:29):
again.
Beverley Glazer (14:30):
And what about soberness now?
When did that idea come to you?
Soberness.
Cat Greenleaf (14:35):
Well, what happened was so okay, so lost my
job.
We were living in downtownBrooklyn in a brownstone.
We moved out here to ConeyIsland to the beach, and that
was a lifesaver and a gamechanger.
Um and because I was so hurtand devastated, I thought I'll
never go back to broadcast.
And also I was tired, you know,I'd only ever been a
broadcaster.
(14:56):
So I was tired, and so Ithought I'll never go back to
that.
And I spent, you know, five,six years casting about, trying
to figure out what I could dowith the rest of the hours of my
life.
You know, I'm not even halfwaythrough.
What am I gonna do?
And um nothing really fit.
I had some successes duringthose years.
I built a little nonprofit, I,you know, kept my family going,
(15:18):
like it all worked out, but Iwasn't me.
And I by last April, not thispast, but the one prior, I was
starting to lose my mind beingnot me.
And I just didn't, I don'tknow, it never occurred to me
that I could go back to work inbroadcast.
And my husband finally waslike, Well, if you're missing
it, let's just do this.
And I was like, Oh, we can justdo this.
(15:40):
And then a couple of veryfortuitous things happened.
People were sort of thrown inmy path to remind me who I was
and what I do.
And I was like, Oh, okay, then.
And the the world had totallychanged.
Like I was like RumpelStilskin.
I came to the beach and went tosleep.
In the meantime, people were onYouTube and podcasts were
happening.
And it's like, oh, I don't needto go knock on the doors of
some white asshole men in suitswho are gonna tell me how hard
(16:02):
it's gonna be to get back on TV.
You know, I didn't have to dothat, and I could just uh start
a show.
And so, okay, I didn't knowwhat what that would even look
like.
And then I ran into a couple ofthe celebs that I had known
from my earlier show, and theywere sober and they were talking
about it.
And I was like, well, ifthey're talking about it, why
not talk about it with me?
And that's what happened, andwe just kicked it off.
Beverley Glazer (16:25):
Awesome.
Cat Greenleaf (16:25):
And you do this in a hotel, yes, the Algonquin,
the Algonquin Hotel.
So this is another uhmiraculous story.
So, right when we so living inConey Island is like living in
Ontario.
I mean, it is far from thecity.
For me, I look at it as a35-minute commute, it is no big
deal.
But to Manhattanites, this isthe Netherlands.
(16:46):
Yes, it is.
So I um I didn't know quitewhat I was gonna do, and I
didn't want to do everythingremote.
I really like to be in person.
And as luck would have it, fatethrew a former college drinking
buddy of mine into my path.
And it turns out he is now alsosober, and he's the manager of
(17:07):
the Algonquin Hotel.
So when I teed up the idea ofthe podcast, he said, do it
here.
And that was it.
And and we started uh our firstguest, or we we launched our
first episode September 29th,and I know that date because it
is my sobriety date.
Beverley Glazer (17:22):
Ah, perfect, perfect timing.
What about that nonprofit tohelp former inmates?
How did that come about?
Cat Greenleaf (17:30):
So living on the beach, especially in New York
City, is crazy.
And uh, you know, we were herethrough COVID.
We uh the the ocean helped healme, there is no question.
And one day I was sitting outthere as I like to do on the
rocks, just singing and prayingand having the best time.
(17:53):
And I looked to my right and Ilooked to my left, and there's
like no people, and it is themost gorgeous thing.
And I said, God, it cannot justbe for me.
How do I share it?
And once again, the idea camerestorative housing.
I know a lot about the littleweird, watery communities in New
York because I've made it mybusiness to drive around to each
(18:15):
and every one.
I love them so much.
And it occurred to me what Icould do is find undervalued
waterfront properties in theseweird little communities, um,
hire formally incarceratedpeople to live on the property
for the life of the project anduh train and learn how to
renovate, help me renovate theseproperties because none of them
are in great shape.
And then when that's done, wemake them available to
(18:38):
government subsidized uhhousing.
So people who have a voucherfor government subsidized
housing, it's called Section 8in the States, um, they are
eligible to live in our houses.
So we have the only waterfronthousing in all of New York City,
and um we have three singlemoms, each who have four kids,
uh living on the water in NewYork City with their vouchers.
(19:00):
So uh the way I like to call ita virtuous circle, it's you
know, for every dollar we spend,we're protecting some of New
York City's coastline.
We are uh housing and employingformerly incarcerated people,
and then we're allowing otherpeople to live on the water
every day of their lives.
So um, you know, look, I'm justso white, guilty, and Jewish.
(19:21):
Like I just I'm guilty abouteverything.
And so I felt like I couldn'thave this incredible living
situation and not share it.
Uh, I wish it was out of like amore altruistic, but really
it's out of uh guilt.
I just I didn't feel worthy ofliving here on the water.
Beverley Glazer (19:36):
That's wonderful.
What would you tell someone wholost everything and really
feels they have no hope gettingback out?
Cat Greenleaf (19:45):
The only way out is through.
Meaning you are not going toskirt the issue.
I mean, it took me a long time,Beverley.
I went through several stagesof healing.
I had a lot of healing I neededto do.
Do and then five, six years in,I could start healing the most
(20:07):
recently devastating stuff,which was my job.
So to others, I would say,yeah, you're gonna go through
it.
Even if you've got another jobtomorrow, let's say it's your
job that you lose, or let's sayit's your marriage and you start
dating someone the next day.
You can't outrun the grief.
You can't outrun the thetrauma.
I mean, I hate using that wordbecause it's everywhere, but
(20:28):
it's true.
And so my advice would be justchop wood, carry water, keep
going every day.
And some days, if you can't getout of the bed, that's fine.
Don't get out of the bed.
As long as you're uh nothurting anybody, and hopefully
not yourself, take those darkdays because they're gonna come,
(20:52):
whether you want them or not.
Uh, you know, and grief is theworst.
When you lose everything, it'syou're mourning, you're
grieving, you're terrified ifit's there's a financial aspect,
you know, so nothing good aboutit except like coming out of it
because now I I can doanything.
My biggest fear was losing myjob.
(21:14):
It wasn't anything with myfamily, it wasn't my health, it
was losing my job.
And now I have been through theworst thing that could have
happened to me that I thought.
I'm sure many more terriblethings could be false.
Thank God they're not.
I'm just saying that was my bigfear.
It took me a long time.
It took six years to pushthrough, but it wasn't going to
(21:37):
happen any other way.
Beverley Glazer (21:39):
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Kat.
Kat Greenleaf is the creatorand former host of NBC's Emmy
Award series, Talk Stoop, and afamiliar face in media.
Over nine years, sheinterviewed hundreds of guests
and then lost her job andrebuilt her life from the ground
(21:59):
up.
Today, she hosts the podcastSoberness, where she talks about
recovery and she's founded anonprofit called the Restorative
Housing Organization,supporting former convicts to
reinvent their lives.
Here are a few takeaways fromthis episode.
Losing your job isn't losingyour worth.
(22:20):
You don't have to bounce back,you can build something new.
And rock bottom is a turningpoint.
Your story isn't over becausesomething has ended.
If you're relating to thisepisode, here are a few things
you can do for yourself rightnow.
If you're struggling, tellsomeone honesty opens doors.
(22:40):
Volunteer.
Helping others can make youfeel valued and make a 24-hour
promise to yourself.
Change begins in small microshifts.
For similar episodes onrebuilding your life from the
ground up, check out episodes 98and 123 of Aging with Purpose
(23:01):
and Passion.
And the Woman in the Middlepodcast, hosted by life coach
Susie Rosenstein, helps women inmidlife and beyond to navigate
change, set goals, and findhappiness.
And that link is in the shownotes.
And so, Kat, where can peoplefind you and learn all about you
(23:22):
and your projects?
Cat Greenleaf (23:24):
Well, please visit our website at
www.soberness.com,s-o-b-e-r-n-e-s-s.com.
And then on all the socials,we're soberness podcast and also
at Cat Greenleaf.
C-A-T-G-R-E-E-N-L-E-A-F.
Beverley Glazer (23:41):
Thanks.
Thanks so much, Cat.
And if you didn't catch that,all Cat's links are in the show
notes and also on my site too.
That's reinventimpossible.com.
And so, my friends, what's nextfor you?
Are you just going through themotions or are you living a life
that you truly love?
Get my free guide to empoweryour life.
(24:02):
And where do you think thatwill be?
Hey, it's in the show notes inthe description below.
You can connect with me,Beverley Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook.
That's Women Over50 Rock.
And thank you for listening.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please subscribe and help usspread the word by dropping the
(24:24):
review and sending this out to afriend.
And remember, you only have onelife, so live it with purpose
and passion.
Announcer (24:39):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite reinventimpossible.com.
And while you're there, joinour newsletter.
Subscribe so you don't miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion.
And celebrate life.
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer yourfears.
Here's your host,psychotherapist, coach, and
empowerment expert, BeverleyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:34):
How do you rebuild your life when the job
that defined you disappearsovernight?
Welcome to Aging with Purposeand Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer, atransition coach and catalyst
for women who are ready to raisethe bar in their own lives.
And you can find me onreinventimpossible.com.
(00:54):
Cat Greenleaf is the creatorand former host of NBC's Emmy
Award series, Talk Soup, whereshe became a familiar face in
New York City, taxi TV, anddaytime television.
She interviewed hundreds ofguests over nine years and then
(01:15):
lost the job that defined her.
But you had to rebuild herlife.
Today, she's sober and hoststhe podcast Soberness, where she
talks about recovery withguests in the entertainment
industry.
Kat Greenleaf founded anonprofit called the Restorative
Housing Organization and helpsex-Convicts to reinvent their
(01:40):
lives.
Welcome, Cat.
Thanks so much for having me.
You grew up in Westchester, andthat's not far from New York
City.
What was life like for yougrowing up?
(02:01):
Was there much alcohol goingon?
Like what was actually goingon?
Cat Greenleaf (02:07):
Westchester was an awesome place to grow up.
So I'm 53.
So, you know, uh my mainsentient years there were late
70s into the early 80s.
And um there was just so muchfreedom.
You know, it was beforeStranger Danger.
It was before 9-11, it wasbefore social media.
(02:30):
So it was lovely.
It was um all based around thewater.
That was my introduction tolife on the water, which has
become a very big part of mylife now.
Uh, and it was great.
I used to ride my bike.
I really, even then, even as akid, I knew it was a special
place to be.
Uh I was my family was on theboring side.
No one drank.
(02:51):
No one.
Uh, I don't even think myparents ever overeat.
You know, it was um, they'revery controlled.
And so it was, I would say itwas sort of a nondescript
upbringing.
Um, except I was feeling uh,let's see, I knew, I just knew I
(03:13):
was on my way to becoming adrinker.
I couldn't wait.
I really couldn't wait.
My sister and I used to startsneaking into the liquor
cabinet.
And so, really, by about 12:13,12, I was drinking uh on a
pretty regular basis with stolenhooch from the basement.
Beverley Glazer (03:34):
Right, right.
And and yeah, you knew it wassomething special for you, and
yet you went off to school inLA.
So did that continue withdrinking?
Was there lots of partyinggoing on?
Because that's college.
Cat Greenleaf (03:49):
Yes.
Well, so I was actually in highschool in Los Angeles, and
there was um a ton of drinking,uh alcohol and drugs.
I mean, it was Beverly Hills,you know, so there was access to
everything, and uh I wanted itall.
And so it was super fun.
Um, and then it wasn't, but itwas uh it was the party
(04:10):
lifestyle in Los Angeles was wasum a mandate almost.
Everyone was living that way.
Beverley Glazer (04:18):
And so what about school?
Did that interrupt your schoollife or could you carry it on?
Cat Greenleaf (04:23):
I could do it.
I I could do it.
I'm I guess a high functioningalcoholic, um, you know, which
isn't a good thing, but that'sthe thing I I am.
And so I was able to continueto get great grades, continue to
I had a job after school, um,but I just couldn't wait for
Friday night.
Beverley Glazer (04:40):
Yeah, you were able to fake it.
Cat Greenleaf (04:42):
Mm-hmm.
Beverley Glazer (04:43):
Yeah, yes.
I still feel like I'm fakingit.
And then you went off um andwent to college, and it was very
liberal, and you were in therainforest.
And um, tell us about thatexperience because that's a
whole other thing.
It's not Beverly Hills.
Cat Greenleaf (05:04):
No.
So what happened there was umat the end of my sophomore year,
I had my heart broken.
And being the dramatic drunkthat I am, I vowed I had to
leave school and I had to getoff this continent because
there's just not enough room forall of us.
And um, I went, I found aschool called Friends World
(05:25):
College.
It's a Quaker and experientialschool that had recently been
taken over by Long IslandUniversity here in New York.
So, under the auspices of LIU,I went off to India for my
junior year, where I worked withMother Teresa and her uh
orphanage.
And then my senior year, I wasin Brazil.
I didn't drink or party at all.
(05:47):
Those were very serious yearsfor me, and I really uh buckled
down.
Beverley Glazer (05:52):
And then, of course, school has to end.
School has to end.
Yep, and you came back, and youcame back to California.
So where did radio come in?
How did you get involved inmedia from the rainforest?
Cat Greenleaf (06:11):
I'll tell you, it's a funny thing.
I um I got to San Franciscoafter graduation uh for a job in
television.
It was uh they were going to doTV about the internet.
Okay, so this was 1994.
So boring, right?
Like TV about the internet, andlo and behold, it didn't take
(06:33):
off.
So there I was jobless in SanFrancisco, and uh I really
didn't know what I was going todo.
I just, you know, that it's ascary period after college, and
you're lost, right?
You don't know what you'regonna be gonna do.
And that was me.
I was lost.
I was fat, I was drunk, I wassinging in a band, I was just,
you know, kissing boys, I wasreally not doing um anything
(06:55):
that leads to anything.
And then one day it was socrazy.
I'm like, what are you doing?
And I it's almost like I hearda voice, what do you like?
What do you like?
And I thought, well, myfavorite thing in my day is the
Fox, the local Fox affiliatesmorning show uh called Mornings
on Two on KTVU.
(07:16):
And so I just called them.
I was 27 years old and I justcalled them and said, Can I come
be an intern?
And they're like, Well, you'rereally supposed to have be in
school and get credits, butokay.
And so I went.
And uh my favorite segment wasthe features in the morning.
So I walked up to that producerand said, Hey, can I help you?
And she said, sure.
(07:36):
And then that started it.
And then I really didn't feelsmart enough to do like actual
news.
You know, I I was I didn'tunderstand where the news came
from.
So I was like, Well, I can reada map, sort of.
So let me try to be a trafficreporter.
So that started that.
And uh, but very quickly Ibecame restless and wanted to do
more.
So that's when I myself gotinto features reporting and and
(07:59):
that started it all.
Beverley Glazer (08:01):
And what brought you to New York?
Because you were doing a fineover there.
Cat Greenleaf (08:05):
Well, so I used to have these um Sabbaths every
Friday night.
They were open door sabbathsand they were rocking, raging
affairs, and I got evicted frommy apartment.
And um, so I didn't know whatto do.
I had a dog and a cat and verylittle money and didn't know
what was gonna happen.
So I came out to New Yorkbecause truly I believe once a
(08:28):
New York Jew, always a New YorkJew.
And I knew I was gonna end upback here at some point.
So there I was, evicted, um,unclear on next steps.
So I thought, let's try it inNew York.
And so um, thank God there wasa traffic job open with my same
company.
So I was able to transitionpretty smoothly, moved right
into the West Village, and umand and and I felt like my life
(08:52):
got started then.
Beverley Glazer (08:53):
Okay.
And so tell us about yourprogram, Talk Stoop.
What was that about?
Cat Greenleaf (09:00):
Well, so I um, like I said, I'd been really I
started out trying to do hardnews, but I kept like throwing
in jokes and you know, Irealized I wasn't really hard
news material.
And so I love doing features,and that became my beat.
And I went from the littlestation that I was at to NBC and
I was doing features, and thenmy son was born, my first son.
(09:23):
And now my sons are adopted, soit wasn't like I was off with
my feet up, but uh I didn't takeany time off at all, in fact,
because I was so in love with mycareer.
I I it never occurred to me totake time off, but I did want to
be near my kid.
And Beverly, I my hand to God,the idea sort of hit me on the
head wholesale.
(09:44):
You're gonna sit on your stoop,you're gonna talk to neighbors,
and and that's how it's gonnastart.
And so I mentioned I walkedinto the newsroom one morning
and I said it, nobody looked up,nobody cared.
And so I just started doing it.
Really, no one said yes and noone said no, no one said
anything.
So I just started doing it, andum, it came together pretty
magically.
(10:04):
Uh Rosie Perez was our firstreal celebrity, and then Tommy
Lee from the band Motley Cruzsaw Rosie Perez on the show and
told his publicist, I want to beon that show.
And that's what started thecelebrities.
I I only had Rosie on becauseshe lived in my neighborhood.
I only thought I'd be talkingto neighbors.
I didn't know it was gonna turninto what it turned into.
(10:25):
Yeah.
And it blew up.
It blew up.
And here's and and besides thefact that I think it was a
really great program, um, NewYork City had introduced
televisions in the back of taxisat that time.
So everyone had to watch it.
It was always on, you know, Iwas on all the time.
Every time you got into ayellow cabin, this was before
Uber and this is before cellphones and before YouTube.
(10:47):
So, you know, it was really theonly game in town if you were
gonna ride around and beentertained.
And thank God for me, and allthe publicists in town would
ride in taxis, and they all sawit and they wanted their clients
on there.
So even though I lived acrossthe river in Brooklyn, which now
Brooklyn is very hot, but atthe time it's like you needed
immunizations, you know, toleave Manhattan and get over to
(11:07):
Brooklyn.
And but because we were the keyto getting in the cabs,
everybody came.
Everybody came.
And that was so cool and weird,you know.
And I've never really been likea pop culture celebrity person.
So uh not gonna say I didn'tknow who people were, like I
knew people's names, but Ididn't like know the the big
(11:29):
stories surrounding them.
So the conversations got to bereally real because I really was
asking, like I really didn'tknow, you know.
And um, and then the otherthing that worked in our favor,
I just think the physical setupof the stoop made people
recline, like like um RoshHashanah, right?
Like you're like you have torecline, and and so that made
(11:49):
people comfortable, you know.
And there was a baby aroundbecause my son had just been
born and there were always dogs,and so I think it made people
comfortable.
You know, now look, I'm sittingat home, you're sitting at
home, everyone does their showsfrom home.
But at the time, nobody wasdoing a show from home, you
know, and so it was cool, right?
Beverley Glazer (12:06):
And you were able to take care of your baby
and everything, you're right onthe step.
Cat Greenleaf (12:10):
Yeah, it was awesome, it was very cool.
Beverley Glazer (12:13):
You did nine years doing these interviews,
nine years.
You got Emmys, and then whathappened?
Cat Greenleaf (12:23):
Well, so I had always been an entrepreneur
inside a big company, and thatwas very hard.
Things are so different now inmedia.
Um, at the time it was veryregimented, and I wasn't trying
to not fit in, I just didn't.
I just was doing my own thing,and luck, you know, it was a
(12:44):
very lucky situation that it wassupported by NBC and USA
Network for all that time.
And uh somewhere in there,about a year before I lost my
job, I started to get verydepressed.
And um, I was working, youknow, 20 hours a day.
So I I I was anyway, I start toget very depressed, kind of
(13:05):
dissociated a little bit.
Um, and you know, I neverreally got a reason why I lost
my job.
I was never told.
And so I actually don't know.
It was it really it took us bysurprise, came out of nowhere.
Um, I was in a very dark placethough, so uh, you know, maybe
that led to it.
I I really don't know.
I was making a lot of money,um, you know, all the things.
(13:27):
And uh so yeah, but it but itwas not a good moment.
Beverley Glazer (13:33):
No, you lost your job.
And did you continue drinkingnow?
You were depressed, no job, nowhat went on.
Cat Greenleaf (13:42):
No, I actually had already stopped drinking by
then.
Um I was not drinking, it hadbeen years, but uh but when I
lost my job, I really did wantto drink again.
I didn't know how to cope withsomething so devastating.
Um, you know, I did have a wasit kalanapin or I some you know
(14:06):
great prescription.
Uh that was awesome and thathelped me out, but uh I probably
became too dependent on thattoo because I love to check out,
I love to not feel.
And so I was looking foranything uh to help me not feel,
but I did not go back todrinking because honestly, I
just didn't want the hassle ofstarting over again.
Um getting sober is reallyhard, and I didn't want to do it
(14:29):
again.
Beverley Glazer (14:30):
And what about soberness now?
When did that idea come to you?
Soberness.
Cat Greenleaf (14:35):
Well, what happened was so okay, so lost my
job.
We were living in downtownBrooklyn in a brownstone.
We moved out here to ConeyIsland to the beach, and that
was a lifesaver and a gamechanger.
Um and because I was so hurtand devastated, I thought I'll
never go back to broadcast.
And also I was tired, you know,I'd only ever been a
broadcaster.
(14:56):
So I was tired, and so Ithought I'll never go back to
that.
And I spent, you know, five,six years casting about, trying
to figure out what I could dowith the rest of the hours of my
life.
You know, I'm not even halfwaythrough.
What am I gonna do?
And um nothing really fit.
I had some successes duringthose years.
I built a little nonprofit, I,you know, kept my family going,
(15:18):
like it all worked out, but Iwasn't me.
And I by last April, not thispast, but the one prior, I was
starting to lose my mind beingnot me.
And I just didn't, I don'tknow, it never occurred to me
that I could go back to work inbroadcast.
And my husband finally waslike, Well, if you're missing
it, let's just do this.
And I was like, Oh, we can justdo this.
(15:40):
And then a couple of veryfortuitous things happened.
People were sort of thrown inmy path to remind me who I was
and what I do.
And I was like, Oh, okay, then.
And the the world had totallychanged.
Like I was like RumpelStilskin.
I came to the beach and went tosleep.
In the meantime, people were onYouTube and podcasts were
happening.
And it's like, oh, I don't needto go knock on the doors of
some white asshole men in suitswho are gonna tell me how hard
(16:02):
it's gonna be to get back on TV.
You know, I didn't have to dothat, and I could just uh start
a show.
And so, okay, I didn't knowwhat what that would even look
like.
And then I ran into a couple ofthe celebs that I had known
from my earlier show, and theywere sober and they were talking
about it.
And I was like, well, ifthey're talking about it, why
not talk about it with me?
And that's what happened, andwe just kicked it off.
Beverley Glazer (16:25):
Awesome.
Cat Greenleaf (16:25):
And you do this in a hotel, yes, the Algonquin,
the Algonquin Hotel.
So this is another uhmiraculous story.
So, right when we so living inConey Island is like living in
Ontario.
I mean, it is far from thecity.
For me, I look at it as a35-minute commute, it is no big
deal.
But to Manhattanites, this isthe Netherlands.
(16:46):
Yes, it is.
So I um I didn't know quitewhat I was gonna do, and I
didn't want to do everythingremote.
I really like to be in person.
And as luck would have it, fatethrew a former college drinking
buddy of mine into my path.
And it turns out he is now alsosober, and he's the manager of
(17:07):
the Algonquin Hotel.
So when I teed up the idea ofthe podcast, he said, do it
here.
And that was it.
And and we started uh our firstguest, or we we launched our
first episode September 29th,and I know that date because it
is my sobriety date.
Beverley Glazer (17:22):
Ah, perfect, perfect timing.
What about that nonprofit tohelp former inmates?
How did that come about?
Cat Greenleaf (17:30):
So living on the beach, especially in New York
City, is crazy.
And uh, you know, we were herethrough COVID.
We uh the the ocean helped healme, there is no question.
And one day I was sitting outthere as I like to do on the
rocks, just singing and prayingand having the best time.
(17:53):
And I looked to my right and Ilooked to my left, and there's
like no people, and it is themost gorgeous thing.
And I said, God, it cannot justbe for me.
How do I share it?
And once again, the idea camerestorative housing.
I know a lot about the littleweird, watery communities in New
York because I've made it mybusiness to drive around to each
(18:15):
and every one.
I love them so much.
And it occurred to me what Icould do is find undervalued
waterfront properties in theseweird little communities, um,
hire formally incarceratedpeople to live on the property
for the life of the project anduh train and learn how to
renovate, help me renovate theseproperties because none of them
are in great shape.
And then when that's done, wemake them available to
(18:38):
government subsidized uhhousing.
So people who have a voucherfor government subsidized
housing, it's called Section 8in the States, um, they are
eligible to live in our houses.
So we have the only waterfronthousing in all of New York City,
and um we have three singlemoms, each who have four kids,
uh living on the water in NewYork City with their vouchers.
(19:00):
So uh the way I like to call ita virtuous circle, it's you
know, for every dollar we spend,we're protecting some of New
York City's coastline.
We are uh housing and employingformerly incarcerated people,
and then we're allowing otherpeople to live on the water
every day of their lives.
So um, you know, look, I'm justso white, guilty, and Jewish.
(19:21):
Like I just I'm guilty abouteverything.
And so I felt like I couldn'thave this incredible living
situation and not share it.
Uh, I wish it was out of like amore altruistic, but really
it's out of uh guilt.
I just I didn't feel worthy ofliving here on the water.
Beverley Glazer (19:36):
That's wonderful.
What would you tell someone wholost everything and really
feels they have no hope gettingback out?
Cat Greenleaf (19:45):
The only way out is through.
Meaning you are not going toskirt the issue.
I mean, it took me a long time,Beverley.
I went through several stagesof healing.
I had a lot of healing I neededto do.
Do and then five, six years in,I could start healing the most
(20:07):
recently devastating stuff,which was my job.
So to others, I would say,yeah, you're gonna go through
it.
Even if you've got another jobtomorrow, let's say it's your
job that you lose, or let's sayit's your marriage and you start
dating someone the next day.
You can't outrun the grief.
You can't outrun the thetrauma.
I mean, I hate using that wordbecause it's everywhere, but
(20:28):
it's true.
And so my advice would be justchop wood, carry water, keep
going every day.
And some days, if you can't getout of the bed, that's fine.
Don't get out of the bed.
As long as you're uh nothurting anybody, and hopefully
not yourself, take those darkdays because they're gonna come,
(20:52):
whether you want them or not.
Uh, you know, and grief is theworst.
When you lose everything, it'syou're mourning, you're
grieving, you're terrified ifit's there's a financial aspect,
you know, so nothing good aboutit except like coming out of it
because now I I can doanything.
My biggest fear was losing myjob.
(21:14):
It wasn't anything with myfamily, it wasn't my health, it
was losing my job.
And now I have been through theworst thing that could have
happened to me that I thought.
I'm sure many more terriblethings could be false.
Thank God they're not.
I'm just saying that was my bigfear.
It took me a long time.
It took six years to pushthrough, but it wasn't going to
(21:37):
happen any other way.
Beverley Glazer (21:39):
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Kat.
Kat Greenleaf is the creatorand former host of NBC's Emmy
Award series, Talk Stoop, and afamiliar face in media.
Over nine years, sheinterviewed hundreds of guests
and then lost her job andrebuilt her life from the ground
(21:59):
up.
Today, she hosts the podcastSoberness, where she talks about
recovery and she's founded anonprofit called the Restorative
Housing Organization,supporting former convicts to
reinvent their lives.
Here are a few takeaways fromthis episode.
Losing your job isn't losingyour worth.
(22:20):
You don't have to bounce back,you can build something new.
And rock bottom is a turningpoint.
Your story isn't over becausesomething has ended.
If you're relating to thisepisode, here are a few things
you can do for yourself rightnow.
If you're struggling, tellsomeone honesty opens doors.
(22:40):
Volunteer.
Helping others can make youfeel valued and make a 24-hour
promise to yourself.
Change begins in small microshifts.
For similar episodes onrebuilding your life from the
ground up, check out episodes 98and 123 of Aging with Purpose
(23:01):
and Passion.
And the Woman in the Middlepodcast, hosted by life coach
Susie Rosenstein, helps women inmidlife and beyond to navigate
change, set goals, and findhappiness.
And that link is in the shownotes.
And so, Kat, where can peoplefind you and learn all about you
(23:22):
and your projects?
Cat Greenleaf (23:24):
Well, please visit our website at
www.soberness.com,s-o-b-e-r-n-e-s-s.com.
And then on all the socials,we're soberness podcast and also
at Cat Greenleaf.
C-A-T-G-R-E-E-N-L-E-A-F.
Beverley Glazer (23:41):
Thanks.
Thanks so much, Cat.
And if you didn't catch that,all Cat's links are in the show
notes and also on my site too.
That's reinventimpossible.com.
And so, my friends, what's nextfor you?
Are you just going through themotions or are you living a life
that you truly love?
Get my free guide to empoweryour life.
(24:02):
And where do you think thatwill be?
Hey, it's in the show notes inthe description below.
You can connect with me,Beverley Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook.
That's Women Over50 Rock.
And thank you for listening.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please subscribe and help usspread the word by dropping the
(24:24):
review and sending this out to afriend.
And remember, you only have onelife, so live it with purpose
and passion.
Announcer (24:39):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite reinventimpossible.com.
And while you're there, joinour newsletter.
Subscribe so you don't miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion.
And celebrate life.
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