Let's Just Talk! With Kathryn Raaker - Patricia Walsh Chadwick Discusses Her New Book
Our first guest today is author Patricia Walsh Chadwick. Patricia will take us on a journey of her newest book, “Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street.” In this follow-up to her 2019 memoir, “Little Sister,” Patricia explores her bizarre upbringing and its impact on her life. This coming-of-age story revisits her childhood through a different lens, offering insights into how her early experiences shaped her character and paved the way for her successful career in business and finance.
From the tender age of six through high school, Patricia was raised in The Center, an isolated, rural community of 100 members, including 39 children. This community was led by Leonard Feeney, an excommunicated Jesuit priest, and he managed with an iron fist by his spiritual alter ego, Catherine Clarke. Together, they created a monastic environment that demanded obedience, silence, chastity, and detachment from family. This was achieved by separating parents from their children and forbidding members from reading newspapers, watching television, listening to the radio, or communicating with outsiders.
Defying Pressure, She Excelled at Life
Patricia defied Sister Catherine’s mission to mold her into a compliant, submissive nun. At 17, in the middle of the turbulent 1960s, she was expelled from her home in Still River, Massachusetts, without knowing how to survive, much less thrive in an unfamiliar and frightening world. Yet, thrive she did. In 1966, Patricia began her new life in secretarial school, excelling at typing and shorthand but struggling with social cues and casual conversation. She set her sights on building a career in finance, a hard-charging field ruled by men.
Patricia’s career soared from her first job as a receptionist at a Boston brokerage firm to becoming a research analyst with a Philadelphia-based firm and eventually a portfolio manager on Wall Street. She received her BA in Economics from Boston University and had a successful 30-year career in the investment business. Her roles included research analyst, portfolio manager, director of research, and investment strategist. As a global partner at Invesco, she oversaw the institutional investment business for the firm’s New York operations. She chaired the Investment Policy Committee, overseeing Invesco’s asset allocation and risk management processes.