By Elizabeth Barhydt
At the February 26th meeting of the Retired Men’s Association, Patricia Chadwick stood before the Retired Men’s Association of Greenwich to talk about the fact that her life had already taken the shape of a novel. Raised in a closed Catholic sect outside Boston, she was expelled at 17 for failing to conform. She had no marketable skills, no exposure to the outside world, and no connections. By her own description, she was a “cultural neophyte.” What followed was a career on Wall Street that saw her become one of the few female executives at the highest levels of finance—a journey she recounts in her new book, Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street.
Chadwick’s first book, Little Sister, detailed her childhood in a sectarian community that had excommunicated itself from the Catholic Church. Life there was strict and isolated. Men and women were separated, even within families. Her parents, once known as Jim and Betsy, became Brother James Alois and Sister Elizabeth Ann. Marriages were dissolved into formality. Children were cut off from the outside world—no newspapers, no television, no interaction beyond the confines of the community.
Yet the education she received within that cloistered existence was rigorous. It prepared her intellectually but left her unprepared for everything else. She had never taken public transportation, never used a telephone, never encountered slang. After her expulsion, she was allowed to attend a secretarial school, the only lifeline extended by the community that had cast her out.
She took that opportunity and never looked back.
At 19, Chadwick landed a job as a receptionist at a Boston brokerage firm. Within a year, she was memorizing stock symbols from the Standard & Poor’s directory to make herself indispensable. She was sent to New York at 20 to collect $5 million in certified checks—her first lesson in the gravity of handling real money. As she recounted to the RMA audience, that experience was more than a test of trust. It was the moment she realized she could thrive in the world beyond the sect.
Her career progressed at a pace that seemed implausible, even to her. She worked her way up from secretarial positions to financial analysis, taking night courses at Boston University while absorbing everything she could during the day. Her professors at BU did not know that she lived a dual existence—by night, a student; by day, a Wall Street rising star. Over nine years, she completed her degree while mastering the intricacies of investment banking.
The path forward was not always smooth. She faced skepticism, institutional barriers, and the casual misogyny of a male-dominated field. But she learned to see obstacles as opportunities. She developed a reputation for being tough, decisive, and unrelenting—qualities that earned her the nickname “The Witch of Wall Street.” It was a moniker she did not hear until years later, at a birthday party, when a friend recounted that traders used the term behind her back. At first, she was shocked. Then she embraced it. If a man exhibited the same qualities, she reasoned, he would be called a leader.
Chadwick climbed the ranks at Citicorp and later became a portfolio manager at the Ford Foundation, managing billions in assets. She studied markets with the same intensity that once made her memorize stock symbols. She spent time in Japan to assess the competitive threats facing American manufacturers. She built a reputation for being fearless in a boardroom full of men who did not expect a woman to challenge them.
Despite her success, she was no stranger to professional setbacks. When the firm that first hired her in New York collapsed, she found herself jobless overnight. A mentor intervened, arranging an interview for her the next morning. The firm that hired her paid nearly 50% more than her previous job—a reminder that the worst days sometimes lead to the best opportunities.
Her transition into retirement was not immediate. After leaving Wall Street, she reinvented herself again—this time as an expert witness in financial litigation. She helped defend asset managers against accusations of fraud, explaining the nuances of investment strategy to juries unfamiliar with the mechanics of financial markets
But it was giving back that became her true passion. She has spent years mentoring young women in East Harlem, offering them the kind of guidance she never had. Many of them, she noted, lacked connections, just as she once had. “I tell them, ‘You have to build your own network, your own value, your own resilience.’ Because in the end, no one else will do it for you.”
When asked about her views on Wall Street today, she acknowledged the industry’s flaws but rejected the notion that capitalism itself is the problem. “There’s nothing wrong with making money,” she said. “The question is how you use it.” For her, the answer lies in philanthropy, mentorship, and ensuring that success is not hoarded but shared.
Her presentation ended with a reflection on faith—not in institutions, but in action. Raised in a world that dictated moral absolutes, she now sees faith as something lived through deeds, not doctrines. “Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. If you’re doing that, you’re living right.”
Chadwick signed books for attendees, engaging with them individually as they lined up to speak with her. Some asked about her past. Others asked about her thoughts on the economy.
Patricia Chadwick is also regular feature columnist in the Greenwich and New Canaan Sentinel newspapers.
The Retired Men’s Association of Greenwich will host another compelling speaker next Wednesday. On March 12, 2025, at 11 a.m., Cary Ginell will present “Carefully Taught: American History Through Broadway Musicals” at Christ Church Parish Hall. Ginell, a Grammy-nominated author, will discuss how Broadway musicals have reflected and shaped America’s understanding of its own history. The event is open to the public and will be available via Zoom. For details, visit https://greenwichrma.org.
Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. Any member of the public who would like to receive a weekly email announcement of future speakers should send a request to members@greenwichrma.org. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact info@greenwichrma.org
