Episode 95 Show Me the Money: How One Mom Negotiated Her Stay-at-Home Salary with Catherine O'Toole

When Catherine O'Toole unexpectedly fell in love with motherhood, she didn't just leave her publishing career—she negotiated a salary for staying home. In this candid conversation, she reveals how she transformed from "hard-ass businesswoman" to stay-at-home mom to business partner, all while maintaining her identity and teaching her kids independence.

Learn why she demanded payment that would "hurt," how she and her husband Ian built a thriving design business together, and why she finally retired from being a dinner party goddess to put herself first.

A refreshingly honest take on modern marriage, career pivots, and creating life on your own terms.

Episode recorded October 31, 2025, on Riverside.

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Catherine Recommends

Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe podcast, the dulcet tones of Stephen Carroll and a cappuccino = a great way to start the day

Mindfulness Meditation podcast from the Rubin Museum while soaking in a tub is a great way to wind down at the end of a busy day

Every 5 or 6 months for the past 20 years I re-read Everything in This Country Must by Colum McCann because it's like a tuning fork for my brain/soul.

I have found some of my most important personal and writer resources by reading the obituary pages in the New York Times and the Economist ( eg. Eugen Weber)