On Thursday, Journalist, Executive Producer, & Entrepreneur Catt Sadler took the stage at the San Francisco leg of our MINI More of What Matters traveling speaker series to talk about her very wild few months.

Taking the mic with C&C Founder + CEO Jaclyn Johnson, Catt shared her experience leaving her job of 12 years and what it was like to publicly tell her story of pay inequality.

ON HOW SHE DECIDED TO LEAVE

"It started with #METOO. Brave, beautiful, bold women were telling their stories and I was in awe of the women coming forward saying I don’t care what people think, I don’t care about being judged. This is my truth. And meanwhile, I find out that I’m making half as much as my male counterpart and I was down and upset. But because of these other women, I thought I cannot settle, I cannot be complacent. I can’t pretend to go through life essentially denying what I knew was so wrong. And that helped me find my voice. It was contagious."

ON WALKING AWAY

“The hardest part was that I had made up my mind weeks before my exit. Imagine going on live TV for weeks knowing that: A. You were going to leave your job of 12 years. B. Knowing why. And C. Knowing that you were going to tell that story and holding that very close. Last December was a very trying month. That last day was the hardest day of my career. I had to say goodbye + thank you to the viewers. Inside it was devastating.”

ON HOLLYWOOD WOMEN STANDING WITH HER

“I still don’t have the words. It was Amy Schumer who organized that unbeknownst to me and it took a lot of balls for all of those women to do that. I was at home in my bed and I did not know what to do in that moment. I’m pretty sure my phone exploded. And I was used to being there on the carpet so it was a really bitter sweet day to be watching from the sidelines. They said my name but I feel like it was really just a symbol for what’s happening to women all over the country, not just Hollywood. I was in awe of their bravery that day.”

What she’s been through hasn’t left her jaded at all. The candid conversation turned to the future and Catt gave us the low down on what’s on the horizon for her… including but not limited to a book + a lil something she’s executive producing with Jennifer Lawrence.

ON THE FUTURE

“I have so much faith in the next generation because I think they’re way more clear cut. It was so simple to my boys. And they were just like well that’s not fair. It was just that clear to them and that fueled me to move forward. I’ve heard from so many girls wanting to interview me for school projects & I’ve been doing those more than other interviews because they’re just so fun. These young girls now are using their voices. We weren’t talking about gender or gender inequalities when I was in school. I have a lot of faith that change is on the way.”

"I have a lot of faith that

change is on the way."

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ON KEEPING HER HEAD UP

“We’re all really hard on ourselves and it’s nice to be conscious of that. We’re in a moment where I feel like, thank God we have our sisters. More than ever, we’re speaking out, standing up for one another + going to battle for one another. That definitely gives me strength. What happened to my career has been almost like a death. It’s had ebs and flows but it’s also very isolating and scary because I need to figure out how to pay the bills but I’m really lucky to have a community to lean on.”

ON HER CAREER TRANSITION

“It’s been such a transition but I’ve been able to do so many new things. In Hollywood, everything is so overly produced. My goal is to start having real conversations with women. With my site, I’m hoping to give women a place to be inspired. I want to talk real talk and will have interviews on the site soon. I want to drop the armor and fairness so stay tuned for naked with Catt."

Catt’s new site is being built + she has big plans to drop this summer with fabulous content with outstanding women. You can get her updates by signing up here.

ON WHAT’S NEXT

“We all get so caught up. For me 2018 is about an awakening of sorts. Getting woke and living with purpose."

“I can say that I am executive producing a documentary series with Jennifer Lawrence. And I would have never dreamed in a million years. The goal is to deep dive into what it’s like to be a woman in the workplace. It will look at pay disparity but also the evolution of the working woman and where it’s good in the world and what we can learn from places like Iceland. I’m most excited about this project right now.”

“Above all, I want to get back into the trenches and interview people again. I want to make change and give people experiences that they can watch and be inspired by and apply to their own lives.”

WHEN WOMEN SUPPORT WOMEN…

“If we support one another, everything fast tracks. Change is inevitable. When we battle for one another that’s change and we all want it for one another. And everyone benefits. Families. Societies. Everyone. This is how it should be.”

I NEVER THOUGHT IN A MILLION YEARS…

“This is the Jennifer Lawrence piece. This is how hard times can serve you in a wonderful way. I literally thought to myself, I am getting to Jennifer Lawrence because I had heard her Sony story. Oprah tells you to listen to your gut, and I always thought we had a connection so I reached out. And she really came through and that’s rare. She fueled me and gave me permission to believe that I can do this. We all need those people.”