In this episode of Opening Doors, host Rachel Dalinka sits down with Cat Greenleaf, creator and host of NBC's Talk Stoop and now host of the Soberness Podcast, to talk about sobriety, second chances, and the work she is building through Restorative Housing Organization.

Cat shares what it was like to realize alcohol would become a problem for her even before she ever drank, how she found her way to sobriety, and why making amends became one of the most freeing parts of recovery.

She also explains how moving to the ocean in Coney Island became a turning point in her healing and inspired a bold question: how can the peace and stability of waterfront living be shared with people coming home from incarceration?

That question became Restorative Housing Organization: a model that brings formerly incarcerated people into paid renovation work, provides housing during the project, and converts renovated properties into long-term affordable housing.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

• How Cat knew early on that alcohol would take her too far, and what finally made her choose sobriety
• Why "the ninth step" (making amends) helped her release years of guilt and shame
• How she rebuilt her identity after losing her NBC role, and what it means to "step back into my skin"
• How Restorative Housing Organization started, and why she felt called to share waterfront healing with "people who had lived in cages"
• Her first project on City Island: training and housing formerly incarcerated contractors while renovating, then turning homes into Section 8 housing
• Why stable housing and employment are decisive factors after prison, and why recidivism spikes without them
• A powerful critique of recovery language (and why "abuser," "powerless," and "character defects" can do real harm)
• Why she started going behind the walls, what she learned in prison recovery circles, and why she believes redemption is possible
• Why she is going back to school at 53 to deepen her work with incarcerated people, including plans to pursue forensic mental health counseling
• A reinvention moment she can't shake: "Power is the ability to reinvent yourself."
  
  

Resource Links:

• Restorative Housing Organization: https://www.restorativehousing.org/
• The Soberness Podcast, Celebrity Interviews with Cat Greenleaf on Recovery: https://soberness.com/
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice : https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/
• SAMHSA's National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Opening Doors Podcast and share it with others who might benefit from these stories. Please visit https://openingdoorspodcast.com/ to subscribe to the newsletter. Remember, healing is a journey; you don't have to walk it alone. Let's open those doors together!

Opening Door Podcast Music by John Abella

• What employers need to understand about second-chance hiring: the talent is real, and often outperforms when given an opportunity
• Why community, proximity, and relationships change outcomes (and what "NIMBY" has to do with it)
• Why collaboration beats competition, and how partners are building a broader continuum of support in North Philadelphia

• Uplift Solutions: Uplift Solutions Official Website
• Food For Thought - Men's Support Group: https://www.upliftsolutions.org/programs/food-for-thought
• City of Philadelphia Office of Reentry: https://www.phila.gov/departments/off...
• Hunting Park Neighborhood Resource Center: 2221 West Venango Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Opening Doors Podcast and share it with others who might benefit from these stories. Please visit https://openingdoorspodcast.com/ to subscribe to the newsletter. Remember, healing is a journey; you don't have to walk it alone. Let's open those doors together!

Opening Door Podcast Music by John Abella

In the Season 2 premiere of the Opening Doors Podcast, host Rachel Dalinka speaks with Matthew Garcia, who has spent 27 years incarcerated for felony murder-despite having fled the scene before the actual crime occurred. Through intimate conversations with both Matthew and his wife, Carisia Magobet, we explore the unjust realities of Pennsylvania's sentencing laws and the human toll of life without parole for felony murder.

Matthew shares his powerful journey of transformation and resilience from inside SCI Chester, where he has become a mentor, educator, author, and changemaker. Carisia reflects on their rekindled relationship and her role in advocating for his release, providing a heartfelt lens on the impact incarceration has on families. This episode not only highlights important changes needed to improve the justice system, but also uplifts the power of redemption, love, and collective action. Pennsylvania and Louisiana are the only two states still enforcing life without parole for felony murder. There is a case in front of the PA Supreme Court that could rule that life without parole for felony murder is unconstitutional. Sign the petition, spread the word, and be part of the movement to bring justice to those who deserve a second chance.

Key Episode Takeaways

• Matthew Garcia has served 27 years in prison for felony murder, a law that holds participants in a felony equally liable for a death, even if they did not commit the act.
• He was two weeks past his 18 birthday at the time of the crime. He just missed the resentencing possibility of the 2012 Miller v. Alabama ruling, which deemed life without parole unconstitutional for juveniles.
• Matthew has used his time to create the "Real RAP - Restorative Arts Program" to rehabilitate others, facilitate education, and mentor incarcerated individuals.
• The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of life without parole for felony murder under Commonwealth v. Derrick Lee.
• His wife Carisia speaks out about their love story, the fight to get Matthew's sentencing reviewed, and the toll incarceration takes on families.
• The episode emphasizes the need for systemic change in the Criminal Justice System and urges listeners to take action.

Key Resources & Links Mentioned

• Matthew Garcia's Instagram: @MattRaw_1980
• Matthew's Children's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Words-Only-Until-they-Hurt/dp/B0FWYLD5L5
• SCI Chester's New Leash on Life & FELINE Foster Father Program: https://www.newleashonlife.org/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz37-Kz2SDY
• Freedom Side School (Serving children of incarcerated parents): https://www.freedomsideschool.org/
• Sign the Petition to End Life Without Parole for Felony Murder in PA: https://c.org/KfSGzZ7LTQ
  
  Sign the petition, follow Matthew's journey, and share this episode with your network. Together, we can push for policy change that acknowledges redemption and restores justice.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the Opening Doors Podcast and share it with others who might benefit from these stories. Please visit https://openingdoorspodcast.com/ to subscribe to the newsletter.

Remember, healing is a journey; you don't have to walk it alone. Let's open those doors together!

Opening Doors Podcast Music by John Abella