We had fun recording this one! Catching eachother up (and you) on life, career updates, and everything going on with Social Work to Wealth!

We talk about what's been happening in Taylor's transition out of medical social work and into financial planning, including the job search, rejections, and an exciting new role in finance! Faith shares her feelings after being in private practice for two years and the ideas she's been thinking about to expand her income and impact.

We also get into what's been growing with Social Work to Wealth. From Apple Podcast rankings to CE offerings (launching May 11th!). It's been an exciting past few months for us at Social Work to Wealth! Thanks for supporting us on this journey 🤗

We chat about:

• Taylor's journey to transition into financial planning
• Faith's private practice update & ways she has been brainstorming how to expand her income
• What's been growing with Social Work to Wealth: download milestones, rankings, and panels
• The CE application Social Work to Wealth submitted to NBCC and ASWB (!!!)
• End with a money moment!

Resources mentioned:

• Social Work to Wealth CE Updates — CE only updates
• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — Get updates on money resources, events, salaries, and more straight to your inbox
• Job Search Resource Community — Monthly office hours, resume help, and job title resources
• Job Search Resource PDF — A 36-page PDF with 275+ real job titles used across different industries and niche resources.
• Follow Jakori | LMSW 📚 on TikTok

Connect with us!

• Submit your podcast episode idea!
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

I am doing my first solo episode! (Me, Taylor). This is the first *mini* episode of many that I will be doing to help you learn practical ways to manage your money. This episode (and the next few) will be about debt payoff.

Topics covered in this episode:

• An exciting podcast update!
• Money mindset
• Practical tips on assessing your debt
• Tips on where to get started if you don't know where to start
• Building a healthy relationship with money

Resources mentioned:

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter
• Continuing Education Updates Only Newsletter
• Debt Inventory Printable
• Keeper Password Manager

Connect with us!

• Submit your podcast episode idea!
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

In this episode, we chat with Shaina Siber, LCSW, who is a therapist, author, and host of the Affirming Minds podcast. This was a very refreshing and honest conversation! We really didn't want this to be another typical conversation that includes telling you to "do more yoga". (Although I know this can be a healthy practice, it can't solve all your problems.) We dive into the real systemic, environmental, and individual factors that impact burnout, including capitalism, inadequate pay, moral injury, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. This conversation is meant for social workers at all levels to notice warning signs, critically analyze the issue, and learn tips for how to manage burnout.

We chat about:

• Key burnout symptoms, including ones that are often missed in high performers
• Why inadequate pay is an underacknowledged driver of burnout
• Individual factors that increase burnout risk: people-pleasing, perfectionism, and high empathy
• The six-step burnout recovery framework from Shaina's book
• The problem with asking job candidates "What do you do for self-care?"
• What employers and leaders can do to create burnout-protective workplaces
• Shaina's advice for anyone currently in the thick of burnout

Resources mentioned:

• Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout Blueprint
• Affirming Minds CE Podcast

Connect with us!

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
• Submit your podcast episode idea!
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

Social workers who work in organ transplantation can work in a variety of settings and this episode gives you an idea of what that actually means. I am joined by Sam Butler, LCSW, and Dora Vanderpool, LCSW, to get into the day-to-day of both their past and current roles in transplant social work.

We talk through the different paths you can take, from working in dialysis centers and supporting transplant recipients to walking alongside organ donor families. If medical social work or end-of-life work is of interest to you, this episode is for you!

We chat about:

• Roles of social workers in transplant and organ procurement organizations
• The emotional and logistical challenges that come with this work
• The organ donation process from donor families to recipients
• Salaries, the importance of financial stability for social workers, and money confidence encouragement

Resources mentioned:

• Submit your podcast episode idea!

Connect with us!

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

Welcome to our second Salary Series episode, where we bring social workers on to specifically give us all the tea about their income progression. Liz Rhea, MSW, LCSW, joined us for this episode to share about her journey to becoming a private practice owner and from earning ~$25/hr to $244k in total revenue in 2025.

Liz shares the details of the income streams that made up her income in 2025 and gives insight into how she approaches talking about money with her therapy clients. We chat about licensing, making care accessible, and why salary transparency is important in the social work field. Liz is such a cool human! Even if you aren't a therapist, you'll definitely leave inspired after this conversation.

Resources mentioned:

1. Follow Liz on TikTok, Instagram, and check out her website
2. 1,500+ Social Work Salary List
3. Professionalism as a Racial Construct

Connect with us!

1. Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
2. Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

In this episode, we talked with Nakia Watson, LCSW, to share all about travel social work. Nakia shares her journey from foster care to medical social work and eventually into traveling, where she’s worked in hospital systems across the country.

We talk about the realities of the work, the experience she recommends to get started, and dig into the pay structure. Nakia also shares how travel social work helped her pay off a large portion of her student loans and why it might be a strong option for social workers who want more income, variety, or autonomy in their careers. If you’ve ever been curious about traveling, this conversation gives you a clear picture of what to expect and how to get started.

Resources mentioned:

1. Follow Nakia on TikTok and check out her other Travel Social Work Resources
2. Nakia’s Job Board + Community Chat
3. 15 Popular Travel Social Work Agencies & How to Get Started

Connect with us!

1. Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
2. Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

In this episode, we talk with Michelle Bruxer, the founder of MSW Helper, a platform that helps aspiring social workers navigate writing their personal statements for their grad school applications. She shares what makes a personal statement strong, how admissions committees actually evaluate applications, and how to convey your experience that you may feel is not relevant. Whether you're applying now or thinking about it down the line, Michelle breaks things down in a way that’s practical and encouraging.

Takeaways From This Episode:

• The two things admissions committees really want to see in your personal statement
• How to show critical thinking without writing like a robot
• What not to do (like regurgitating your resume or oversharing trauma)
• Why your "non-social work" job may still count as valuable experience
• How to talk about a low GPA (and whether you even need to)
• Why getting rejected doesn’t mean you’re not meant to be a social worker

Work with Michelle:

• Get help with your MSW personal statement at MSW Helper (Get $10 off using code SW2WEALTH)
• Free webinar on writing personal statements

Resources:

• Check out the affiliated blog post for the full list of resources mentioned in this episode and the unedited transcript.
• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.

Taylor chatted with Tireeka Watson, LCSW, who has built a thriving forensic evaluation practice serving clients in the criminal justice system. Her background spans jail-based mental health, public defense, crisis response with fire departments, and leadership roles in psychiatric hospitals.

We get into how evaluations work, what they pay, how to get trained, and how to position yourself in this field if you're interested. If you're looking for something outside traditional therapy or case management, or you're just curious about what else is possible in social work, this episode has a lot to offer.

Resources mentioned:

• Follow Tireeka on TikTok and Instagram
• Forensic Evaluations 101 Workshop
• The Hype Playlist
• For more forensic sw content, check out our episode: 22. Salary Series: Forensic Social Worker Making $45-$95/hr

Connect with us!

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a newsletter for the social worker wanting to level up their career and money.
• Find Social Work to Wealth on: TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast & on any affiliated platforms is for educational, informational, & entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Consuming this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice pertaining to your particular situation, consult one-on-one with an attorney.