Social Work to Wealth Podcast

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:Follow Liz on TikTok, Instagram, and check out her website1,500+ Social Work Salary ListProfessionalism as a Racial ConstructConnect 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.

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:Follow Nakia on TikTok and check out her other Travel Social Work ResourcesNakia’s Job Board + Community Chat15 Popular Travel Social Work Agencies & How to Get StartedConnect 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.

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 statementHow to show critical thinking without writing like a robotWhat not to do (like regurgitating your resume or oversharing trauma)Why your "non-social work" job may still count as valuable experienceHow 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 workerWork with Michelle:Get help with your MSW personal statement at MSW Helper (Get $10 off using code SW2WEALTH)Free webinar on writing personal statementsResources: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 InstagramForensic Evaluations 101 WorkshopThe Hype PlaylistFor more forensic sw content, check out our episode: 22. Salary Series: Forensic Social Worker Making $45-$95/hrConnect 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.

In this episode, we talked with Shajuan "Shay" Alexander, LCSW, to walk us through what it actually looks like to do immigration evaluations. These evaluations are used in legal cases like asylum, VAWA, hardship waivers, and more. Shay shares how she got started, what she’s learned along the way, and what social workers need to know before adding this to their practice.If you’ve ever been curious about immigration evaluations or want to understand how social work shows up in legal settings, this conversation is a practical place to start!Takeaways From This Episode:What immigration evaluations are and why they’re needed in courtThe five types of evaluations social workers can do (and the licensing requirements)How to approach interviews about trauma, violence, and political persecution with careWhat goes into writing an evaluationWhy your relationships with attorneys matter just as much as your clinical skillsWhat to consider if you’re interested in this work but unsure where to startResources: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.