Welcome to our Salary Series, where we bring social workers on to specifically give us all the tea about their income. Salary transparency matters because it gives us real data to advocate for ourselves and each other.

In this episode, I talked with Lillie, a school social worker in Florida. Lillie shares her path into school social work, which started with a few years working as an investigator on death row cases before she went back for her MSW.

We get into what her job actually looks like day to day, how she's negotiated her way from a $65,000 starting offer to $75,000 today, and the mindset shift that's helped her ask for more. I also pull from our salary database of over 1,500 social worker submissions to talk about what some school social workers are actually making by region, degree, and years of experience.

Resources mentioned:

• Follow Lillie on Instagram
• 1,600+ Social Work Salary List

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.

In this episode, I chat with Niteesa Brooks, MSW, a program manager who took her social work degree into health tech, pharmaceutical research, and financial technology. Niteesa graduated from Columbia University in 2018 and has spent her career building out programs and processes at the intersection of healthcare and technology.

Niteesa gets specific about how she navigated the job search, how she networked her way into roles, and why she stopped marketing herself as a social worker and started marketing herself as someone who "solves problems". This is a great episode for those who are interested in practicing social work in a non-clinical setting, but are not sure how to get started down that path.

We chat about:

• How Niteesa went from wanting to be a sports psychologist to working in health tech and pharmaceutical research
• What program management actually is and how social work skills translate directly into it
• Why she didn't market herself as a social worker on her resume and what she did instead
• How to use LinkedIn to find social workers working in non-clinical spaces and learn from their career paths
• What she witnessed while working inside pharmaceutical research

Resources mentioned:

• 270+ Job Titles for Social Workers PDF

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.

This is the third and final episode of the practical ways to pay off your debt series! Today we're getting into the actual payoff strategies, avalanche, snowball, and lasso, plus a student loan update that is time-sensitive if you're currently in SAVE forbearance.

If you missed episodes one and two, go back and start there. I covered the debt, inventory, budgeting, emergency funds, and investing while in debt.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Various debt payoff strategies
• Credit card points and when they're actually worth it
• Tracking your debt payoff progress
• Student loan updates

Resources mentioned:

• Debt Reset Guide — A free guide to help you reset your relationship with debt and start fresh
• Student Loan Planner IBR Calculator — Free calculator to estimate your monthly payment
• Student Loan Planner Consult — Work one-on-one with a certified student loan professional, use my link to get $100 off
• Employer Certification Form — studentaid.gov — Submit this at least once a year to verify your qualifying employment for PSLF
• Thermometer Debt Tracker — A visual tracker to help you see and celebrate your debt payoff progress
• Work with Taylor — Book a one-on-one money consult with me!

Connect with us!

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter
• Continuing Education Updates Only Newsletter
• 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.

This is part two of the practical ways to pay off your debt series! If you missed episode 36, go back and listen first, that's where we did the debt inventory and laid the foundation for everything we're building on now.

This episode covers three big topics: budgeting, emergency funds, and investing while in debt.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What a budget actually is
• How to set realistic spending numbers using past statements
• Budgeting methods: 50/30/20, zero-based, pay yourself first, envelope system
• Emergency funds during debt payoff
• Should you invest while in debt?
• Balancing low-interest debt payoff with investing

Resources mentioned:

• Debt Reset Guide — A free guide to help you reset your relationship with debt and start fresh
• Free Budgeting Google Sheet — Simple budgeting spreadsheet to track your income, expenses, and margin
• Monarch Money — A budgeting app that connects all your accounts in one place
• Lunch Money — A simple, flexible budgeting tool great for visual spenders
• Ally High Yield Savings — My go-to high yield savings account (HYSA)
• Work with Taylor — Book a one-on-one money consult with me!

Connect with us!

• Social Work to Wealth Newsletter
• Continuing Education Updates Only Newsletter
• 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.

"Making this much money is against the code of ethics." "If you care about money, you should have been a psychologist or counselor, not a social worker.

In this episode, we're addressing comments regarding our episode with Liz Rhea, a therapist in Georgia who made $224,000 in 2025. A few comments suggested that earning that kind of income is antithetical to social work ethics, that wanting financial stability makes you selfish, and that if money matters to you, maybe you shouldn't be a social worker at all.

We have thoughts. 😅

We chat about:

• The comments that sparked this conversation
• What the NASW Code of Ethics actually says about income
• How the savior complex shows up financially in our profession
• Why struggling financially is not solidarity with our clients
• Why social workers policing each other's salaries is a form of self-oppression
• Why financial stability is important for us and the people we serve

Resources mentioned:

• "The Obligation of White Women: Dismantling White Supremacy Culture in Social Work Education"
• Doin' the Work Podcast: White Supremacy Culture in Social Work

Connect with us!

• 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
• 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.

LaQueshia Clemons, LCSW and financial therapist, joined the podcast to chat about her journey paying off $25k in debt, her career, and tips for social workers on navigating their careers. LaQueshia runs a group financial therapy practice in Connecticut, one of the only practices of its kind focused entirely on the intersection of emotions and money, and she co-authored Dear Therapist, You Deserve More: A Guide to Financial Freedom, Career Growth, and Personal Fulfillment.

We chat about:

• How LaQueshia went from $25K in credit card debt to running a financial therapy group practice
• The emotional and behavioral patterns around money she had to unlearn
• What financial therapy actually is and who it's for
• Why social workers don't need to have their niche figured out right away
• The limiting beliefs that keep social workers stuck
• What LaQueshia would tell her new grad school self

Resources mentioned:

• Wealthy Social Worker swag
• 270+ Job Titles for Social Workers PDF
• Dear Therapist, You Deserve More: A Guide to Financial Freedom, Career Growth, and Personal Fulfillment

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.

We are now officially offering continuing education credits through the podcast! We have been approved to offer CEs by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). We have been working toward this for a long time and are so excited to finally share it with you.

In this episode, we chat about everything you need to know about how it works, who’s eligible, and what episodes are available today!

Not every episode will be CE eligible, so keep an eye out for the [CE] bracket in the title.

How it works:

• Listen to the podcast episode (always free, wherever you get your podcasts)
• Purchase the CE course on our learning platform
• Complete a short post-test and evaluation
• Download your certificate immediately

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
• Submit your podcast episode idea!
• Book a 1:1 with Taylor!

Connect with us!

• 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.

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.

CE Info: This episode is approved for 1 CE credit through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) ACE Program (#2807). To receive CE credit, you must pay, register, and complete the required post-test and evaluation. Listening alone does not guarantee credit. It is your responsibility to verify that this course meets your licensing board's requirements. Click here to purchase the course!

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.