Social Work to Wealth Podcast

In this episode, we talk with Taylor St. Onge, MSW, a veterinary social worker at an animal specialty hospital in Los Angeles. We chat about what her job looks like day to day, with most of her work being grief support, including euthanasia, quality of life conversations and pet loss support. She also supports veterinary staff navigating moral injury, compassion fatigue, and burnout.Taylor shares some of the other settings where veterinary social workers can work and offers advice for social workers interested in getting started in the field. We also talk about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence and why asking about pets can be an important part of a social work assessment.This episode is for anyone interested in animals, the human-animal bond, grief and bereavement, end-of-life support, or finding a unique way to bring their social work skills into the veterinary world.We chat about:What veterinary social work looks like day to dayHow social workers support families through euthanasia, quality-of-life decisions, and pet lossWays veterinary social workers support veterinary professionalsWhere veterinary social workers can workThe connection between animal cruelty and human violenceWhy asking about pets can be an important part of a social work assessmentTips for social workers interested in getting started in veterinary social workResources mentioned:University of Tennessee, Knoxville Veterinary Social Work ProgramNot One More VetVets for VetsVeterinary Hope FoundationConnect with us!Social Work to Wealth Newsletter — a money & career newsletter for social workersFind 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've got big news to share!!! Your Social Work Job, our new job board built just for social workers, is officially live! In this episode, we get into how it came together, why we built it, and what makes it different from just scrolling Indeed or LinkedIn for the hundredth time.So many social work jobs don't have "social worker" anywhere in the title, which means a basic keyword search misses most of them. We built this board to address that, using job titles we have been collecting from social workers across different industries.We also chat about how to use the board and the various features, and what's next, including a newsletter and more resources on the way. We are so excited to finally share it with you!We chat about:Why searching "social worker" alone makes you miss good job opportunitiesHow years of researching job titles for social workers turned into this boardWhat filters are built in: education level, location, job type, and remote optionsHow to read a job posting without talking yourself out of applyingWhat's next, including a career-focused newsletter and more resourcesResources mentioned:Your Social Work JobYour Social Work Job newsletterSocial Work Job Titles & Resources PDFVideo: How to Set Up Your Candidate ProfileConnect 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 planningFaith's private practice update & ways she has been brainstorming how to expand her incomeWhat's been growing with Social Work to Wealth: download milestones, rankings, and panelsThe 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 updatesSocial Work to Wealth Newsletter — Get updates on money resources, events, salaries, and more straight to your inboxJob Search Resource Community — Monthly office hours, resume help, and job title resourcesJob Search Resource PDF — A 36-page PDF with 275+ real job titles used across different industries and niche resources.Follow Jakori | LMSW 📚 on TikTokConnect 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 performersWhy inadequate pay is an underacknowledged driver of burnoutIndividual factors that increase burnout risk: people-pleasing, perfectionism, and high empathyThe six-step burnout recovery framework from Shaina's bookThe problem with asking job candidates "What do you do for self-care?"What employers and leaders can do to create burnout-protective workplacesShaina's advice for anyone currently in the thick of burnoutResources mentioned:Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout BlueprintAffirming Minds CE PodcastConnect 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 talk with Christine Mosher and Ros Wilson, clinical social workers and co-founders of Athlete Wellness Consultants, where they provide training, education, and clinical support focused on athlete well-being. Both bring a wealth of experience to the world of sports social work, not just in mental health, but as lifelong athletes themselves.In our conversation, they break down what sport social work actually looks like in practice, how it compares to sports psychology, and why this work is needed at all levels of sport. Whether you're a social worker curious about this field or someone already working with athletes, this episode offers insight into what sport social work really looks like and why it matters.Takeaways From This Episode:Sports social work focuses on the whole athlete, not just how they performRetirement, injury, and performance pressure can trigger deep grief and disconnectionSocial workers can collaborate with coaches, trainers, and psychologists to provide stronger supportEducating athletic staff is important to reducing stigma and improving mental health accessBoundaries and confidentiality get complicated in tight-knit team environmentsThere’s growing space for macro-level advocacy within sports systemsMentioned 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.