How Much Can I Make? — Real Jobs. Real Stories. Career Insights

A job where your “office” might be a hospital room, a birth center, or a stopped car on a bridge sounds impossible until you hear how a doula actually works. We sit down with Mary Riley, a doula who has supported more than 2,500 births, to unpack what real labor support looks like when plans change, policies shift, and emotions run high.
Then come the stories that make the work feel real: coaching a couple through an unplanned car birth in bumper-to-bumper traffic and  the surprising ways memory and trauma can surface during labor. 
If you’re curious about hiring a birth doula, becoming a doula as a career or side hustle, understanding doula costs in New York and beyond, or learning how birth advocacy can change outcomes, this conversation will stick with you.
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Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
About the host: Mirav Ozeri has always been drawn to storytelling and journalism, especially the stories of everyday people.
In the 90’s She founded her own video production company, producing, directing, and editing documentaries and videos for political organizations which led to a 17-year career at CBS News, where she served as a producer/editor, helped launch CBS MarketWatch, and later worked as a senior editor and segment producer until the program was acquired by Dow Jones.
During her years at CBS, Mirav developed and produced a television pilot built around a simple idea: giving people an honest look at what different careers are really like. Although the pilot was never picked up, the concept stayed with her. Years later, she brought it back as How Much Can I Make?, a podcast that explores real jobs, real stories, and the many paths people take to build a career.

We talk with Billy, a Broadway stage manager with 30 years of experience, about what it really takes to run a live theater production. He shares how he built his career, what stage managers do during rehearsals and performances, and how they handle missed cues, technical problems, injuries, and emergencies—all while keeping the show moving.
Billy also explains how to become a stage manager, the skills you need, the demanding Broadway schedule, job security, union benefits, and how much stage managers can earn—from low-paying early jobs to around $200,000 a year at the Broadway level. Plus, hear what it was like working with stars including Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and Scarlett Johansson.
If you’re considering a career in theater or curious about what happens behind the curtain, this episode offers an honest look at the pressure, rewards, and earning potential of Broadway stage management.
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Trying to figure out what career might actually fit you? Take my QUICK CAREER QUIZ  and see your matches, NO EMAIL, NO HUSTLE,  just 5 questions:
Visit howmuchcanimake.info
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
About the host: Mirav Ozeri has always been drawn to storytelling and journalism, especially the stories of everyday people.
In the 90’s She founded her own video production company, producing, directing, and editing documentaries and videos for political organizations which led to a 17-year career at CBS News, where she served as a producer/editor, helped launch CBS MarketWatch, and later worked as a senior editor and segment producer until the program was acquired by Dow Jones.
During her years at CBS, Mirav developed and produced a television pilot built around a simple idea: giving people an honest look at what different careers are really like. Although the pilot was never picked up, the concept stayed with her. Years later, she brought it back as How Much Can I Make?, a podcast that explores real jobs, real stories, and the many paths people take to build a career.

A plumber shows up when your home is one bad valve away from a flood, and that pressure is exactly why the career can pay so well. I’m Mirav Ozeri, and I sit down with Mark Anderson, the plumber I’ve worked with for years, to get the unfiltered truth about plumbing as a job: the crawl spaces, the soot, the late-night calls, and the very real satisfaction of fixing a problem nobody else can solve. 
If you’ve been hearing that Gen Z is turning to the trades, we unpack what’s driving that shift and why plumbing remains one of the most AI-proof jobs out there.  But know what you're getting into.
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Mark's Company - A Team's Website: https://www.ateamcomfort.com/
Trying to figure out what career might actually fit you? Take my QUICK CAREER QUIZ  and see your matches, NO EMAIL, NO HUSTLE,  just 5 questions:
Visit howmuchcanimake.info
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
About the host: Mirav Ozeri has always been drawn to storytelling and journalism, especially the stories of everyday people.
In the 90’s She founded her own video production company, producing, directing, and editing documentaries and videos for political organizations which led to a 17-year career at CBS News, where she served as a producer/editor, helped launch CBS MarketWatch, and later worked as a senior editor and segment producer until the program was acquired by Dow Jones.
During her years at CBS, Mirav developed and produced a television pilot built around a simple idea: giving people an honest look at what different careers are really like. Although the pilot was never picked up, the concept stayed with her. Years later, she brought it back as How Much Can I Make?, a podcast that explores real jobs, real stories, and the many paths people take to build a career.

We sit down with architect Rob DuPont for an honest look at what an architect career is really like—from architecture school, licensing, and finding your first job to building codes, client demands, long hours, and running your own firm. Rob also breaks down architect salary and earning potential, including why starting pay can be surprisingly low and how experience, networking, specialization, and business ownership can change what an architect can make.
We also explore AI in architecture, sustainability and energy-efficiency requirements, working with builders and contractors, and the skills it takes to build a successful architecture career over the long term.
If you’re wondering how to become an architect, how much architects make, or whether architecture is still a good career in the age of AI, this episode gives you a firsthand look at the profession.
Explore more creative careers →
Trying to figure out what career might actually fit you? Take my QUICK CAREER QUIZ  and see your matches, NO EMAIL, NO HUSTLE,  just 5 questions:
Visit howmuchcanimake.info
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
About the host: Mirav Ozeri has always been drawn to storytelling and journalism, especially the stories of everyday people.
In the 90’s She founded her own video production company, producing, directing, and editing documentaries and videos for political organizations which led to a 17-year career at CBS News, where she served as a producer/editor, helped launch CBS MarketWatch, and later worked as a senior editor and segment producer until the program was acquired by Dow Jones.
During her years at CBS, Mirav developed and produced a television pilot built around a simple idea: giving people an honest look at what different careers are really like. Although the pilot was never picked up, the concept stayed with her. Years later, she brought it back as How Much Can I Make?, a podcast that explores real jobs, real stories, and the many paths people take to build a career.

Your voice can earn real money, but what does a voice-over career actually look like, and how much can a professional voice actor make?
We sit down with Heike Bachmann, a German voice-over artist based in New York, to go inside the business of professional voice-over work. Heike explains what the job really involves, from reading scripts with precise time codes to dubbing, lip-syncing, commercials, cartoons, museum audio tours, corporate narration, and medical voice-over work.
Heike also shares the unlikely story of how she landed her first voice-over job and turned it into a successful 30-year voice-over career.
We break down voice-over pay and earnings, including what beginners can charge, how commercial usage fees can reach thousands of dollars, and how auditions, agents, online casting platforms, and remote home studios have changed the business.
And then there’s AI. Heike explains how AI voice cloning and synthetic voices are already affecting professional voice actors, why contracts and voice rights matter, and where she believes the industry is headed.
If you’re wondering how to become a voice actor, how much voice-over artists make, what equipment you need to start, or whether voice-over is still a viable career in the age of AI, this conversation gives you a firsthand look at the money, skills, opportunities, and realities behind the microphone.
Heike Bachmann website: https://www.heikebachmann.com/
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Trying to figure out what career might actually fit you? Take my QUICK CAREER QUIZ  and see your matches, NO EMAIL, NO HUSTLE,  just 5 questions:
Visit howmuchcanimake.info
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
About the host: Mirav Ozeri has always been drawn to storytelling and journalism, especially the stories of everyday people.
In the 90’s She founded her own video production company, producing, directing, and editing documentaries and videos for political organizations which led to a 17-year career at CBS News, where she served as a producer/editor, helped launch CBS MarketWatch, and later worked as a senior editor and segment producer until the program was acquired by Dow Jones.
During her years at CBS, Mirav developed and produced a television pilot built around a simple idea: giving people an honest look at what different careers are really like. Although the pilot was never picked up, the concept stayed with her. Years later, she brought it back as How Much Can I Make?, a podcast that explores real jobs, real stories, and the many paths people take to build a career.