A Second Act: Turning Retirement into a Voiceover Career

Retirement doesn’t have to mean slowing down—it can be the perfect time to launch a brand-new career. Just ask Robert Weible and Nita Drakatos.

Robert spent decades as an aerospace test engineer, making sure aircraft components could withstand extreme conditions. But ever since high school, people told him he had a great voice. Now, as he approaches retirement, he’s putting that voice to work. He’s diving into this new adventure, exploring how voiceovers can supplement his retirement—and maybe even help him retire a little sooner.

Then there’s Nita Drakatos. With a background in ethics and compliance, she spent years ensuring employees followed the right path. Along the way, she created e-learning content and corporate communications, unknowingly building the foundation for her future in voiceover. Now, five years into her journey, she’s proving that retirement is just the beginning of a whole new career. 

Listen in as Susan and Nita discuss how Nita used the four ways to launch her VO career—through personal connections, freelancing, auditioning, and pay-to-play platforms. 

 

Chapters

 

03:51 Bob’s Transition to Voiceover in Retirement

13:10 How to add interest and "deliciousness" to all your reads

33:19 Nita Explains How She Used Networking to Find Voiceover Jobs

38:02 The good, the bad and the ugly of VO freelance platforms

46:21 Nita Shares the important Lessons she Learned from Audiobook Projects

 

Hosted - Susan Berkley

Producer - Salena Metreger 

Music by Darrin Fossella 

Show Opener by Daron Macke

 

This episode is sponsored by Less Annoying CRM. Go to https://greatvoice.com/crm for an exclusive deal for the Great Voice Podcast listeners. 

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