“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

We talk a lot about the goods we buy, and where we buy them, but goods make up only a portion of personal expenditures.

The larger part is services, and that sector continues to expand. But despite the growth, that doesn’t mean it’s easy out there for service providers. Leta Harris Neustaedter, owner of Metamorphosis Performing Arts Studio in Boise, Idaho, is one of those service providers. A licensed clinical social worker, she offers counseling as well as music and acting instruction.

Each of her varied services ebbs and flows in its own way, she reports.

“I would say my overall income is fairly steady, but it’s a constant hustle,” Neustaedter said.

You can listen to her full story in the player above.