Is there a way to adjust the RMS level?
Adjusting RMS or loudness is rough. If your basic, starting-out quality is a little off, you can chase your tail.
Changing loudness is basically moving the volume control up and down. Of course, it’s not that easy because that brings the peaks and noise (see that reference page) up and down, too.
To change one value without changing the others requires special effects and filters. You are creating beneficial, desirable distortion.
Rather than forum ping-pong, we can give you a push if you post a test clip on the forum. You can’t go over 20 seconds and Do Not apply corrections. Just a clean voice with the new louder level. And I’m not shocked that you need to run the microphone controls all the way up.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html
Koz