A Brush with Death

In this episode, host Gabe Schauf chats with 10 funeral directors and embalmers from around the country to share practical tips and techniques for taking embalming room work to the next level. They'll cover everything from improving preservation to fine-tuning restoration work, with advice you can use immediately. Guests in this episode include: -               Dana Goodell – Iowa Licensed Funeral...

In this episode, host Gabe Schauf is joined by Leili McMurrough, a licensed funeral director and President of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, to share her experiences and insights from the profession. Leili is the recipient of the 2024 NFDA Inspiration Award, sponsored by NGL, which honors an exceptional woman who has made significant contributions to funeral service. This episode is sponsore...

In this episode, host Gabe Schauf is joined by Regan Moreland, Funeral Director & Embalmer with Radney Funeral Home and Langley Funeral Home, to discuss her transformative journey into funeral service.   She shares how her personal experiences have shaped her career and passion for lifelong learning while inspiring those around her to always remember their "why."

Happy Veterans Day to all of our military personnel. We are deeply grateful for your service and sacrifice, and we will forever be thankful for your role in keeping our country free. In this episode, host Gabe Schauf is joined by Jennifer Heiselman, Navy Chief Mortician (Retired), who served our country as a Navy Embalmer and Funeral Director. Jennifer spent 24 years both at home and abroad, carin...

Have you ever heard something go bump in the night while working at the funeral home?   Did you ever have an eerie experience you just couldn't explain?   Do you sometimes wonder if you "not alone"?   Regardless of how you may feel about the paranormal, everyone loves a good ghost story.   In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf sits down with Duane Hills, Todd Harra, Ben Schmidt, and Jason Engler to h...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, talks with Welton Hong, founder of Ring Ring Marketing, about what the future of the profession looks like in terms of overall call volume, and what funeral homes can do to prepare. Welt...

The International Convention and Expo is taking place in New Orleans October 20 th to the 23 rd .   To get ready for the event we have 3 convention preview episodes for you to check out.   In this final episode before convention, host, Gabe Schauf, is joined by the 2024 International Convention and Expo keynote speakers, Amy Herman and Jason Arday.   Amy and Jason will share a little about themsel...

The International Convention and Expo is taking place in New Orleans October 20 th to the 23 rd .   To get ready for the event we have 3 convention preview episodes for you to check out.   In those episodes, host, Gabe Schauf, is joined by the Innovation Award Finalists, some of the Workshop Presenters, and of course, the Keynote speakers.  In this second episode we will hear from 3 of our worksho...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, talks with Kevin O'Connor, author of Two Floors Above Grief.   Kevin shares his inspiration for the book he wrote about growing up in his family's funeral home in Elgin, Illinois.   Kevi...

The International Convention and Expo is taking place in New Orleans October 20 th to the 23 rd .   To get ready for the event we have 3 convention preview episodes for you to check out.   In those episodes, host, Gabe Schauf, is joined by the Innovation Award Finalists, some of the Workshop Presenters, and of course, the Keynote speakers. In this first episode we will hear from the innovation awa...

In September of 2022, the world watched as Queen Elizabeth   was given a final farewell.   The world watched as every news station and social media outlet broadcast footage and provided updates on the events of her passing and services as they happened.   Meanwhile, funeral director, Tim Purves, and his staff worked on location to provide services and care fit for a monarch.  In this episode, host...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, talks with Mike McKenna about Core Scientific, an industry leader and the go-to choice for some of the largest corporations and funeral groups in North America in cremation metal recycli...

In 2023, the NFDA sent film crews to various cities to talk with consumers about their impressions of funeral directors.   There were mixed reactions and a combination of positive and negative comments that gave an eye-opening perspective on the public's views of the funeral profession.   In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf sits down with funeral directors, Lori Sheeler,  Anna Zvirman-Nesbit, and N...

In May of 2023, the NFDA hosted its latest Future's Forum, a highly focused, forward-looking session held on an as-needed basis to tackle serious challenges impacting funeral service providers.   The goal of Future's Forum 2023 was to develop new growth and innovation strategies funeral providers could use to overcome current revenue challenges, increasing costs and staffing shortages.   In the sp...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, talks with Bill A Johnston, president of Post and Boost and author of the new book, "The Consumer's Journey to Purchasing Funeral Services."  Bill is a Facebook expert who invented a pro...

Summer is here and along with it comes a new crop of funeral service program graduates.   In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, sits down with 4 of them to hear about their experiences, challenges and goals moving forward. A big congratulations to the funeral service program class of 2024 graduates and special thanks to Ashley Trent – graduate from Lake Washington Community College, Kate Marnul – gr...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, is talking about Tukios with founder, Curtis Funk.  Tukios is a software company providing simple solutions to funeral homes, including a tribute video software, website development and...

Artificial intelligence has quickly become a part of our day to day and can be found almost everywhere.   There are many who have been quick to embrace it and use it to enhance what they do.   There are also many who have concerns with the capabilities of AI and what a future with artificial intelligence may look like.   Is AI truly something to fear or are those negative misconceptions holding us...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, is talking about Legacy.com, the world's largest commercial provider of online memorials and obituaries, with John Heald, Legacy.com's Funeral Home Channel General Manager. John is a fou...

Succession planning preserves an organization's legacy, ensures smooth leadership transitions, and nurtures internal talent.   It is vital to the long-term success of any and every funeral home.   In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, sits down with Chris Cruger, CEO of Foresight, and Jake Johnson, president and CEO of Johnson Consulting Group to talk about the value of and steps to successful succe...

In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf is joined by his brother, the founder and CEO of Uncharted Supply Co., Christian Schauf.  Uncharted's mission is to provide high-quality, intuitive gear to help people navigate emergencies big and small.   Gabe and Chris talk about entrepreneurship, ownership, innovation, and how passion drives success in work and life. CLICK HERE to learn more about Uncharted Su...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, is talking about @Need Marketing, a full-service marketing agency helping funeral homes connect with their communities through creative and strategic methods.  Gabe is joined by Michael...

Host, Gabe Schauf is joined by Victor Sweeney, "The Wired Mortician".  Victor is a funeral director with DuBore Funeral Home in Warren, Minnesota who came into the national spotlight by just "doing the right thing" and has since been featured multiple times by Wired Magazine .  In this episode, Victor shares his story and some thoughts on being a funeral influencer and educating the public.  Click...

The National Board Exam is a hot topic of discussion amongst funeral directors.   As workforce needs grow across the country and the education system works to teach the future of the profession, many questions about the exam and it purpose continue to be asked. To understand more about the National Board Exam, host, Gabe Schauf, sits down with Dalene Paull and Leili McMurrough.   Dalene and Leili...

On "A Brush With Death: 5 Minutes On...," we spend 5 minutes providing listeners with quick insights into various funeral trends, products, events, organizations, and goings-on. In this episode we are talking about Chptr, a new mobile-first memorialization platform.  Joining host, Gabe Schauf, is Rehan Choudhry, Founder and CEO of Chptr.  Learn more about Chptr and try it for free at https://www.c...