Funeral Service Insider: The Podcast

  In this week's episode, Crystal Webster, founder of Sharing Solace, shares stories and insights highlight ing the transformative power of community support and the journey from grief to healing. Click here for full show notes.

As your trusted source for funeral service news and updates, we wanted to share the links to the stories we covered in this episode of In Case You Missed It.   The debate surrounding preneed sales and a response to a Wall Street Journal article Regulatory developments in the Illinois State House regarding a tagging system for human remains Election challenges in Chatham County, Georgia, for the po...

Ceremonial caskets can be a big part of helping green your business. Click here for complete show notes. 

Click here for complete show notes. 

Click here for complete show notes.

In the latest episode of Funeral Service Insider, Amanda Marie Eilis King talks about the importance of children's books and resources in funeral service.  Click here for complete show notes.

A roundup of this week's news in the end of life industry. Click here for complete show notes. 

In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, we discuss how recent FTC and Department of Labor changes could affect funeral service, plus a roundup of funeral service news from the week.  Click here for complete show notes .

Click here for full show notes.

In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, Tom Nondorf, who joined Kates-Boylston Publications in late November as the new editor of American Cemetery & Cremation magazine. His responsibilities include finding and developing stories, as well as working closely with writers. Click here for complete show notes.

Funeral director Madeline Lyles discusses the summer camp she and business partner Dana Taylor created for young individuals interested in funeral service.  Click here for full show notes .  

In this episode, we speak with writer and tour guide Allison Meier about burial practices, cemeteries, and her  latest book , "Grave."  Meier shares her insights on the cultural and societal significance of graves, drawing from her experiences leading tours at New York City area cemeteries and her profound interest in the storytelling potential at these historical sites. Click here for full show n...

In this episode, we speak with Niki Wiedeman, call excellence facilitator for Dead Ringers, a secret shopper/phone etiquette consulting company, about the importance of impeccable customer service when answering the phone. Click here for full show notes. 

Eric M. Bester talks about "Tranquility Cremation by Aquamation" which was the first standalone facility of its kind in North Carolina, possibly the country. Click here for complete show notes.

Bob Heidlage, president and managing partner of Global Recruiters of Batesville, discusses the ins and outs of recruiting and retaining employees in the funeral service profession.  Click here for full show notes. 

In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, we speak with Bill Ford, president of SESCO Management Consultants, about aspects of the Kates-Boylston Compensation Report, which collected a decade's worth of data from funeral directors and funeral home owners. Click here for complete show notes. 

Stan Goldstein, who writes for both American Funeral Director magazine and American Cemetery and Cremation magazine joins us for our inaugural Year In Review episode. Click here for full show notes .

Effie Anolik, co-founder and CEO of Afterword, talks about her decision to build a funeral home management platform that helps families arrange funerals online and shares her personal experience of arranging her father's funeral in 2018.  Click here for the full show notes.

An in-depth interview with the American Funeral Director magazine Funeral Director if the Year. Click here for detailed show notes. 

In this episode, we speak with Tori Dixon about how to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion while also strengthening your business in the long term. Click here for complete show notes.

Jon O'Hara, CEO of the Great Lakes Family of Companies in Michigan, which supports funeral homes on their preplanning and marketing, talked about how he worked to change the law in Michigan to allow preneed insurance carriers to continue operating in the state. He said that it was important to have a local voice working on the issue, and that the relationships that lobbyists have with legislators...

In this episode, journalist Jo Ciavaglia talks about the incredible journey she embarked upon with her colleagues to create an unclaimed remains program. From the initial curiosity sparked by stories of homeless individuals passing away, to the development of a comprehensive database and the impact it has had on families and communities, Ciavaglia's work has been instrumental in bringing attention...

Greg Grabowski, hospice professional and co-author of "Engaging the Heart of Hospice," a book about the relationship between hospice and funeral directors. Written in collaboration with funeral director Lacey Robinson, the book discusses the disconnets and taboos and how to break them. The book is available here .   Click here for the show notes .

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Camelia L. Clarke, who shed light on the evolving landscape of social media and its impact on personal and business branding. She emphasized that it is crucial to define your personal brand, because otherwise someone else will define it for you. This rings especially true in the funeral industry, where personal and business branding merge ea...

In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, host Tony Russo welcomes Mike Dixon, a veteran funeral director and founder and executive director of  Funeral Professionals Peer Support . Dixon is dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of professionals in the funeral service industry.  Click here for the show notes.