The Funeralcast

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in an effort to raise awareness in how it affects both funeral service professionals and the families they serve, Ben speaks to Sara Murphy, a respected thanatologist and suicidologist about the topic.   Find Sara Murphy and read her articles at deathdoc.com   Email Ben at bschmidt@frigidfluid.com   

Please be sure to rate and review the show! Mental health is such an important topic in funeral service, and everyone seems to be talking about it. Jade Dacus, one of this year’s Texas Emerging Leaders University Speakers, is both a licensed funeral director and licensed professional counselor joins the show to offer some guidance that will help us all.  Email Jade jade@sametimenextweektherapy.com...

It’s time again for Texas Emerging Leaders University! One of this year’s speakers is Dylan Stopher, who’s presentation “What Does It Mean To You?” is an examination of the motivation and drive within each funeral service professional.   Be sure to rate and review The Funeralcast! Follow Dylan on LinkedIn Email me with questions! bschmidt@frigidfluid.com Follow Ben @thefuneralcast Free Expo Passes...

In The Funeralcast Episode 69. Online Mortuary School with Rebecca Gardner, three students reflect on their experience with mortuary school online and share information they wish they knew. This is their standalone segement.

Alkaline Hydrolysis is a dispostion you may have heard of but are not familiar with. Ryan Cattoni at the age of 23 years old brought alkaline hydrolysis as a legal form of disposition to Illinois. A visionary at a young age, he has led funeral service in this type of disposition through funeral industry presentations and local media appearances.   Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you...

Over the summer, Ben made the speaker circuit and along the way he asked funeral directors in Indiana, Texas, and West Virginia what one positive change they have seen in funeral service since they started. You might be surprised at what they said!  Please rate and review this show! Free NFDA Expo Passes, just use our company and booth 1231! Email me with your comments! Bschmidt@frigidfluid.com   ...

There’s a debate about online mortuary schools and their ability to produce capable funeral directors. Ben speaks with Rebecca Gardner, the program director at Northeast Texas Community College, a fully online mortuary school and three recent graduates from the program. Learn how Ms. Gardner designed the program in order to allay the concerns of the greater funeral directing public and how it bene...

In 2023, 74% mortuary school graduates were women, and that number holds steady today.  Dr. Lucia Dickinson did her dissertation on the experiences of ten women who are mortuary school graduates in order to learn more about their experiences as they integrated into funeral service.  Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts!  Email Lucia ldickinson89@gmail.com Find Lucia...

Lanae Strovers is a funeral director and the trainer for the National Funeral Director’s Association. One of her most important professional missions is to locate families for people who have been cremated and remain unclaimed, which is a common funeral home problem. In this episode she offers her advice on how funeral homes can place their unclaimed cremated remains. She has been so recognized fo...

Danielle Wilk is the Port Mortuary Branch Chief at Dover AFB base, place where fallen US service members go to be cared for.  Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts!  Email me with your comments! Bschmidt@frigidfluid.com    Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn Follow Ben @thefuneralcast Find upcoming continuing education and take the test for Funeralcast Episode 58. Jewis...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in funeral service!!! On Episodes 28 and 29 of The Funeralcast, Amanda King and Eileen Hollis share the challenges and joys of being pregnant in funeral service. Well guess what? The babies are here and are about 1 year old! Now they tell us the stories of how they have navigated their first year trying to balance life with a new child and funeral service.  B...

Seth Holmes is new to funeral service! In December he took the role as the Midwest Territory and Sales Manager. He is no stranger to good customer service and will no doubt do well supporting funeral service professionals. He has lots of questions though, and Ben is here to help him learn more! In this episode, Ben is on the other side of the interview as he tries to help Seth get more information...

Donating your body to science these days is a simple and legal process, and we applaud those who do it to advance science. But it wasn’t always that way... Last Rites author Todd Hara is back with Ben to share the shocking stories that led to invention of the burial vault.   Find Todd's books here Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you are listening! Email me with your comments! Bschmid...

One doesn’t typically connect funeral service and human trafficking awareness, but there’s more of an overlap than you might think. Ben is joined by Katie Boller Gosewisch, the Executive Director of The Alliance to End Human Trafficking who will also be a guest speaker at the Unity Through Learning event taking place at Malcolm X College April 23rd- 25th.  Be sure to rate and review this show wher...

Helping grieving children is a tough subject. Ben is joined by two funeral directors who are educating the funeral service community and grieving families to find materials to help the people. Amanda King writes a monthly column in American Funeral Director magazine and Michaelene Dowers is the founder of Pollen, a company that curates resources for grieving families.   Be sure to rate and review...

Todd Harra is an accomplished author, funeral director and calendar model. He joins Ben to discuss his pathway as a writer in both fiction and non-fiction genres.   Find his books here Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you are listening! Email me with your comments! Bschmidt@frigidfluid.com   Follow Ben @thefuneralcast   Find upcoming continuing education and take the test for Funeralc...

The National Board Exam (NBE) is a test that funeral service professionals have to take in order to be licensed, but it's not easy for everyone to do, even after they have completed school. Fortunately, there are two people here to help! Anita Grant from NBE Review Coach and Jesse Pettaway from NBE Exam Prep offer help for those students who need a little extra support to cross the finish line.  ...

READ THIS TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET YOUR CERTIFIED FUNERAL SERVICE PROFESSIONAL EXTRA CREDIT!!!  There’s something special about this episode, it's the first time the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice has approved a podcast episode for continuing education!  To receive the continuing education visit www.frigidfluid.com and look for the Funeralcast Episode- Jewish Ceremonies under the E...

No Ben this time but that’s okay! We have the audio from Frigid Talks our YouTube Series. You can watch this video and other educational videos including usage instructions for all Frigid Fluids on our YouTube Channel!  

Funeral service can be a difficult and sometimes lonely job. However, help from your community is available through the services provided by Funeral Professionals Peer Support (FPPS). Ben is joined by FPPS founder Michael Dixon to remind us we are not alone and how they strive to connect funeral directors through regular meetings for funeral professionals at all levels and backgrounds.   Be sure t...

Being able to serve families from all types of backgrounds and ancestries should be at the top of a deathcare professional's mind because you never know who is going to walk through your door and what kind of help they are going to need. On this episode, Ben is joined by Joél Maldanado, a.k.a. the Grave Woman to help us all think more about the world around us and impress up on us the importance o...

Want to give your favorite podcast host a gift this year? Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts!   The holidays can be quite a difficult time for funeral professionals as they try to balance special times with their family while helping the people who have lost theirs. Take a moment to listen to seasons greetings from some of your fellow funeral service professionals...

Kevin O’Connor is a former educator turned author and grief navigator who grew up above a funeral home. His book Two Floors Above Grief documents his life and the lessons he learned during that time from cleaning the chapel to the death of a close friend as a child.   Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts!   Follow Kevin @thegriefnavigator on Facebook and Instagram  ...

Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts! Ghana is a unique country with unique funeral services practices and a stigma around death. The people of Transitions Funeral Service in Greater Accra, Ghana are working to end the stigma and raise the quality of care in their country.   Transitions Funeral Service Website Follow them on Instagram @transitions_ghana Email me with...

Be sure to rate and review this show wherever you get your podcasts!   Identifying an urban legend and what is factual can be difficult, even when it is about your job. I asked about 30 of my colleagues at the National Funeral Director’s Association’s Conference in New Orleans what they thought about some stories found in the media.    Snopes article from Connecting Directors Email me with your co...