Deathcare Decoded: Recent Episodes
Parting Stone
Deathcare Decoded explores trends in the death profession, uncovering valuable insights through conversations with industry thought-leaders. Our mission is to bring forward-thinking education to death care professionals.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://hubs.la/H0W4_Gm0
This week we return to my conversation with Christopher Stoll, artist, illustrator, and my very dear friend. Chris is the owner and creator behind Multiverse Books and, as a very important person in my own life, is one of the people I most frequently talk with about hard things– like death. I wanted to have Chris on the show because until now, we’ve only featured people within the death care profession as guests. I thought it would be insightful and balanced to provide space for conversations about death with people who have experienced grief from the other side of things. Chris has a unique perspective because, like me, he is queer and polyamorous. This means that also like me, Chris has a unique take on traditional funerals and memorial services that aren’t necessarily designed with people like us in mind. In this conversation, we talk about funeral planning and traditional memorial services from a queer and polyamorous perspective.
Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of talking with Faith Haug (she/her) Program Chair of the Mortuary Science program at Arapaho Community College. This conversation covers unique aspects of the Arapaho Mortuary Science program and more general mortuary program requirements. We also discuss the fact that Colorado doesn’t require funeral directors to be licensed individually. This conversation happened at the end of 2023, just a few weeks after a funeral care disaster was discovered at Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. Since then, colorado lawmakers have presented a bill to require individual funeral director licensing, like every other US state. However, my conversation with Faith will reveal, that licensing might not be the only answer to preventing tragedies like the one at Return to Nature.
Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week we return to my conversation with Chase Downs (he/him), Demand Gen Specialist at Gather, an innovative technology platform built specifically for funeral homes, that helps both funeral directors and families. In this part of our conversation, Chase and I discuss AI and the future of Death Care… how AI could impact death care workspaces, the death planning process, memorial services, and more. We talk about the absolute necessity of personalization in death care practices, and where AI might fall short in delivering the services that grieving families deserve.
We recorded this episode in the spring of 2023, and a lot has evolved in AI and its role in our world since then, so stay tuned after our convo for some extra content from me.
Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
Content warning: this episode is all about suicide, and grief from suicide loss. This topic might be triggering or challenging for some people, so if that’s you, skip this one and join us next month. If you or a loved one struggle with suicidal ideation, call or text 988 to reach the national suicide and crisis hotline.
This week I’m so excited to bring Dr. Sara Murphy (she/her) back to the podcast to talk about destigmatizing suicide, suicidality, and surviving the loss of a loved one to suicide. Dr. Murphey is a death educator, Certified Thanatologist, and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. She is a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island where she teaches undergrad and graduate courses in the fields of thanatology and suicidology. In this episode, we dive into why suicide has always been a stigmatized cause of death (even though suicidality is a widespread occurrence across humanity) and ways that we can work toward dismantling that stigma. We also cover how dismantling suicide stigma helps folx who ideate suicide feel safer seeking and getting help, and also allows us to better support people who are grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I welcome Jennifer Muldowney (she/her), also known as The Glam Reaper, onto the podcast to talk about how death care is evolving around the world today. Jennifer founded Muldowney Memorials a death planning company that offers celebrant services and specialized memorial planning. She is also the creator of the Glam Reaper Podcast. In this episode, we talk about how Jennifer found her way into death care, the differences between the funeral service profession in America, and Ireland, where Jen is from, and the directions we see death care going in in the near future.
This is part one of my talk with Jennifer.
Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I have the absolute pleasure of talking with Kiki Klonis (she/her) from Burning Sentients taxidermy. Kiki and I talk about processing grief in tangible ways, like creativity, art, and, for Kiki, taxidermy. We discuss how grieving actually led to Kiki’s career as a taxidermist, what that journey has entailed, and how, for many people, getting to have a continued relationship with the remains of our loved ones and pets can be a huge aid in moving through the grief process. Kiki is actually based here in Santa Fe, NM (Unceded Tewa Land) so this interview takes place in her home, which is full of truly incredible taxidermied animals. You’ll hear us reference some of her amazing pieces throughout the episode. Content warning: suicide, and details about the taxidermy process are talked about in this episode.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week we are doing things a little differently… I’m joined by artist, illustrator, and my dear friend and loved one, Christopher Stoll (he/him). Chris is the owner and creator behind Multiverse Books As a very important person in my own life, Chris is one of the people I most frequently talk with about hard things– like death. I wanted to have Chris on the show, because until now, we’ve only featured people within the death care profession as guests. I thought it would be insightful and balancing to provide space for conversations about death with people who have experienced grief from the other side of things. Chris has a unique perspective because, like me, he is queer and polyamorous. Living in these so-called “alternative” worlds necessarily means that grief and interacting with systems like death care, are experienced differently by people like Chris and I. In this episode, we dive into how grief affects relationships, how our relationships inform our grief, and the nuances that come with being polyamorous and experiencing grief.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I’m delighted to talk with Brian Waters of Undertaking the Podcast. Brian is a licensed funeral director and CFSP. Our conversation was such an unexpected pleasure because it took some really unexpected turns and departures from what I was expecting, and is really different from what I usually cover in these interviews. In this episode, Brian and I both share our thoughts about what we think happens when people die– both physically and otherwise– and how being curious about the unknown plays a part in dealing with grief.
Content warning: We both talk frankly about the loss of loved ones, and in my case, loss of a loved one to suicide and overdose.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Stephanie Poirier, Partner Success Manager at Parting Stone, to touch on why being a “death curious” person can be beneficial to your family, friends, and community. From starting difficult conversations, to protecting the rights of marginalized folx in end of life care, Death Curious people can help everyone confront death in healthier ways.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content get our newsletter, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of talking to Eileen Hollis, Licensed Funeral Director at Hollis Funeral Home, about death on social media! Eileen runs the TikTok and Instagram accounts for Hollis Funeral Home and has built a following of nearly a million people between the two platforms. In this episode, we talk about why social media is a great place for death education, what content death curious folx are looking for on social media, and how the internet can actually be a really great place for building community.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Chase Downs (he/him), Demand Gen Specialist at Gather, to talk about Technology in the Death Care Profession. Gather is an innovative technology platform built specifically for funeral homes, that helps both funeral directors and families. Until the Covid-19 pandemic, death care was far behind other professions technology-wise. Chase and I discuss some of the benefits that have come from funeral services moving forward rapidly when it comes to things like live-streamed funeral services, remote memorial planning, and normalizing death care businesses having websites.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I’m so excited to return to my conversation with Rev. Cat Webb (they/them), Metaphysical Celebrant, Spiritual Educator, and Psychopomp, to talk about the spiritual weight of death avoidance. Both death avoidance and grief avoidance are pervasive in our society. In this conversation, Rev. Cat and I take a deep dive into how death and loss became taboo subjects, and why avoiding the reality of human ephemerality can have major impacts on mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone.
For more Death Curious content follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I’m excited to talk with Stephanie Poirier, Partner Success Manager at Parting Stone, about all things alkaline hydrolysis! Stephanie was instrumental in getting alkaline hydrolysis legalized in California, and explains this gentle, eco-friendly disposition option in detail for us. We also talk about the intense push-back this disposition method has gotten from funeral professionals, and how important it is to realize the benefits of making this option more widely available.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone.
Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. For more Death Curious content follow us on TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
Deathcare Decoded is expanding! We are rebranding to expand our content and mission statement, and in this special transitional episode, I will walk you through the inspiration behind this growth. Death Curious is a platform for death exploration and a community of like-minded, death positive people. We imagine a future in which talking about death is normalized, comfortable, and even encouraged. Through death positive education, our goal is to help you better understand your own mortality, gain confidence talking to others about theirs, and to build a supportive community of mortality explorers.
Created and hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone.
Produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, we return to my conversation with Mark Harrison (he/him), President of Certified Safety Training, and Ebone Dukes (she/her), Funeral Service Program Director at Northwest Mississippi Community College to talk about the funeral rule, which was recently up for review. We talk about what the funeral rule is, what might be changing about it in the current review period, and the pros and cons that such a rule creates.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I’m joined by Rev. Cat Webb (they/them), Metaphysical Celebrant, Spiritual Educator and Psychopomp to talk about spirituality at end of life and beyond. In this episode we talk about end of life work that occurs after someone has died, what it means to be a psychopomp, and why it’s important to offer support for diverse spiritual practices in end of life care.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
In this episode I share research and data that I've been gathering, which shows that large numbers of death planners care about having more eco-conscious and green options in death care. We look at studies from Kates Boylston Publications, IBM Institute for Business Value, Passare, and Choice Mutual Insurance that break down what death planners care about, how they make choices, and what they will look for in the future. Spoiler alert: the demand for eco-conscious death care options is only going to grow! I also introduce a huge research project I undertook in 2022 called The Real Eco-Impact of Disposition Methods that reveals the total carbon footprint of the top five most common body disposition methods in the US today, as well as how to make the most harmful ones more environmentally friendly. I'll be releasing that research on this podcast in a series over the next few weeks.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Mark Harrison (he/him), President of Certified Safety Training, and Ebone Dukes (she/her), Funeral Service Program Director at Northwest Mississippi Community College, to continue our discussion about equity over equality in the workplace. In this part of the conversation we dive deeper into how meeting people where they are and addressing individual needs, whether that’s your employees, or the families you serve, will make the death care profession a healthier space. We touch on generational, gender, orientation, and racial inequities, and how meeting the needs of all will better serve the whole.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of being joined by Mark Harrison, President of Certified Safety Training, and Ebone Dukes, Funeral Service Program Director at Northwest Mississippi Community College. We talk about the importance of funeral business regulation compliance and the effects that regulations can have on our profession as a whole. We discuss how regulations can help communicate the value of funeral home services to the public, and how CST’s practices are focused on making compliance an equitable experience for all deathcare professionals.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Dianne Hullet, death educator, death doula, and founder of Best Life Best Death. In this episode, we continue our conversation about how more open and honest conversations about death and grief can improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of our society. In part two of our conversation we talk about how to explore what needs to be done in your life to prepare for a good death, and how to get started on your death curious journey. We cover some recommended reading from both Diane and myself, and the differences between living in a death denying culture, and a grief denying one.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Glenda Stansbury, VP of InSight Books, Co-Founder and Dean of the InSight Institute Certified Celebrant Program, adjunct professor in the University of Central Oklahoma’s Funeral Department, and licensed funeral director and embalmer. We discuss the role of celebrants in more detail, and some of the key characteristics that a successful celebrant will have. We also take a deep dive into the value that curiosity and creativity have in our roles as death care professionals, and how these two qualities can make us better funeral arrangers, help us avoid burnout, and are ultimately be assets to the families that we serve.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Dianne Hullet, death educator, death doula, and founder of Best Life Best Death. In this part of our conversation, we change things up, and Dianne interviews me about my role at Parting Stone, my own journey into the death profession, and why forward thinking progress in death care is vital. We talk about the value of innovative technologies like solidified remains, and how new options like Parting Stone can help everyone have a better end of life experience.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my wonderful conversation with Tiana Dargent (she/her), Founder of Queer Community Deathcare in Ontario Canada, to discuss Death Cafes! We talk about what death cafes are, the benefits they offer, and why death cafes should be available in every community. We also touch on the Queer Community Death Cafe that Tiana runs, and how conversations around death are particularly important for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of speaking with Diane Hullet (she/her), death educator, death doula, and founder of Better Life Better Death, about how more open and honest conversations about death, dying, and grief can improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of our society. In part one of our conversation we talk about the need for more conversations about death, why these conversations are important for everyone to have, and how to overcome challenges around getting these conversations started with your loved ones.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I’m delighted to bring Joél Simone Anthony (she/her) back to Deathcare Decoded. Joél, also known as the Grave Woman, is a sacred grief practitioner, licensed funeral director, and deathcare educator. She joins us this week to talk about some of her new courses on Cultural Competency in funeral service, and how diversifying our education as funeral professionals will benefit everyone that we serve. We also discuss the importance ritual in the role of a death care provider, and how creating opportunities for ritual building for your families might be easier than you think.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Cara McCarty (she/her), Founder and CEO of Betterleave, a bereavement care company which helps employers provide grief support and bereavement care benefits to employees. In this episode, we discuss how death care and bereavement regulations and laws differ state-by-state, and how Betterleave provides resources for helping local communities understand what services are available in their area. We also cover how funeral homes and deathcare providers can work with Betterleave to provide better bereavement care and resources to both their employees and the families they serve.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Glenda Stansbury (she/her), VP of InSight Books, Co-Founder and Dean of the InSight Institute Certified Celebrant Program, adjunct professor in the University of Central Oklahoma’s Funeral Department, and licensed funeral director and embalmer. This week we talk about the current trajectory that the funeral profession is on, some of the biggest hurdles to recruiting and retaining the next generation of deathcare employees, and how funeral professionals today can have a hand in shaping and directing the future of deathcare.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/she), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week we return to my conversation with Tiana Dargent (she/her), founder of Queer Community Deathcare in Ontario Canada, to talk about how to make death and end of life care a safer space for the LGBTQIA2S+ population. We talk about specific roadblocks this community has to receiving safe and equitable care, why more queer-identifying deathcare workers are a good thing, and some steps that deathcare businesses can take to better understand and serve the specific end-of-life needs of this population.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (they/she), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I have the pleasure of speaking with Cara McCarty (she/her), founder and CEO of Betterleave, a bereavement care company which helps employers provide grief support and bereavement care benefits and resources to employees. In this episode, Cara shares the personal story of why she started Betterleave, the three pillars of support the company provides, and why bereavement support is vital for positive company culture and long term employee success, as well as changing the larger societal conversation around death, dying, and grief.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (she/they), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I have the absolute joy of talking with Glenda Stansbury (she/her), VP of InSight Books,and Co-Founder, Dean of the InSight Institute Certified Celebrant Program, adjunct professor in the University of Central Oklahoma’s Funeral Department, and licensed funeral director and embalmer. Glenda discusses how Insight Books got its start, how Insight Institute created it’s Celebrant program, and why celebrant services are valuable to every funeral home. We also cover the value of celebrant services for cremation families specifically, and how these services can help prepare the funeral profession as a whole for changes that are on our industry’s horizon.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo (she/they), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe (he/him), Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
The Kates Boylston Publications survey mentioned in the episode can be found here.
This week, I have the pleasure of talking with Tiana Dargent, founder of Queer Community Deathcare in Ontario Canada which offers a space of support for all members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in matters regarding end of life, death, dying, and grief.. In part one of this conversation, Tiana shares her personal journey to providing accessible death care support and and hosting death cafe’s for the queer and trans community. We talk about why having death and end of life care support specifically for the queer community is important, and how the needs of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community can be met in better ways for all in the death profession.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Courtney Gould Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at MKJ Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer at Tribute Technology, to talk about the role that marketing can play in solving the challenge of recruiting and retaining quality funeral service professionals. We talk about the value of online continuing education, like the program that MKJ marking offers, how accurately marketing your business to prospective employees can help attract the right talent, and the need for a broader conversation about jobs in the funeral profession and death care in general.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Courtney Gould Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at MKJ Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer at Tribute Technology, to talk about successful marketing for cremation services and the future of ecommerce business in deathcare. We discuss how good marketing strategies can help educate families about cremation options, the role that ecommerce cremation business plays in the funeral profession of today, and what the future of cremation businesses look like with the rise of the DIY deathcare consumer.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Lauren Bowser, Owner and Manager of Cusick Funeral Home to discuss unconventional areas of innovation in the deathcare space. We talk about the value of moving the profession forward with new technologies like green embalming fluids and products, the role of social media in continued learning and best practices for morticians and embalmers, and the need for more widespread education about eco-conscious cremation options in the deathcare profession.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of talking with Courtney Gould Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at MKJ Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer at Tribute Technology, about the relationship between good marketing strategies and business success in deathcare. We discuss the value of working with a marketing firm with specific expertise in the deathcare profession, the specifics of what a good marketing strategy can do to grow your business, and where to start if your company is pursuing digital marketing for the first time.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I have the pleasure of speaking with Lauren Bowser, Owner and Manager of Cusick Funeral Home in Somerville New Jersey, to talk about being a first generation funeral business owner in today’s deathcare world. We discuss changes that funeral businesses saw during the Covid-19 pandemic, the differences between being an independent tradesman and owning a funeral home, and advice for other young funeral professionals stepping into first time funeral home ownership.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Mel Bennett, Creator and Co-Founder of Life Forest, to talk about equity in cemeteries and permanent placement options. We discuss various ways that burial has historically been inequitable, various situations that might warrant special care and consideration, and how to make sure that families choosing permanent placement receive the support that they need today and moving forward.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I am joined by Dr. Sara Murphy and Timothy McLoone to talk about the value and experience of deathcare conventions and conferences. Timothy McLoone is a Licensed Funeral Director & Certified Celebrant and Dr. Sara Murphy is a death educator, certified thanatologist, and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. In this interview, we break down the benefits of attending death care conventions from continuing education to the expo floor, and talk about how these opportunities for learning and networking can help push the profession forward.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I return to my conversation with Mel Bennett, Creator and Co-Founder of Life Forest, to talk about cemetery law and the value of permanent placement for families choosing cremation. We discuss what the process of starting a new cemetery is like, and the best way to protect the rights and legacy of buried cremains. We also touch on why permanent placement can be such an important option for families choosing cremation.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
Dr. Sara Murphy is a death educator, Certified Thanatologist (Association for Death Education and Counseling), and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. In this conversation we discuss disenfranchised grief, what it is, what causes it, and everything that funeral professionals need to know to help families avoid it. We talk about body language and verbal cues that will help families feel safe and comforted during funeral arranging, and touch on the importance of funeral directors prioritizing their own mental health while working with grieving families.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I talk with Mel Bennett, Creator and Co-Founder of Life Forest, about building the first cemetery created specifically for cremation families seeking burial for their loved ones’ remains. Mel shares her personal journey into the deathcare space, walks listeners through the grounds at life forest, and explains the in’s and outs of choosing permanent placement for cremated remains with a tree as the memorial marker, which is precisely what Life Forest uniquely offers.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to a previous interview with Sandra Walker, Vice President of Strategic Business at Fairmount Memorial Association, to reflect on what her experience has been like as a deathcare professional during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sandra gives an honest account of what funeral service was like for most of 2020, how her funeral business approach shifted in 2021, and offers excellent advice that is still very relevant for funeral professionals moving forward into the ongoing pandemic world of 2022.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week, I am joined by Dr. Sara Murphy, death educator, Certified Thanatologist (Association for Death Education and Counseling), and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. In this conversation we discuss the in’s and outs of thanatology as a field, and how thanatology overlaps with funeral care and the work of funeral service professionals.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Morgan Yarborough, Services Manager at Recompose, to talk about branding, marketing, and aesthetics in funeral businesses. We touch on the importance of funeral homes having both well designed physical spaces, and an appealing online presence in today’s deathcare world, and why putting time and energy into designing both of those things well is a smart business strategy. We also discuss what the death-planners of today and tomorrow are looking for, and how being authentic in your branding is key to any successful marketing strategy.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Brie Smith, Services Director at Return Home, to talk about the importance of eco-consciousness in the funeral profession. Studies show that consumers across industries are changing their purchasing behaviors to be more eco-friendly, and death planning is no exception. We talk about the low carbon footprint of Natural Organic Reduction, innovative ways that some crematories and funeral service companies are acting to reduce their environmental impact, and how this conversation will be important to the future of deathcare.
You can find return home on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Dr. Sara Murphy and Timothy McLoone to talk about grief and deathcare looking forward in the time of covid, and beyond. Timothy McLoone is a Licensed Funeral Director & Certified Celebrant and Dr. Sara Murphy is a death educator, certified thanatologist, and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. We discuss how the deathcare profession has changed quickly in many ways since the onset of the pandemic, including new insights as to what death planning families want and need, the importance of ritual building in the grieving process regardless of disposition method, the continued rise in cremation, and the role of innovation in the future of the space.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I talk with Brie Smith, Services Director at Return Home, about the value of slowing down deathcare processes for grieving families. With the emergence of new, alternative forms of disposition like natural organic reduction which inherently take a long time, funeral professionals at the cutting edge of deathcare are seeing a huge benefit to going slow and allowing space for families to process their grief. Brie discusses how Return Home’s 60+ day process allows families to form relationships with the deathcare professionals taking care of their deceased loved ones and allows more time for building and experiencing grief rituals. We also talk about how this mentality could be beneficial across the profession in both how we work with families, and within internal deathcare company culture.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week we are joined by Dr. Sara Murphy and Timothy McLoone to discuss their recent NFDA Continuing Education Course “Connecting with the LGBTQ+ Community.” Timothy McLoone is a Licensed Funeral Director & Certified Celebrant at William R. May Funeral Home, in Glenside, PA and Dr. Sara Murphy is a death educator, certified thanatologist, and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. She is also a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island and affiliate faculty member in the Thanatology Graduate Program at Marian University. They discuss why it’s important for funeral businesses to understand how to better serve the LGBTQIA+ community, both from a business and a humanitarian standpoint. They also talk about some of the most important takeaways from their lecture given at the 2021 NFDA Convention and why starting and continuing this conversation is vital to the future of deathcare.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week I return to my conversation with Morgan Yarborough, Services Manager at Recompose, to talk about the importance of ritual building for grieving families. We talk about some of the ways that Recompose helps support families in ritual building including a walk-through of their carbon cycle laying-in ritual and being open to and supportive of at-home family care for deceased loved ones. We also touch on why ritual is important for all families despite the chosen disposition method.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
This week, I return to my conversation with Barbara Kemmis, executive director of CANA to talk about her 10 year anniversary in that role. We discuss CANA’s educational and research programs and the role that data collection and research plays in strategically planning funeral businesses. We talk about CANA’s annual statistics report, it’s notorious accuracy, and future predictions about cremation in the US. We also touch on what Barbara predicts her next 10 years at CANA will look like including a more gender-diverse funeral profession and increasing conversations around mental health support.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website.
This week we return to our conversation with Morgan Yarborough, Services Manager at Recompose, to talk about company culture in deathcare businesses and startups. We talk about the importance of clearly stating your company values, working to cultivate diversity and equity, and allowing employee voices to be heard. Our conversation explores finding concrete ways to grow your company which actively align with your values, and how to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of employees who are new to deathcare.
Produced and Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), about her 10 year anniversary in that role. The deathcare space has evolved over the past 10 years and Barbara talks with us what deathcare has learned specifically about cremation services in the last decade. In part 1 of our discussion, we talk about Barbara’s path to CANA, cremation as a consumer driven disposition method, the importance of staying curious in deathcare, and how re-centering cremation services to focus experience creation and serving families is the key to making cremation lucrative.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Kicking off the 2021 holiday season with this special episode of Deathcare Decoded, Alexandra explores the concept of gratitude, which is one of Parting Stone's four core company values. She explains how Parting Stone incorporates gratitude into day-to-day work culture through corresponding with families that choose solidification, and at the end of the episode she takes you inside the Parting Stone labs for a special surprise.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Morgan Yarborough, Services Manager at Recompose, on Natural Organic Reduction and community focused deathcare. We talk about how Recompose’s method of natural organic reduction was built around serving the needs of the company's specific local community. We also cover de-centering sales and re-centering experiences as a successful deathcare business model, how funeral services are opportunities for building relationships with the families we serve, and how continuing to strengthen connections with local communities can help funeral businesses grow for years to come.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
This week, Alexandra is interviewed by Justin about research she has been doing for the past few months for a Connecting Directors article and a presentation for the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Conference, about excess deaths in the US due to Covid-19 and what they mean for the future of deathcare. Alexandra jumps headfirst into the numbers, makes some predictions based on the current excess death counts from the CDC, and uses the 1918 flu pandemic as a model that we can learn from. This research also reveals some surprising facts about life expectancy and total death rates in the US pre-covid.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Darin Corbett, Owner of Corbett Funeral and Cremation and Oklahoma City Cremation discusses his intentionally designed and revolutionary cremation container engineered to meet families where they are and solve the inherent problems presented with traditional black boxes. Darin explains how listening to families and meeting their needs with intention helped drive this revolutionary container, and how this project has been a huge boon to his business.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Maggie McMillan, Vice President of The Wiefels Group of Companies and All Caring, discusses gender equity in the deathcare profession. With rising rates of women and non-binary individuals graduating from mortuary school, it’s time for our profession to understand how to support the success of these demographics and create equitable work environments for all genders. We cover why it’s important for funeral businesses to truly offer equity and support for every employee in order to succeed in the future.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Sam Funk, Order Manager at Parting Stone, discusses his project using “black box” temporary urns for hydroponic gardening. Black box temporary urns are made of thick, non-recyclable plastics, making them a problem throughout the deathcare space. Sam’s creative method of growing food and flowers using just water, plant nutrient solution, and black boxes is a solution with endless benefits. We cover why hydroponics is a great option, what makes black boxes the perfect hydroponic container, and how to learn more about starting your own black box garden.
Produced and Co-Hosted by and Alexandra Jo, Content Manager at Parting Stone, and Co-Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit Parting Stone's website or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Maggie McMillan, Vice President of The Wiefels Group of Companies and All Caring, talks about current trends in deathcare and moving the professional space forward. We talk about capacity limitations that have been highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, transforming the aesthetic appeal of funeral homes to help make millennial death planners more comfortable, and new ways to support the mental health of both deathcare professionals and grieving families.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Joél Simone Anthony, sacred grief practitioner, licensed funeral director, and deathcare educator (also known as The Grave Woman), on grief as a sacred space. We discuss the necessity of serving grieving families from a place of deep authenticity and care, the importance of building rituals around grief as a way to move towards healing, and how to navigate compensation, personal boundaries, and self-care as a deathcare worker.
Joél's e-course on Self Care professionals is available here.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Maggie McMillan, Vice President of The Wiefels Group of Companies and All Caring, joins us to talk about running a multi-generational funeral home business and being an entrepreneur. We talk about the value of listening to colleagues and employees who have fresh perspectives on the death profession and the importance of cultivating a forward-thinking and supportive company culture for your employees.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Jason Engler, licensed funeral director, cremation specialist and consultant, and Director of Customer Experience at UPD Urns, talks about his path into deathcare and how when done right, representations of death in pop culture can influence this professional space through cultivating empathy in shared experiences of grief.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
Maggie McMillan, Vice President of The Wiefels Group of Companies and All Caring, talks about the difference between “traditional cremation” and “direct cremation,” and how rising cremation rates have changed the way that the industry should be thinking about cremation services. Asking questions and listening to your families will allow you to structure cremation services in a way that serves families more completely.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
We are joined again by Ryan Thogmartin, Founder and CEO of DISRUPT Media and Connecting Directors, to talk about moving the deathcare space forward through embracing adaptability and change in funeral business strategies. Ryan outlines why a shifting customer demographic means letting go of tradition and touches on the increasing vulnerability for disruption in the deathcare profession, and how forward-thinking strategies can ultimately serve families better.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/ or sign up for Parting Stone's monthly webinar here.
In this episode, Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, and Don Fritz of the Cremation Society of Illinois give you an exclusive sneak peek into what you can expect at this year’s CANA Convention which takes place August 11th through August 13th in Seattle, WA. Learn about the pandemic precautions being taken to keep everyone safe, and some exciting new events and activities that have been added this year.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Joél Simone Anthony, sacred grief practitioner, licensed funeral director, and deathcare educator (also known as The Grave Woman) talks with Deathcare Decoded about institutionalized racism in the deathcare space. Our conversation covers micro and macro aggressions in the workplace, the historic whitewashing of mortuary training programs when it comes to caring for diverse populations, and the importance of having conversations about these topics in order to move forward and evolve the deathcare space.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
To find Joél's self-study e-courses mentioned in this episode on Racism in Deathcare, and Culture Competencies: Black Hair and Skin for Non-Ethnic Funeral Professionals, plus more, visit her website, here.
Sandra Walker Vice President of Strategic Business at Fairmount Memorial Association returns to the podcast to talk about why she is passionate about cremation as a meaningful disposition option. Sandra shares her personal experience with cremating a loved one, and why it is important for funeral directors to give cremation families the same arrangement experience as burial families.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
This week, we return to our conversation with Eric Neuhaus, founder and CEO of Green Cremation Texas, to talk about looking forward to the future of the Death Care space. We cover consumer vs. industry-driven change, the funeral industry’s biggest imminent challenges, and how funeral directors can take simple steps to prepare their business for the future.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
We return to our conversation with Jason Engler, licensed funeral director, cremation specialist and consultant, certified celebrant, also known as The Urn Historian, to talk about the history of cremation in the United States including the different phases that cremation has seen over the last century, the current era of personalization that cremation is in today, and what that can tell us about the services and products that cremation families are looking for.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
This week Joél Simone Anthony, sacred grief practitioner, licensed funeral director, and deathcare educator, also known as The Grave Woman, discusses transhumanism. We discuss virtual extensions of consciousness, biological life-extending technologies, and how deathcare professionals can start looking ahead to caring for families as the concepts of life, death, and self continue to evolve.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Tanya Scotece, Professor of Funeral Service Education at Miami Dade College, discusses all things mortuary science education. Our conversation covers why training is so important in the rapidly evolving field of death care, how funeral education is changing, and what funeral directors can expect from recent graduates of mortuary school.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Jody Herrington, Location Manager at Skylawn Memorial Park in Oakland, CA, talks about the rise of eco-friendly options in deathcare, the importance of considering the environmental impact of funeral businesses, and how funeral homes can build valuable connections with their local communities through local product sourcing and engagement.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
In celebration of PRIDE month, we talk with Jason Engler, who is a licensed funeral director, cremation specialist and consultant, and is also known as the Cremation and Memorial Urn Historian. Our discussion covers the abundance of gay funeral professionals and the historic lack of recognition, safety, and support for those individuals in the work place. We look at why so many queer folx are drawn to deathcare and yet so few are out professionally, and how it’s time for this industry to move forward in acceptance and celebration of these professionals.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
In this episode of Deathcare Decoded Justin Crow, founder at Parting Stone, Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, and Don Fritz, Operation Manager of the Cremation Society of Illinois, talk about the results of CANA’s 2021 Annual Statistics Report and the latest cremation rates and statistics in the US, the widely expected impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rising cremation rates vs. the actual numbers, and what these numbers mean in the future of deathcare for families and funeral businesses.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Larry Stuart, Founder of Cremation Strategies and Consulting, looks back on how the needs of grieving families have evolved, especially during Covid-19, and how the death care space has concurrently evolved to meet those needs. Larry dives deep into the philosophy of perceived value, the history of sales in the funeral industry, and how to feel confident in selling services, rather than products.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Ryan Thogmartin, Founder and CEO of Disrupt Media and Connecting Directors, talks about why thinking and leading like a CEO is a crucial aspect of being a Funeral Home Owner, and successfully growing a funeral business.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Sandra Walker, Vice President of Strategic Business at Fairmount Memorial Association and President of Washington Cemetery, Cremation, and Funeral Association, talks about the role of creativity in funeral arranging and deathcare services. We discuss how cultivating a positive company culture with strong core values, being open about mental health support, and empowering your employees will help grow your business.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Tanya Scotece, Professor of Funeral Service Education at Miami Dade College, talks about the benefits of offering Anatomical Donation as a disposition option for your families, which helps medical students and research organizations by providing bones and skeletons for studies and archival purposes. Tanya discusses why she is so passionate about this uncommon disposition option and outlines how funeral directors can still increase profits and offer excellent services to the families who choose it.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Ryan Thogmartin, CEO and Founder of Disrupt Media and Connecting Directors talks about the importance of curating an authentic company culture, overcoming pushback from peers when taking a bold approach to marketing, and how hiring is involved in building strong culture and branding
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Ryan Thogmartin, CEO and Founder of Disrupt Media and Connecting Directors talks about his unique and successful approach to marketing and branding, and why coming from a place of deep authenticity is vital for successfully growing your funeral business.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture and Content Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Larry Stuart, Founder of Cremation Strategies and Consulting, talks about some of the most outrageous myths surrounding cremation and how societal misconceptions often impede the establishment of new cremation businesses. He offers advice on how to set the record straight with facts and science-based evidence.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Content and Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Eric Neuhaus, the CEO of Green Cremation Texas, explains why "championing the families" is the main driver behind his lean funeral business model.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Content and Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Tanya Scotece, Professor of Funeral Service Education at Miami Dade College, talks about the recruitment and retention of quality employees in death care. Tanya offers advice to both mortuary science students emerging into new death care careers, as well as established funeral professionals seeking to overcome struggles with hiring.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Larry Stuart Jr., Founder of Cremation Strategies and Consulting, explains the importance of establishing robust chain of custody protocols in funeral homes and crematories.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Jody Herrington, Location Manager at Skylawn Memorial Park, shares strategies for prioritizing mental health as a death care professional.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
Eric Neuhaus, the CEO of Green Cremation Texas, reveals his tips for building a successful funeral business from the ground up.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder & CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/
**Introducing Deathcare Decoded: A podcast that brings you future-focused conversations with deathcare thought leaders.
Hosted by Justin Crowe, Founder and CEO of Parting Stone, and Alexandra Jo, Culture Manager at Parting Stone.**
We believe that every funeral professional should have the resources to empower families in their grief. Deathcare Decoded investigates solutions for how to best serve families, while keeping up with shifting consumer preferences and industry trends. It digs into some of the most painful moments of being in funeral care like hiring quality staff, time management, and mental health.
This podcast breaks through uninspired industry education to bring you insights from funeral care thought leaders, and places you inside conversations with forward-thinking professionals who are shaping the death care profession. These interviews will give you the tools to champion your families and strengthen your business or career.
To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com/