A Brush with Death

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 – graduate from the Milwaukee Area Technical College, Michelle Finnegan – graduate from Salt Lake Community College and Patrick Wheeler – graduate from Cape Cod Community College for their time.

Sponsored by Core-Scientific

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 hosting, and follow-up services to keep them in touch with their community.

Curtis is A lifelong entrepreneur, he has spent the last 18 years providing products and services exclusively to funeral homes. He is recognized in the funeral industry as a thought-leader and has built a company with an impeccable reputation.

Curtis can be reached at [email protected]

Click here to learn more about Tukios

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 back from a brighter future?

In this episode, host, Gabe Schauf, discusses that with Dennis Yu, the CEO of AreYouGoobleable.com. Gabe and Dennis talk through some of the concerns about AI, what is known and what is not. Dennis also gives some ideas on what may be possible through the use of AI and how to start learning and experiencing it for ourselves.

Sponsored by Tukios.com

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 fourth-generation funeral director and has been licensed in Massachusetts for 21 years. With his twin brother, Jim, he built a start-up funeral home in 2009 located in Shrewsbury, Mass and later sold it in 2017. John's roll with Legacy.com is to oversee funeral home development. He was one of the original members of the team that started Tributes.com in 2008, which was acquired by Legacy in May 2015.

John can be reached at [email protected]

Click here to learn more about Legacy.com

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 succession planning from the perspectives of both the owner and the seller.

Sponsored by Homesteaders Life Company.

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 Supply Co.

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 Anderson, President of @Need Marketing. Michael uses his personal background in the funeral profession and extensive experience in sales to provide partners with effective marketing strategies that are relevant for funeral homes. He can be reached at [email protected].

Click here to learn more about @Need Marketing

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 Here to see Victor's first Wired Feature

Click Here to see Victor's most recent Wired Feature

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 share a behind the scenes explanation as to how the exam is developed, its importance, and how funeral directors can play vital roles in supporting the process and the students who are working to become licensed. Click here for more information about the National Board Exam, including guides and statistics.

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.chptr.com/.