Mortuary Mayhem

Join us as Dan Shea and Jenn Bardier speak with Erin Wilson Senior Director of Education and Program Strategy for Funeral Woman Lead as we discuss their focus on leadership, coaching, mentorship, wellness and resources for women in funeral service.  How woman are taking over and reimagining the future of a male dominated field.  Networking and having resources are key to success in any field.  At Funeral Woman Lead these dynamic woman that have proven themselves throughout their career are sharing their experience to help you develop and grow.  Gaining resources for ownership such as onboarding or growing as a leader as you rise though the ranks.  Register now for the Funeral Woman Lead Womans Leadership Academy and Leadership and Wellness Summit both taking place in South Carolina this September.

Join us as Lanae Strovers discusses the Final Salute.  A non-profit she started in her home state of Iowa, that buries the cremated remains of veterans as well as civilians and children.  This great initiative draws a crowd she never thought would be possible.  Dignity and respect for the dead is at the core of being a funeral director.  The Final Salute was something that Lanae started with her funeral home in Iowa that turned into an anticipated event for the community and has attracted the attention of funeral directors in other states seeking to bring this tribute to their area.

If you missed Terracon 2025, here is the recap of the worlds Natural Organic Reduction conference.  With experts flying into Tacoma Washington from all over the United States and World, we learned science, legal regulation, legislation and immersed ourselves in an experience.  After three days of surrounding ourselves with some of the most dynamic friends and colleagues we all said the same thing, I felt like I was at a retreat.  Hear personal testimonials from Daniel Holland of BYND, Inc out of Grand Rapids Michigan, Ashlee Shelton of Napa Califorina, Cleo Duponcheel of Croque-Madame from Brussels, Belgium and Jessica Wakefield of Better Place Forests from San Rafael California.  Join us as we talk science, legislation and most importantly dig deep into the heart of what terramation (Natural Organic Reduction) is all about.   

We have very exciting news, renowned speaker and restorative art educator Dominic Astorino can now add author to his titles.  Dominic's first book, Postmortem Restorative Art, Principles, Methods and Applications will be released on January 16th in time for the spring 2025 semester.  If you have not adopted his Restorative Art book yet, now is your chance.  Students will receive e-book access to start the semester if their book will not arrive in time.  This restorative art book brings real life examples into the classroom, color photographs and step by step instructions on difficult restorations.  This RA book takes our learning to a new level.  Your host Prof. Shea has been honored to teach with the preliminary version of this book all semester.  Great for both students and experienced practitioners alike.  To order your book visit Cognella publishing at https://titles.cognella.com/postmortem-restorative-art-9781793587473?srsltid=AfmBOoox6La5xQ-pLPH2j1-kuKPdGatbeveEpnarud7gSZyCKiD0GSsy. 

We sat down with Chase Downs of Gather, one of the industries premiere funeral home softwares that is on the cutting edge of what the industry needs.  Join us as we discuss how funeral home software provides value and how the industry has changed and what features you should be using to keep up and be efficient.

Did you miss the NFDA convention this year, get a quick recap of some of the seminars and vendors.  

We sat down with Brie Smith of Return Home one of the first Terramation companies in the country as she covers the process, what we can expect and the beauty behind this new form of disposition.  Terramation, also known as Natural Organic Reduction or Human Composting is a natural process of converting the body to soil.  A very environmentally safe process that promotes new life and the byproduct being soil can be used to plant, garden or to scatter in your favorite location.  All the sentimental factors that come with cremation such as jewelry and keepsakes can still happen since it provides a very dry product that does not smell or have the soil consistency until it gets wet meaning it can sit on a shelf or in your favorite locket.  

You read that right, the two funeral programs in Massachusetts situated at Community Colleges, Cape Cod Community Colleges funeral program in Bridgewater Mass on the Bridgewater State University Campus and North Shore Community College's funeral program in Danvers are both free to Massachusetts Residents that do not have a prior Bachelor degree or higher.  Both institutions still provide a reduced tuition rate to those in New England, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  Also check out ContinuingVision.com for your CE credit.  Yours truly will be offering the OSHA course so don't hesitate and sign up for this required part of your CE.

We sat down with Bill A Johnston author and owner of Post and Boost as he discusses his new book "The Consumer's Journey to Purchasing Funeral Services: A Marketing Roadmap for Growing Market Share and Revenue"

Join us with Kim Zavrotny from Funeral Professionals Peer Support.  FPPS is a non-profit that provides peer-based mental wellness support to bereavement professionals worldwide.  Visit funeralpeersupport.com for more information.  This is a great program providing free monthly peer meetings specific to students, funeral directors, embalmers, cemetery professionals and other death care employees.  Membership includes an extensive EAP program, webinars, 24 access to therapists and much more.  Join us as we discuss how funeral service differs from other professions requiring specialized peer support and how Funeral Professionals Peer Support helps.