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.

Join as as we continue the conversation with Faith Haug Department Chair of Mortuary Science at Arapahoe Community College in Colorado.  This is part two of transitioning funeral service as we move into how students are today and how the industry will change with them.

Episode 17 : Funeral service is transitioning - Join us as Faith Haug discusses with Dan Shea and Jess Clasby how funeral service can grow and serve clients as more transgender funeral professionals and students feel comfortable becoming their true self as well as serving families and navigating conversations at the arrangment conference. How to incorporate proper pronouns and prefered names while still abiding by the law on legal paperwork. How do we navigate using two names with an insistant family and how do we work with families that may not be as accepting or affirming as we are. This is the longest episode to date as we dive into the educational system, students today and cover quite a few topics that you are sure to enjoy.  This is part one, join us for part two for episode 18 as the conversation continues about funeral students today.

This month we compare two popular mortuary simulation games with real life management. 

What does it mean to go the extra mile and how do we collectively improve.  As an industry we either grow together or we sink together.  We need to do the extra stuff and leave our comfort zone.  It is the seminars, speakers, conferences and allow us to grow and learn how to improve based on others work.  Preventing a stagnant environment requires the extra mile.