There's so much innovation happening in the death care space right now. It's such a fun time to have a podcast focused on death you guys!

Speaking about innovation, my guest today is Brock Sheets, the Founder of Willowise, a tech company that helps families and friends celebrate and honor their loved ones with, as Brock puts it, “a curated tapestry” of their life. This is not your average zoom gathering.

One of the most inspiring parts of our chat is the discussion around thinking about your life like a diamond. Each facet represents a different aspect of who you are and the influence you can have on others. It was a framework that gave me the feels and I hope you have them too.

Learn more about Willowise and bookmark it for the future: www.willowise.com

Watch the very special choir tribute that was created for Brock’s father: https://youtu.be/BYiSR-KSLKw

Over 70,000 pets are buried at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, but not a single one is named Rover. Go figure.

If you drive 25 miles north of New York City, you’ll find yourself in the charming town of Hartsdale, NY. With a population of only about twenty five hundred people, Hartsdale is home to one of the oldest and most famous pet cemeteries in the United States. Founded in 1896, today the cemetery is the final resting place for more than 70,000 pets, as well as some of their moms and dads.

My guest today is Ed Martin III—the Vice President of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. He shares the rich history of this historical gem, famous pets buried there and the overarching lessons of inclusivity, unity and ever-lasting love that us humans can take away from the burial grounds.

You can learn more about Hartsdale Pet Cemetery by visiting: www.petcem.com

I bet you know your company’s vacation policy, travel policy and parental leave policy. But what about your bereavement policy? In the U.S., the standard is just three to five days of paid leave. In this episode we talk about why your company most likely needs to reimagine their approach to bereavement, and how Bereave can serve as the guide.

Justin Clifford is the CEO of Bereave, a company that’s on a mission to leverage technology to connect the world to the compassionate and transparent end-of-life experiences we all deserve. Bereave is rewriting the rule book on bereavement and all I can say is, it’s about damn time.

You can learn more about Bereave and check out all the free resources Justin references in this episode by visiting:

https://www.bereave.io

No, animals will not eat you if you're buried at Colorado Burial Preserve. I asked.

Emily Miller is the founder of Colorado Burial Preserve, an 80-acre piece of land in Florence, CO that is the state’s first dedicated green cemetery. In addition to serving as a cemetery, the land is also a habitat for flowers, blue birds and indigenous plants. Soon visitors will be able to walk the nature trail loop, learn about the land and maybe even take a yoga class. Cemetery yoga— you heard it here first.

You can learn more about the meaningful work Emily and her team are doing at Colorado Burial Preserve by visiting:

https://www.coloradoburialpreserve.com/

You make an effort to recycle. You’ve got a compost bin under your sink. You pick products at the grocery store that are good for your family and the environment. Many of us spend our lives trying to do right by Mother Earth, but then make decisions for our funerals that do anything but.

When you get to the end of this episode you’ll have a fresh perspective on how to plan your funeral in a way that honors your values and the earth.

Mike Reagan is the CEO of The Natural Funeral, a leader in eco-conscious end-of-life care in Colorado. Mike shares profound experiences he’s had as a hospice volunteer. From telepathic communication to terramation, we discuss the major shifts happening within the funeral industry and how The Natural Funeral is leading the way.

You can learn more about The Natural Funeral here: https://www.thenaturalfuneral.com

Andy Pearson is the VP of Creative at Liquid Death, the fearless beverage brand that has remained wonderfully weird since it started in 2019. On this episode we talk about the intersection of death, humor and creativity. Andy enlightens us with Obi-Wan Kenobi hallucinations, why having kids made him think about death more than ever, and what he's been put on this earth to do.

Andy has his own podcast about running. Check it out here: https://betweentwopinespodcast.com/

Not your average podcast about death.