What if honoring a loved one didn’t stop at the cemetery… or even the ocean , but reached beyond Earth itself?

In this powerful and inspiring episode of Estate Planning Nightmares… and How to Avoid Them, Jon sits down with Ryan Mitchell, founder of Ashes to Space, a groundbreaking company making it possible for everyday families to send a small portion of a loved one’s ashes into orbit.

Ryan’s journey is as compelling as the service itself. With a background in aerospace engineering, including work on the Space Shuttle program with NASA and at Blue Origin, Ryan combines deep technical expertise with a profoundly human mission born from personal loss. After scattering ashes at sea and later gazing at satellites crossing a dark night sky, a question took hold:

What if space could be accessible… even for remembrance?

In this conversation, Jon and Ryan explore:

• How Ashes to Space works, from ordering online to tracking a loved one’s journey via satellite

• Why only a symbolic amount of ashes is sent, and what happens during re-entry

• How Ryan made a space memorial affordable at just $249

• The emotional impact families experience when they can literally look up and track their loved one in orbit

• Why this isn’t about novelty, but meaning, intention, and expanding how we think about legacy

This episode isn’t about science fiction.

It’s about human connection, remembrance, and redefining what’s possible.

If you’ve ever looked at the stars and felt something bigger… this episode is for you.

Guest: Ryan Mitchell

Founder, Space Beyond and creator of the Ashes to Space Program

Website: https://ashestospace.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-nick-mitchell/