Katie Costello - Soul Midwife and Funeral Celebrant

17/11/2025

FINAL EPISODE OF DYING FOR A CUPPA®️THE PODCAST - SERIES 2 - IS OUT NOW 🎙️❤️

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a funeral directors? Have you ever thought to ask what care your person receives after the funeral directors collects them? Do you understand the natural processes of the body after someone dies?

Here I discuss all that AND MUCH MORE with the brilliant Judith Dandy from Dandelion Farewells Funeral Directors in Wisborough Green, West Sussex. At the heart of their business is an unhurried approach, listening to what is important to YOU, and a willingness to openly share with you a wealth of knowledge and understanding, allowing you to make the choices that feel right to you.

A modern business, they provide a sensitive, personalised approach to funeral and after death care, mindful of the many choices that are available and guiding you through the important decisions that need to be made.

You will see and feel all this in Judith’s sharing here. As always, please be mindful we talk very openly about death and in this case, physical bodies that have died. Not in a gruesome way, but in a real and supportive way to offer information and support understanding.

I think you will be surprised how you feel after listening and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.

That is me done now for a break for Christmas. But panic not, I’ll be back in late January with SERIES 3 with more honesty, more information, more heartfelt stories and more perspectives to share🎙️ ☕️ ❤️

https://dandelionfarewells.com/
https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/

16/11/2025

What a BRILLIANT panel to be a part of this afternoon in the - a whole weekend of all things death and dying. What better way to spend a weekend! 🤩 So much learning, connection and understanding, huge HUGE thank you for creating such a great panel Jo and team, for the Death Doula chat today. I absolutely loved it 🙏🏼 with

14/11/2025

Ohh great opportunity if you have an hour to spare tomorrow! What better way than to spend it chatting to a funeral director, having a cuppa and a nosey behind the scenes with a chance to ask those random questions you might not know who to ask?! I had a BRILLIANT day at Dandelion Farewells last open day so really hope you’ll all pop by if you can 🙏🏼💚

Be curious! Come along and see our extended premises, ask any questions, share your ideas.
As a local funeral director our connections in the community really mean a lot to us ~ come and say hello! This Saturday (15th) 10am-1pm

14/11/2025

Lifting The Lid Festival of Death and Dying starts today!! So excited! See you at 12.30 folks 🤩

12/11/2025

There are so many myths about death, dying, and funerals and so many things we simply don’t know. These six things below are just some of the topics I often cover but that I have also covered in the last few days alone, and it’s only Wednesday!

🫶🏼 You can keep someone at home after they’ve died.
If a person dies at home, you don’t have to rush to call a funeral director. You can take your time, sit with them, wash or dress them if you wish, and say goodbye in your own way.

⚰️ You don’t have to use a coffin - a shroud is absolutely legal too and often more eco friendly. If you do want a coffin, it can be made from all sorts; cardboard, willow, wool, bamboo, or reclaimed wood.

🥂 You don’t have to have a traditional, formal funeral.
Some people choose a direct cremation, a home farewell, or a quiet moment with loved ones instead. There’s no law saying you must have a service. But it’s worth thinking about that fact that ritual and ceremony are very important to our grief.

🎩 You don’t have to use a funeral director. Families can handle everything themselves - from paperwork to transport - though many choose to have professional support. And also in the UK, we often have to wait weeks so another reason a Funeral Director can be helpful.

🌳 You can be buried in your back garden/private land. With the land owners permission, it’s absolutely possible.

🕉️ You can mix faith, culture, and creativity. Saying goodbye can look and feel however you want. You can have a blend of traditions, rituals, faith, food, laughter, and music if you wanted. You could have a priest and a Celebrant if that’s appropriate for your person.

The more we understand, the more choice we have and the more personal, fitting, respectful and appropriate our goodbyes can be ❤️

12/11/2025

Very honest and to the point share incoming…

We talk a lot in life about boundaries, about consent, about the power of saying no — and we hope that when we say no, people will respect that. They should respect that.

But I want to highlight something we often forget - even in death, people still have boundaries.

When someone who is dying says “no”, whether that’s no to treatment, no to medicine, no to care, no to talking, no to different ideas, we often feel this urge to push. To persuade. To override. Because we think it’s wrong, or because we think we know best. And maybe what you’re thinking would genuinely help.

But under the Mental Capacity Act, every person has ‘the right to make an unwise decision’. Saying no doesn’t mean they’re confused, stubborn, or wrong. It means they’re choosing for themselves.

You don’t have to understand it.
You don’t have to like it.
You just have to try and accept it.

I know this is so incredibly hard when the person we are caring for is someone we love or are emotionally connected too.

And I say this because I’ve seen it recently. I’ve been supporting someone who feels that the people around them just aren’t listening. Their boundaries are constantly being pushed. It’s adding to the already emotional process of dying, piling on more weight, more expectations, more things they feel they have to manage.

They’ve started making decisions just to please other people. We do this so often in life and it’s not ok. It’s even more heartbreaking in death.

This is not the way we should be living, and it’s not the way we should be dying.

So this is a gentle plea, human to human - When someone is dying, please remember, they are still a person with values, needs, and boundaries. Respect their choices. Listen. Hear them. And if you can’t hold that space, reach out for help from someone who maybe can.

Because walking alongside someone at the end of life isn’t about control, it’s about compassion, presence, and letting them lead the way ❤️

10/11/2025

DYING FOR A CUPPA®️ THE PODCAST - Episode 13 is live now on Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Podcasts — and it’s the penultimate episode of Series 2 🎙️❤️

We’ve all heard the saying that hearing is the ‘last sense to go’ as we die. We talk about how even as someone is dying, they can still hear our words, our laughter, our love. But what does that really mean? In this episode, I explore the science, the soul, and the stories behind sound at the end of life - how words, vibration, and energy shape those final moments.

Whether it’s reading the football results or whispering something you’ve always wanted to say, this one asks us to think about what’s truly being heard, and felt, as life fades.

As always, I speak honestly and from the heart, so please listen gently as it may stir up memories and emotions.

I have absolutely LOVED this season of both short, soulful episodes and the incredible, honest, real guest stories, and with just one episode left before a Christmas break, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The final episode of this series is coming next Monday and it is as real about death as you can get, I cant wait for you to hear it!

09/11/2025

Found this in my saved audio so it had to be done 😂 It’s so fitting 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 How many folks feel when I talk I’m sure 😂

09/11/2025

Lest we forget ❤️

06/11/2025

So honoured to be part of this panel during the Lifting The Lid Festival of Death and Dying with whiteballoonfuneralhub! I have so blessed to be a part of 2 incredible groups this year and I am so excited! Have you got your ticket?! Link is below.

In recent years, the landscape of funerals and how we say goodbye has changed significantly. Alongside traditional funerals, ceremonies are being reimagined and a wider range of options has emerged to reflect the diverse beliefs, values and wishes of individuals and families. From unique celebrations of life and living funerals to natural burials and direct cremation, the rituals and ceremonies surrounding death continue to evolve. But with choice, which is a positive thing, there can also be overwhelm. The most important thing is clarity, so that everyone can make informed choices that feel right for them and those they love. In this session, based on a discussion panel, we will hear from experts in their fields, John Adams, Katie Costello, Holly Lyon-Hawk, Jess May and Dr Bill Webster, to help shine a light on the changes that have taken place, the choices that are available, and the possible landscape of the future.

is a free online resource for life’s end, to help and empower people to make choices that feel right for them and those they love, whether they are organising a funeral or celebration of life, commemorating a loved one, or planning ahead. It is a gentle space that people can turn to for information, ideas and inspiration, and to find trusted businesses and organisations that can help every step of the way.

Join us online for 72 hours of conversations, workshops, art, and connection as we continue to open up vital, life-affirming dialogues about death and dying.
14 - 16 November 2025.

Tickets (various affordable options) and full schedule with international time zones available now at https://buytickets.at/liftingthelid/1853754