12/28/2025
I think it’s important to talk about something that rarely gets addressed in funeral service: burnout. Too often in this profession, there’s an unspoken expectation that funeral directors should work around the clock, sacrifice their personal lives, and run themselves into the ground. And somewhere along the way, some owners start to treat their employees like property instead of people.
I’ve been down that road before, and those experiences shaped me. They taught me exactly how I will never run a business and how people should be treated. An employee is not yours to mold into a minion. They have families, responsibilities, and a life outside the funeral home, and they deserve to have all of that protected.
I also think people often assume that being an owner means avoiding the tougher, hands-on jobs, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If a toilet needs cleaned, I’m the first one to grab the gloves. I come from a strong bloodline of people who work hard, take pride in what they do, and never shy away from getting their hands dirty. That work ethic is in my bones, but I’ll be honest… sometimes it makes it hard to turn it off. I’m getting better about that. Over time I’ve learned that leadership doesn’t mean doing everything yourself, but it absolutely does mean never asking someone to do something you wouldn’t do too.
I share a lot of videos and educational content here, and I often get criticized by other funeral professionals asking how I “find the time.” The truth is, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. I’ve just learned how to work smarter. We batch record our content, we plan ahead, and yes, we’re not afraid to invest in a marketing agency to help us. Too many funeral homes avoid hiring staff or spending anything on marketing because the goal is simply to line their own pockets. That is not who we are, and it is not how we operate.
Before I owned a funeral home, I worked through my entire pregnancy with Max, making removals, meeting families, embalming, directing services. I was five days away from giving birth when I worked my last graveside. I still remember one weekend on call when we got a death shortly after midnight. My coworker didn’t answer, so I called my backup and handled the transfer. I embalmed, cleaned the prep room, headed home, drew a bath at 3 AM… and before my toe even touched the water, the phone rang again. Another house call. Back to the funeral home. Another embalming. Another cleanup. I walked out at 7 AM with the birds chirping, exhausted.
Experiences like that taught me two things: reliability is everything in this profession, and so is proper staffing. No one should have to work like that, and it is certainly not something to brag about. Long, brutal shifts don’t make you a hero; they make you burned out. And burnout means you cannot serve families with the care, attention, and detail they deserve.
That is why we do things differently here. That is why we invest in our team. That is why we plan ahead and batch content so even on chaotic weeks, this page stays active without me scrambling.
Funeral service is sacred work. The people who do it deserve support. The families who trust us deserve a funeral director who is not running on fumes. And it is absolutely possible to have both.
