In this episode of Death Care Collective, Keith Page sits down with Kim Eazell, a cemetery professional at El Toro Memorial Park, to uncover the realities behind burial planning, grief, and the day-to-day work of serving families after loss.

Kim shares her unexpected journey into the death care industry, her early fascination with cemeteries, and how that passion evolved into a career centered on compassion and service. From navigating family dynamics and next-of-kin decisions to helping people find peace in the middle of grief, her perspective offers both practical insight and emotional depth.

This conversation also explores the lesser-known world of cemetery culture, including the community of “graving,” and how engaging with death can actually reshape how we live.

You’ll learn:

• What families often misunderstand about burial and cemetery processes
• How grief shows up in real, everyday moments
• Why compassion matters more than credentials in death care
• The importance of planning and communicating end-of-life wishes
• How proximity to death can change your perspective on life

At its core, this episode is about presence—showing up for others, holding space for grief, and honoring the stories that continue long after someone is gone.

After losing her husband unexpectedly at age 31 while raising a two-year-old daughter, Rachel’s life changed in an instant. What followed became not only a personal journey through loss, but the foundation for decades of work helping others navigate grief in practical and compassionate ways.

Rachel is the author of several books on grief and loss including Living with Loss: One Day at a Time and Finding Peace, One Piece at a Time. Through speaking, writing, and consulting, she helps individuals, families, and workplaces navigate the emotional and practical realities of loss.

In this episode, Rachel shares how her experience shaped her work supporting grieving families and organizations. Keith and Rachel explore how grief affects the workplace, why loss isn’t something that simply ends with time, and how honoring loved ones can become part of rebuilding life.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Rachel’s story of sudden loss and becoming a young widow • Why untimely death affects a household differently • How workplaces can better support grieving employees • The role of peer support alongside professional support • The difference between “grieving” and “living with loss” • How families can navigate a loved one’s belongings with peace

If Rachel’s message resonates with you, explore more of her work, books, and resources here:

Rachel Kodanaz — Books & Resources https://www.rachelkodanaz.com/more-info

Jeff reflects on how a chance introduction in the mid-1980s led him into the funeral profession and ultimately into a lifelong vocation caring for families in their most difficult moments. Over the course of his career, Jeff participated in every aspect of funeral service—from making transfers and embalming to meeting with families and helping lead one of Southern California’s most respected mortuaries.

Together they explore:

• Jeff’s early apprenticeship and first experiences with death care

• The emotional realities of embalming and preparing the deceased

• How funeral rituals help families process grief

• The cultural shift away from traditional funerals

• The growing importance of personalized memorials and funeral celebrants

• Lessons learned from working with thousands of grieving families

Jeff also shares how his own cancer diagnosis reshaped his perspective on death and why he believes society must rediscover the value of ceremony, remembrance, and honest conversations about grief.

This episode offers a thoughtful look at the human side of funeral service and the professionals who help families navigate loss.

With nearly 30 years in the profession — beginning as a funeral director and location manager in Denver — Shannon brings both operational insight and frontline empathy to her leadership role. In this conversation, she shares how hands-on experience continues to shape how she supports associates, enhances the family experience, and helps ensure services remain meaningful and relevant.

The episode explores:

• How Shannon found her way into that industry as a junior in high school.
• Why cremation trends are surpassing traditional burial numbers.
• Why more and more families are keeping urns in the home with no plan on what to do with them.
• New options being developed through what's called 'cremation memorialization.'
• What a witness cremation is and how they're made to be personal and meaningful for families.
• What a living funeral is and how they are being made more normalized these days.
• The things she wished more families understood before making a decision about burial or cremation.

This conversation offers valuable perspective for funeral directors, cemetery operators, and death-care leaders seeking to create experiences that are responsive, compassionate, and aligned with modern customer needs.

To learn more about SCI and Dignity Memorial, visit:

www.dignitymemorial.com

As cultural attitudes toward death shift, cemeteries have moved from central community spaces to quieter, less visible places. This episode explores how that shift affects grieving families and what it means for funeral directors, cemetery operators, and end-of-life professionals.

Topics include death denial, cultural avoidance of grief, personalized memorialization, and how the death care industry can help shape healthier, more intentional conversations around loss.

Death Care Collective features candid, peer-to-peer discussions advancing the profession with honesty, compassion, and lived experience.

Drawing from nearly two decades of shared history, Keith and Ian reflect on entering hospice and spiritual care at a young age, the personal formation that comes from walking alongside loss, and the ways faith, friendship, and leadership evolve when shaped by real proximity to death.

Their conversation moves beyond job titles and industry language, touching on vocation, mentorship, distance and connection, and the responsibility of serving individuals, families, and organizations during life’s most vulnerable transitions.

This episode is a thoughtful exploration of death care not as an industry alone, but as a lifelong practice of presence, compassion, and purpose.

Neil shares his unconventional path into death care — from hospitality and military service to the mortuary — and reflects on growing up in a multi-generational funeral family without ever feeling obligated to take over the business. Instead, his calling unfolded through service, life circumstance, and a defining question: What if I look back in 20 years and never tried?

This episode explores death denial culture, mental health and suicide awareness, the role of celebrants in meaningful funeral services, and why honoring a life should never be reduced to scripts or expectations. Keith and Neil also discuss career reinvention, leadership in death care, and the importance of creating dignity, intention, and connection in moments of loss.

Episode One sets the foundation for Death Care Collective — thoughtful, peer-to-peer conversations that respect the weight of death care while advancing the profession with honesty, compassion, and lived experience.