Rest Assured: The Funeral Profession Podcast

Rest Assured: Evan J. Strong

In the latest episode of Rest Assured, OGR Past President Evan J. Strong from Evan J. Strong Funeral Services in Calgary, Alberta joins the show to talk about all things independent funeral service. Evan and Justin discuss the value of staying independent, the latest trends they are noticing in the profession, Evan's cremation services, and much more! Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Rest Assured: Jamie Wieting Part 2

In part 2 of our conversation with Jamie Wieting, Justin and Jamie discuss the question of whether "To Crematory or Not to Crematory?" They dive into Jamie's experience of offering cremations in her funeral home and share their opinions on the opportunities and costs associated with making that investment. 

Rest Assured: Jamie Wieting Part 1

In the first episode of the 2025 season of Rest Assured, host Justin Zabor sits down with Jamie Wieting, President of the International Order of the Golden Rule and a licensed funeral director at Wieting Family Funeral Home in Chilton, WI. Jamie discusses her career, how she got her start in funeral service, the growing number of female funeral directors, and much more!

The Changing Consumer: Wally Hooker

Wally Hooker, President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association, discusses the roots of his passion for embalming, his greatest challenges when working with families and how he's overcome those challenges, his advice for other funeral directors and those young professionals just getting out of mortuary school, as well as his take on the changes we've recently seen in the profession and how we can best move forward post COVID-19. We enjoyed getting to know such an influential and accomplished funeral director who has enjoyed an illustrious career in numerous leadership roles. 

The Changing Consumer: Larnique Mickens

Larnique will talk about as an Air Force Veteran how she moved to the funeral profession, and how she uses Tik Tok and Facebook (1500 followers) to promote her business and engage and educate the community about funerals.

The Changing Consumer: Lisel Mindregbo Mertes

In the spirit of The Changing Consumer, Liesel focuses on discussing ways to combat both “compassion fatigue” and “change fatigue” in our profession. Entering the 2020s with all the change we’ve experienced globally, both big and small, how do we ensure our employees aren’t overwhelmed by it all? Liesel also discusses the nuances of working with families in grief and how we can practice a more empathetic approach to our interactions with them. Her encouragement in lifelong relationship building, highlighting her own philosophy and approach, is an inspiring message to all of us, particularly in the funeral profession.

The Changing Consumer: Justin Zabor

As we continue our conversation about The Changing Consumer, we enjoy a discussion with Justin Zabor thinking “out of the box” regarding ways our profession can better serve families. Justin will talk about the modern cremation consumer, how he integrated catering into his business, and other exciting innovations. We learn about his softer approach when working with families to honor their loved ones, believing the little things make a big difference. As Zig Ziggler put it, “they don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Justin highlights his approach to showing families how much he cares and moving the profession forward with that mindset.

The Changing Consumer: Barbara Kemmis

In this week’s OGR podcast, we’ll talk with Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America. Barbara will delve into the latest insights and trends in the world of cremation. She’ll share the results of CANA’s recent survey that addresses both human and pet cremations and cremation merchandising. So, whether you're a funeral director, a crematory operator, or simply someone interested in learning more about cremation, tune in for an informative and engaging conversation.

The Changing Consumer: Wendy King

As consumer preferences and needs change, so do the demands placed on funeral homes. Add to that an increased challenge to hire and retain staff and you have a recipe for burnout. Wendy King, Executive Director of the Order of the Golden Rule, shares why it is more important than ever for funeral professionals to take time to learn, grow and connect with others in their field. 

What‘s Your Edge: Jim Rudolph

Being raised in a home “that was Army-Army-Army everything” built a strong foundation of respect within Jim Rudolph for veterans and the service they give their country. He used that knowledge and calling to establish the nation’s first veteran-specific funeral home, Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, Florida. Later, he expanded their mission, launching the Veterans Funeral Care Provider Network, a group of more than 160 funeral homes across 34 states dedicated to putting in the work to properly serve those who served us.