Episode Details

Behind the Scenes of Funeral Directing with Tasha Dugan and Amanda Kyle of Laurel Hill Cemetery

Episode 159 Published 5 months ago

Description

Host Jill McClennen, a death doula, end-of-life care planner, and funeral celebrant, interviews Laurel Hill Funeral Directors Tasha Dugan and Amanda Kyle about what funeral directing looks like behind the scenes. They discuss embalming and body preparation, service planning, costs, flowers, paperwork, and supporting families from the first call through the funeral.

Amanda shares her path from animal rights work and veterinary care to funeral service, and Tasha describes moving from insurance and autopsy work into full-time funeral directing. They explore why ritual and personalization matter in grief, how death doulas and funeral directors can work together, and how doulas can help families communicate needs during arrangements.

The conversation also covers weather challenges for burials, hand-dug green burials, pet funerals at Laurel Hill’s pet cemetery, aquamation legislation in Pennsylvania, and how media stories about cremation increase requests for witnessed cremations.

00:00 Doula Trust Story

00:15 Show Intro and Guests

01:59 Amanda’s Path to Death Care

03:20 Tasha’s Funeral Director Journey

06:11 What Funeral Directors Do

10:29 Death Doulas vs Funeral Directors

14:22 Personalization and Embalming Value

15:46 How Doulas Help Arrangements

23:56 Weather and Winter Burials

26:14 Weather Delays Services

27:17 Hand Dug Green Burials

27:59 Pet Cemetery Stories