Advertise on podcast: Rest Assured: The Funeral Profession Podcast

On the season finale of Rest Assured, Chris Grubbs from Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Homes in Independence, Kentucky, joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about Succession Planning. As part of the discussion, Justin and Chris reflect on legacy, generational turnover, the value of independence, celebrating longevity, delegation, and much more. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

On the latest episode of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by Jake Johnson, President & CEO of Johnson Consulting group. Justin and Jake have an in-depth discussion about funeral homes and recovering from a down year, including how to spot the early warning signs of a downturn, tips for recovery, and how to recognize the unique opportunities that can only come out of a down year. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

On this episode, Chris Miller from Thomas Miller Mortuary & Crematory in Corona, California, returns to the show for a conversation about media depictions of funeral directors. From movies to TV and beyond, Justin and Chris explore what the media gets right about the profession, where depictions become misleading, and how funeral directors can shape the narrative around their work. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

On the latest episode of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by OGR President Kim Hunter from Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles-Newbigging Chapel in Toronto, Canada. Kim and Justin discuss a variety of topics related to independent funeral service, including cremation trends, networking, working with high-notoriety clientele, the value of independence, and much more. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

On another new episode of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by Theresa Thielen from Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory in Dubuque, Iowa for a conversation about community involvement, professional development, and how funeral directors can position themselves as leaders in their community. Theresa also talks about her career in the funeral profession, what funeral directors can learn from customer service experts, and more. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

In the 2026 season premiere of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by Adam Guthrie from Huff-Guthrie Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Franklin, Pennsylvania. Adam and Justin talk about how funeral homes can organize community events and how events have changed Adam's strategy as a funeral home owner. The conversation also covers the value of networking and much more. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

In the season finale episode of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by Aiyanna Rivera from Pollock-Randall Funeral Home in Port Huron, Michigan. In a wide-ranging conversation, Aiyanna discusses the humanization of funeral service, working in a funeral home as a young professional, her passion for organ/tissue donation, and much more! Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Rest Assured, OGR Past President Chris Miller from Thomas Miller Mortuary & Crematory in Corona, CA, joins Justin for a deep dive into funeral home marketing. Justin and Chris discuss how marketing for funeral homes has changed, how to make your funeral home stand out, and the importance of engaging with your community both inside and out of the funeral home. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

On a special international episode of Rest Assured, Justin is joined by Bettina Jose, a licensed funeral director from Arlington Memorial Chapels & Crematory in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bettina talks about the next generation of funeral directors, the funeral culture in the Philippines, mental health in the funeral profession, and much more! Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of Rest Assured, Peter Urban, Jr. from Urban Funeral Home in Ambler, PA joins the show. Peter is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and his conversation with Justin covers his embalming experience, his passion for Future Leader development and much more! Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.