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A Special Anniversary Celebration for Funeral Women Lead
In just one year, Funeral Women Lead has become a powerful community for women across deathcare who are ready to learn, lead, support one another, and change what’s possible in this profession. Now, it’s time to celebrate our supporters, our partners, and our shared success together.
Join our founder, staff, board and valued community members on March 19, 3:15PM MT for a special 45-minute virtual anniversary celebration where we will:
- Highlight key milestones from our first year, including our inaugural Wellness Summit and the launch of the Women’s Leadership Academy
- Share how our growing community and our new 501(c)(3) status positions us to expand scholarships, partnerships, and impact
- Preview what’s ahead for Year 2 of the Women’s Leadership Academy, our Wellness Summit, and the broader Funeral Women Lead mission
- Be the first to hear a major announcement about the year to come
Click here to join the Anniversary event:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/khEkIazATReYRb9fkbFG0A
We are excited to celebrate this first chapter and help shape what’s ahead for women in deathcare.
As Funeral Women Lead celebrates its first anniversary, we reflect on a powerful truth: when women in funeral service come together with purpose, the profession changes for the better.
In just one year, we have grown from vision to movement, building community, creating space for honest conversation, and investing intentionally in leadership development.
Two milestones defined this inaugural year: the launch of our first-ever Wellness Summit and the kickoff of the yearlong Women’s Leadership Academy. Together, they represent the heart of our mission: to unleash greatness in the women of the funeral and deathcare professions.
The First-Ever Wellness Summit: Caring for the Caregiver
The Wellness Summit affirmed a foundational belief of Funeral Women Lead, that care does not end with the families we serve. It begins with us. Every day, women across our industry hold space for grief, manage complex logistics, and lead with steady compassion during life’s most difficult moments.
But this year, we asked an important question: Who is caring for the caregiver?
Our inaugural Wellness Summit created intentional space for women in funeral and deathcare to focus on their own well-being be it mentally, emotionally, physically, and professionally. A full room of 64 participants, it was more than an event, it was a statement that wellness is not optional in our profession; it is essential.
The discussions focused on essential topics:
- Building sustainable careers and preventing burnout
- Effectively navigating the emotional burden of continual grief exposure
- Establishing essential boundaries while sustaining compassion
- Cultivating resilience to lead effectively in high-demand settings
The resulting atmosphere was transformational, characterized by raw honesty, vulnerability, and collective relief. Participants found solidarity in sharing experiences that often remain unspoken within the profession.
The Summit featured sessions led by nationally respected speakers Cate Collins, Dr. Susan Wilder, and Marguerite Ham, who guided participants through interactive learning focused on resilience, emotional health, high-performance sustainability, and burnout prevention.
Participants departed with valuable, practical resources and, just as crucially, with permission: the permission to prioritize their health, redefine their concept of strength, and lead from a place of replenishment, not depletion.
This Wellness Summit strongly reinforced a fundamental belief of Funeral Women Lead: the act of care must not stop with the families we serve, it must begin with us.
The Women’s Leadership Academy: Developing Bold Leaders
If the Wellness Summit centered on restoration, the Women’s Leadership Academy launched leadership acceleration. Women came together to meet one another and begin a yearlong journey together.
This launch was a pivotal moment in advancing women’s leadership within funeral service. A cohort of 16 ambitious, service-driven professionals participated, representing diverse roles and career stages across the funeral service and deathcare profession.They engaged with full intention and presence, committed to refining their skills, expanding their impact, and supporting each other as they embraced their potential.
Led by Academy Dean Kristen Ernst, MA, LPC, the Women’s Leadership Academy is a comprehensive 12-month professional development program. It is specifically designed to empower women in the historically male-dominated funeral service profession by equipping them with essential skills, confidence, and a supportive community.
Participants engage in focused development through a structured curriculum, peer connection, and expert guidance. Key areas of study include strategic leadership, powerful communication, emotional resilience, culture-building, and effectively navigating the unique challenges women encounter in this field.
The Academy is dedicated to cultivating a new generation of leaders who are confident and decisive, strategic and forward-thinking, skilled communicators, culture-shapers within their firms and communities, and champions for both innovation and inclusion.
What made the kickoff especially meaningful was the shared recognition that leadership is not about title, it is about impact.
The Women’s Leadership Academy is not simply professional development. It is an investment in the future of our profession. We could not have done it without our Leadership Academy partner, who stepped up to support this career-changing program, National Guardian Life.
A Mission in Motion
These two milestones reflect something larger than successful programming. They represent cultural momentum.
In one year, Funeral Women Lead has:
- Created spaces where women can gather, grow, and be seen
- Elevated conversations around wellness and sustainability
- Built structured pathways for leadership advancement
- Strengthened a national community committed to lifting one another
We did all of this with the help and support of our founding partners, Batesville, Johnson Consulting Group, Precoa, Tribute Technology, Carriage Services, ASD Answering Service and National Guardian Life. In addition, we appreciate our various event sponsors, Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions, Tukios, Security National Life Insurance Company, Homesteaders, C&J Financial, Next Gen Legacy, Johnson Consulting Group, Foresight Companies, Homesteaders, Global Atlantic and Kelco.
From vision to voice, this first year has proven what happens when women stand for women. We collaborate. We invest. We build.
Looking Ahead
Year One laid the foundation. Year Two expands the vision.
We celebrate every member, attendee, speaker, partner, and supporter who helped make this year possible. You are the momentum behind this mission.
Here’s to the journey ahead as we continue to unleash greatness together.