Heard of the term ‘Death Care Professional’? I hadn’t until I met Emma Jane Holmes. Emma has been working in Funeral Homes for the past several years and has taken an unorthodox approach to sharing her experiences in a jovial way with the general public.

Heels & Hearses is a blog that Emma started in early 2016 which documented her experiences working in the Funeral industry. Emma knew about a lot of the stigma and wanted to break the perceptions people had not only about the Funeral business but more about death itself.

We all fear death in one way or another and it has always been viewed as a tragic end to someone’s life. Fortunately we all have to experience it and with that awareness, Emma is showing people that the end of life should be a celebration where possible of that person’s life and allow their memory to remain with those who are still here to share their stories.

It’s a given that we have all known someone near to us that has passed on. Our experiences with this are all different and as such as we view death in a multitude of ways. Yes, this quite an entertaining chat and Emma is certainly one of a kind with her approach but I hope that you all gain a slightly tweaked perspective on a necessary part of existence. We are all going to die at some point but the knowledge of our existence and our mortality should hopefully fuel us all to life meaningful and fulfilling lives.

2021 update – Emma’s new book “One Last Dance” is out 3 March 2021 via Harper Collins Australia. Grab your copy HERE.

Show notes

Article – Heels and hearses: Australia’s most outrageous mortician (News.com.au)
Slightly related but I love this concept – Recompose – Gently Converting Human Remains Into Soil