A little hello from me as I step into my 44th year!

Before the next instalment of Dying for a Cuppa® officially begins next week, I wanted to sit down, reconnect and share a few thoughts, reflections and little birthday ramblings with you.

No guest, no big topic, just me and a moment to pause before we begin the next chapter.

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for continuing these important conversations with me.

The first full episode lands Monday 13th, and I can’t wait to share what’s coming! (Sorry folks, new episode will be now 20th July!!)

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

This is the episode we didn’t know we needed… but I’m so glad we’ve got it. This is a great way to end this series.

Let me introduce you to Mathew Crawley, Chief Executive of the ICCM (Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management), a role that carries huge responsibility across the UK, and one Mat brings to life with real depth, honesty and character.

This conversation goes far beyond what I expected We explore everything from talking about death and dying, bereavement leave, and the realities of working in this world, to the wider impact these conversations have on all of us as humans.

There are moments in this chat I didn’t see coming, topics I didn’t plan for, and reflections that genuinely stayed with me. It’s open, it’s real, and it’s incredibly thought-provoking.

I’m also deeply grateful to Mat for sharing his own personal experience following the death of his father last year, bringing a level of honesty and humanity that makes this episode something really special.

If you’ve been following Series 3, this is a powerful note to end on.

https://www.iccm-uk.com/iccm/

Mat has spent more than three decades working in bereavement services, dedicating his career to supporting people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. He began his journey as a funeral director, gaining first-hand experience of the care and empathy required to guide families through loss. Over the years, Mathew has worked across many areas of service provision, developing a deep understanding of the sector and the people it serves.

In 2025, Mathew became Chief Executive of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), where he now leads the organisation with the same commitment and energy that has shaped his career. His work is driven by a genuine passion to improve the services that bereaved people rely on, always seeking ways to ensure they are delivered with compassion and are truly individual to those accessing them.

Mathew describes his career as colourful, shaped by a wide range of experiences and the many remarkable people he has encountered along the way. Throughout it all, he has held firmly to a belief that humour, compassion and honesty are powerful vehicles for better developing our understanding of grief and those navigating their own bereavement path. These values continue to guide his leadership and inspire his work to strengthen and advance bereavement services for the future.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

Mohamed Omer MBE joins us for the last episode of the series and what a way to finish! Dying for a Cuppa series 3 has been such a joy and a privilege.

This episode is quite frankly AMAZING. Mohamed shares insights into his faith and the Muslim rituals and reasons around death and funeral practices, he speaks with heart about humanity, community and spirituality and I could listen to him all day. Not only will you learn but you will feel uplifted, inspired and full of hope.

This is not just about faith, it is about education, connecting and all doing better, collectively, as a human race when it comes to death, dying and end of life support.

This feels like a perfect message to end on for the world and I hope it fills you with as much love as it did us in this moment.

Mohamed is an absolute LEGEND in this end of life world and I love him both personally and professionally. He is currently involved with various organisations, including being the governments go to when it comes to supporting the Muslim faith and end of life services as well as...

Chair – National Burial Council (an umbrella body for the Muslim Community dealing with burials and Deaths)

Board member – External Affairs, Gardens of Peace Muslim Cemetery, based in Hainault Essex. This is the largest dedicated Muslim Cemetery in the United Kingdom.

Director of Muslim Bereavement Support Service

Member of the Burial Cremation Advisory Group at the Ministry of Justice representing the Muslim Community

Board Member of ICCM (Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Managers)

He is a trustee of The Big Issue Invest – an organisation funding Social

Enterprises that are not able to obtain funding from banks.

Mohamed has been actively involved with community work in East London for the last 15 years.

He has been the governor of Oaks Park High School in Ilford for the last 25 years and a chair for the last 4 years. Oaks Park is a community school and the only PFI school in the borough of Redbridge.

Appointed as a trustee of Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford inAugust 2016.

Chair of the Redbridge Faith Forum

Thank you so much for all the support, the messages, the shares, the quiet listens, and the brave conversations that have come from this series. It honestly means more than you know.

If these episodes have resonated with you, please do keep sharing, liking, reviewing and telling people about the podcast. That’s how these conversations grow. That’s how we keep normalising talking about death, dying and grief.

And if you’d like to go a little deeper, my book 'A Gift' is available now on Amazon — part funeral plan, part life story, part love letter. It’s there to help you reflect, record and share what matters most. https://amzn.eu/d/01SSVq84

Thank you for being here. Truly.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

Did you know you can make your own coffin? Or make someone else's? Sophia is a willow coffin maker and founder of Woven Farewell Coffins and can help.

Sophia shares her path into coffin making, and what began as a conversation about willow, craftsmanship and the skill behind creating a coffin quickly unfolded into something much deeper.

Of course, we talk about the art and care that goes into weaving a coffin by hand — the time, the intention, the meaning. But we also travel much further. Sophia speaks openly about her own significant losses, each very different, each shaping her understanding of death in unique ways.

Together we explore sudden death, spirituality, ritual, cultural perspectives, and why the way we say goodbye really matters.

This felt less like an interview and more like two like-minded souls sitting down for a proper chat. Sophia brings such a calm, grounded energy and you can feel that the same care and intention is literally woven (pun intended) into her award-winning work.

This is a conversation where you’ll learn something practical about coffins, yes, but you’ll also come away with a deeper sense of connection to the wider world of death, dying and remembrance.

Pop the kettle on for this one. It’s thoughtful, warm and full of heart.

https://www.wovenfarewell.co.uk/

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

This week on Dying for a Cuppa, I’m joined by the brilliant Dr Carol McLeod, and she’s the final member of our LadBible roundtable crew!

Carol is a forensic scientist, and hand on heart, I think she may have one of the most fascinating, and also one of the hardest, jobs of anyone I’ve spoken to. I first met her during the LadBible roundtable when she spoke about her involvement in the investigation of the murder of Angelika Kluk by serial killer Peter Tobin. Listening to her then, I was completely gripped.

In this episode, Carol gives us a detailed insight into her work as a forensic scientist and what happens behind the scenes in cases of violent crime. It’s a world most of us only ever glimpse through headlines, and hearing about it from someone who has actually stood in those spaces is incredibly powerful.

Please let me be clear and you be warned: this episode contains references to sexual crimes, violent crimes and traumatic deaths.

And then, in a deeply moving turn, Carol very bravely shares something personal, the loss of her own husband to a brain tumour just two and a half years ago. To hear someone who has spent a career working alongside death speak about her own grief with such honesty and openness is truly something.

I cannot thank Carol enough for her courage, her transparency and her humanity. The fact that she does the work she does and remains such a warm, grounded and compassionate person says so much about who she is.

I’m so grateful to her for trusting me with this conversation. And I’m so grateful to you for listening, because I have a feeling this may be one of the most powerful and impactful episodes yet.

Go gently with this one. And as always, I’d really love to hear your thoughts.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

He's back! John Adams, friend, colleague, fellow board member, funeral director, past president of the NAFD, ambassador, advocate and all round expert and decent human, joined us last series to share his personal story of the loss of his Mum Maria when he was just 12 years old.

This time he's back to share more about his work with funerals, changing the national curriculum and general world domination. Literally.

John is taking his plans and vision in bereavement education in schools across the world, and has already been to Australia and is off to New Zealand next too.

We talk about all this and SO MUCH MORE. John and I can talk for England, especially about the things we are passionate about and this talk was no exception.

We covered the importance of ritual, the changing faces of funerals, talking to children about death and dying (in and out of schools) direct cremations, grief and playgrounds in funeral directors, yes it's a thing!

We talk openly and honesty, as always so please go gently. John shares some powerful real life experiences as a funeral director and caring for the dying but everything we share is done with so much love. heart and passion for what we do.

Please let us know your thoughts and please do share - there is so much information here that everyone should know.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

This week on Dying for a Cuppa, I’m joined by the absolute LEGEND that is Martin Jeffrey. Martin has over 34 years’ experience in embalming, post-mortem reconstruction, and mortuary operations. Known for his technical expertise and commitment to education, he has played a key role in developing embalmers across the UK and internationally.

Martin and I first met during our LadBible roundtable back in 2024 and I remember being completely in awe, not just of his talent and skill, but of what a genuinely lovely human he is.

Embalming and Reconstruction don’t get talked about enough. Embalming is both a science and an art, a deeply skilled process focused on the preservation and care of someone who has died. Here, I take full advantage of Martin’s expertise and ask all the questions people often think but don’t always say out loud.

Reconstruction is the careful, skilled restoration of someone’s physical body after they may have experienced violence or trauma before their death.

⚠️ A clear heads-up - this conversation is graphic at times and won’t be for everyone ⚠️

BUT it is also deeply fascinating and extraordinary - the level of skill, care and dedication involved, and to know there are people like Martin who can bring dignity and peace back to families after the most awful circumstances.

We speak very openly and very honestly about the embalming process too - why it’s done, what it involves, what can happen, and what it actually looks like. Martin shares not only his professional knowledge but also some of his personal experiences.

This is a real, raw conversation. Fascinating, intriguing, and incredibly informative. My hope is that it helps answer the questions you might have, gives you a clearer understanding of what embalming and reconstruction involves, and perhaps invites you to consider your own thoughts and feelings around it.

I loved this conversation. I’m so grateful to Martin for his openness and generosity.

Go gently with this one, grab a cuppa, and as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts ☕️🎙️❤️

https://youtu.be/Ff5bs4D-26I?si=5UVjPtm66Wf-H_1J

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Martin Jeffrey MBIE Dip FD

Funeral Service Professional | Embalming & Post-Mortem Reconstruction Specialist | Mortuary Operations Manager

Chair – British Institute of Embalmers, Scottish Division (2025–2026)

He has trained extensively in the US and Europe, including over 100 hours at the Fountain National Academy of Professional Embalming Skills, alongside study at the University of Puerto Rico, PMR Malmö, and the London Medical Education Academy.

Martin co-developed and led the UK and Europe’s first Post-Mortem Reconstruction Course at the University of Edinburgh and now serves as Course Lead at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine, delivering advanced reconstruction and restorative art training.

As Chair of the British Institute of Embalmers, Scottish Division, he leads on education, workshops, and professional development, while mentoring practitioners across the field. He is also a contributing author to Sudden Death: Intervention Skills for the Emergency Services (2020) and holds a Level 3 Award in Education and Training.

Driven by compassion, precision, and professionalism, Martin’s work champions dignity in death and continues to raise standards across the global embalming community.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.

I’m so excited for you to listen to this week’s Dying for a Cuppa with the brilliantly gorgeous, social media star, Mikey the Death Doula.

https://www.healingheartshouse.com/

Mikey is a fellow end-of-life companion and professional, just like me, but based across the pond in Pennsylvania, USA. We connected through social media, and I’ve loved watching how Mikey shows up online, sharing the very human, very normal realities of death and dying, exactly what I aim to do too.

Chatting with Mikey was such a joy. We share the same energy, the same ethos, and we’re working towards the same goal: helping people feel more informed, more comfortable, and more open when it comes to death and dying. On a personal level, this conversation really helped us both feel seen and heard — knowing there are others out there doing this work, in their own corners of the world.

This is a beautiful, warm and honest conversation, with real insight into how end-of-life care looks in different countries. It’s also your heartfelt heads-up that we speak very openly about the deaths we witness and the work we do. We touch on emotive topics including assisted dying, and we talk candidly about healthcare systems, and yes, how flawed they can be.

So pop the kettle on, grab a big slice of cake for this one, and settle in. And please do let us know your thoughts — I’d love to hear where you’re listening from and your own experiences of end-of-life care.

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.