This week, it's great to welcome Lanae Strovers onto the podcast. Lanae serves as the trainer for the National Funeral Directors Association in the US, and delivers the NFDA arranger training suite of education opportunities. She's a first generation funeral director and strives to help families personalise services honouring their loved ones.

She was called to funeral service after the death of a close friend, whose cookie cutter funeral didn't tell his story. She knew there was a better way.

Lanae graduated from Des Moines Area Community College with honors in 2012, and served at Hamiltons Funeral Home for 15 years before joining Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home, where she currently is – both in the state of Iowa. During her time at Hamiltons, she initiated a program for unclaimed remains, gaining national attention.

Lanae is also known for her personalised touch for each family she serves. Turning the funeral home into a baseball field, a gaming room, or a classy runway show with a pianist. Lanae will do whatever she can to help make that service unique and special. Reflecting on who that person was in life. The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves.

For the start of our third season, we welcome John Adams from Perry & Phillips onto the podcast, one of the leading industry advisors of child bereavement. John is a fourth generation funeral director from Shropshire and a leading voice in the conversation around death, dying and bereavement in modern society. Past president of the National Association of Funeral Directors, John is also host of the widely recognised podcast Death: A Changing Industry and co-author of the book Don't Tell the Children.

Over the past four years, he's led a national campaign to introduce bereavement awareness into the school curriculum, taking the conversation from Parliament to international conferences in Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. Through his work, John advocates for a more open, compassionate society where grief is understood rather than avoided.

The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves.

As we continue our focus on emerging leaders in the funeral industry, this episode we welcome Emma Fruin on to the show, Director and Accountant at E.C. Alderwick & Son in Bristol. With over 23 years of hands on experience in the family business, Emma has played a key role in the growth, stability and long term success of Bristol funeral directors. Starting from the ground up, she's developed a deep understanding of every aspect, completing her diploma with the National Association of Funeral Directors in 2009 and qualifying as an accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 2014. As a member of the management, Emma, along with the team and directors, strive to maintain the core values and traditions that define the company's legacy. The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves.