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.

After working as an actor, Oliver Towner made a sharp career pivot in 2021 when he took over the family business – a funeral directors established in 1875 by cabinet maker Frederick Edward Towner.

Guided by strong family values and a commitment to building a sustainable future, Oliver here shares his vision for the next era of funeral care and his philosophy on leadership. He also plays an active role in SAIF, with a particular focus on developing the profession’s pathway to net zero.

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

Continuing our focus on the next generation of industry leaders, in this episode we welcome Daniel Devall to the podcast, Managing Director of Devall & Son Family Funeral Directors in Nuneaton.

In 2006, Daniel followed in his parents' footsteps and began the third generation of Devalls to join the funeral industry. By the age of 18, he was arranging and conducting funerals and went on to complete his NAFD diploma in funeral directing in 2011.

Daniel became Managing Director of the family business in 2018, and he hasn't looked back since as he set about building on the foundations already laid.

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

In this episode of The View, we're joined by Ross Hickton, Managing Director of Hickton Family Funeral Directors.

Ross has always been a prominent member of SAIF, and it was a significant milestone recently when he took over the reins as National SAIF President from Declan Maguire. As he said himself, Ross wasn't even born when the organisation was created, so in this episode we'll hear how the youngest leader of SAIF to-date sees the future and the way to tackle it.

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

In this episode of The View, we welcome onto the podcast Emily Houghton, Director of Operations at Rosedale Funeral Home in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Emily started working in the funeral profession at the age of 19 in London, and has now been in the industry for over 20 years. She has held various positions throughout her career, from funeral arranger to funeral director, to working as an area manager. She says she has been lucky enough to be able to experience first-hand all elements of the funeral profession, so she has a wealth of experience she can draw on. The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves.

There may never have been so much regulatory change in the industry as we're seeing at present, so who better to discuss the likely changes and potential outcomes for the sector than the NAFD's Director of External Affairs.

Rachel Bradburne spearheads most of the external engagement on behalf of the association with government, press and cross party initiatives. She joined the funeral sector in January 2021 and is responsible for the NAFD policy and lobbying activity UK-wide, including all political liaison and cross-sector engagement. Rachel and her team shaped the sector's activities through the pandemic, working directly with the Cabinet Office as part of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.

During this time, the funeral sector was also subject to a period of intense change, which included the implementation of regulation by both the Competition and Markets Authority, the CMA and the Financial Conduct Authority. Here she sits down with Malcolm Flanders for a frank and fascinating chat.

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The View is brought to you by Golden Leaves, and hosted by Malcolm Flanders. You can find many more conversations on the show page, with key industry figures from the NAFD and SAIF, along with a plethora of funeral directors including those behind The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.