A year ago, I sent Wake-Up Calls out into the world without knowing what would come of it.
Writing that book meant putting words to a lifetime of lessons I’d learned the hard way, the kind that come from failing, getting back up, and failing again a little better each time.
It was vulnerable and real.
And I hoped it would help a few women feel less alone in this profession. I did not know it would become the seed for an entire movement.
Looking back over this past year, I am amazed at what has taken root. The book itself has been recognized with honors I never expected, including a Distinguished Favorite from the NYC Big Book Award, a Silver Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a Gold from the Literary Titan Awards, and recognition from the San Francisco Book Festival and BookFest, among others.
Every one of those honors matters to me, not for the recognition itself, but for what it represents. More eyes on this book means more eyes on the women this profession depends on. Most importantly, every dollar of proceeds flows straight back into scholarships and programs through Funeral Women Lead.
While at one point, I thought the book was a destination, I now know it was the beginning of a road.
In the twelve months since publication, Funeral Women Lead, the non-profit foundation the book in part inspired, has grown into a vibrant, growing ecosystem.
Women in our profession are finding each other and holding space for one another in ways I couldn’t have engineered if I tried.
We’ve produced research, giving us real data behind what women in this profession are facing so we can advocate with facts, not just instinct. Our leadership program has supported women with the guidance and development they needed at exactly the moment they needed it. And scholarship after scholarship has opened doors for women who might not have walked through them otherwise.
All of that came together at our second annual Unleashed Leadership and Wellness Summit. Two years of this summit means something different than a first year ever could. A first year can be adrenaline and good intentions. A second year is proof. Doing this again, on purpose, with more women returning and more joining for the first time, is what makes a movement real. It’s how a community earns trust, by showing up again and again until people know they can count on it being there. This year’s group of scholarship recipients will walk into that room carrying the same hope I carried when I first imagined this work, and I already know watching them will remind all of us why we started.
In reflecting on all of this, I think about my dad often. The story of his passing starts out Wake Up Calls, but his legacy continues to expand because of the book and Funeral Women Lead.
The scholarship we created in his honor has helped more than 20 women a year attend professional conferences they otherwise couldn’t afford. That legacy of opening doors is exactly what I hope both the book and this summit become known for, generation after generation, long after this particular anniversary has passed.
Here is what I want you to know if you’ve read the book, if you’ve followed this journey, or if you’re just discovering it now.
One year in, this has become so much more than a book on a shelf. It’s a leadership academy, a wellness summit, much-needed research, and a community of women who show up for each other. And every piece of it was built for you.
Whether you’re newly licensed or twenty years into your career, whether you’re aiming for ownership or simply want to lead with more confidence in the role you already hold, there is a place for you here.
One year of Wake-Up Calls. Awards that recognize the importance of the experience of a woman in this profession. Two years of the Funeral Women Lead Summit.
And finding out that my story was powerful enough to spark a mission.
We’re only getting started.
We’ll let you know as soon as the book goes live!
