Megan is an elder millenial based in Vermont, where she lives in a 1926 farmhouse with her husband and two kids — Lucy, 6 & Arlo, 4.
How did I get here?
My mom died in June of 2017 and my dad died in August 2019. In the process of planning my mom's memorial, I realized the funeral industry, as it exists today, is broken, both culturally (adding to the stress and confusion of grieving families) and structurally (woefully unprepared for the future). So I quit my job to join it.
With a background in behavioral economics and sales psychology, I naturally look for gaps and opportunities. Learning that the funeral industry, at $17 billion per year, was only one piece of the end-of-life continuum — and knowing of the massive wave of Baby Boomers that will rapidly be utilizing the services of this dysfunctional industry — I decided this was a professional risk worth taking.
Prior to death upending my life, I managed sales strategy projects in the wealth management division of a major bank and also led the communications department for a chemistry company in Pasadena, CA. I hold a BA in Development Economics from the University of San Francisco (2004).
What am I doing?
In addition to thinking, talking and writing about how death intersects our daily lives, I work with a number of incredible colleagues who are making changes in the deathcare industry. You can read about those folks HERE.
Along with my colleague, Amber Carvaly, I manage a professional organization for deathcare professionals called DeathcareConnect.
With Stefanie Elkins of Be Present Care, I use my past professional experience in the financial services industry along with my personal experiences as an EOL caregiver to offer education through monthly Death Over Drafts events, as well as CEU panels.