We recently connected with Michelle Freeman and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Becoming a Funeral Director &Embalmer has been a childhood dream of mine. Being a Funeral Director allows me to combine all my passions into one. I love taking care of people, planning events, l’m also a makeup artist so I enjoy making things look pretty. So in 2018 I decided to take the biggest risk of my life. I quit my job, took my life savings and packed up my home and my 6 year old son and moved to Greenwood, South Carolina to attend Mortuary School at Piedmont Technical College. I would stay there for a year and a half until completing the program and graduating. I had to take that risk to began the journey to becoming a Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer.

Michelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a child my mother and grandmother would always attend funerals. Some of the people they knew, some they didn’t, but they would bring me along. Why would a child enjoy funerals, I now know that would be my calling. To console those who are grieving. As a Funeral Director I assist families in planning the final arrangements of life. As a Embalmer I take pride in presenting a pleasant final presentation of the non- living, and as a Grief Support Specialist I provide aftercare to those who are struggling with the loss of their loved one. I’m most proud to be a licensed professional that can be of service to those who are morning as well as providing death care information to my community so that they are educated on the matters that we will all have to face one day. Grief is an emotional that can last forever, so I feel it is important that people are able to do that in a healthy manner, because the effects of not doing it in a healthy manner can be detrimental. So I published a Journal titled Give Me Grief Journal. It’s a journal for your deepest sorrows. It often becomes hard to express your feeling of grief to others, so this journal allows to to express your emotions on paper. There are writing prompts to help you process the things your are going through, even things you wish you could say. It is what I call a “Safe Space.”

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back I would choose the same profession over and over. As sad as losing a loved one is, I enjoy going to the Funeral Home everyday. There is a certain level of satisfaction I get from knowing that I have provided a family with everything they need to have their loved one taken care of. I would even change the struggle it took to get where I am today.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I moved to Greenwood, SC I didn’t know anyone there, it was just me and my son. One night while we were sleeping someone shot up our apartment complex. Bullets went through our beds, walls, and even the cloths hanging in the closets. My son and I were terrified. After that we had to find somewhere else to stay. We were fortunate enough to receive assistance from my son’s school guidance counselor David Mitchell and his church Grace Community Church. They told me to have everything packed by a certain day, they came and moved everything for us. They brought us breakfast, they assembled our furniture, and most importantly they prayed with us and for us. Even though we endured that, I pushed forward going to school everyday to obtain my Funeral Service Degree.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.freemdservices.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreemd_way/profilecard/?igsh=aXNvOHFnMzBlOHh4
• Facebook: Michelle Freeman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-freeman-285950190

Image Credits

Bracy Photography