Jim Cummings and End of Life Experiences

from Experience by Design · host Adam Gamwell, Gary David, Jim Cummings

Looking at the Life Celebration website, you might be surprised to discover that their business is funeral memorial services. But with the bright colors and designs comes a philosophy of elevating memorial experiences to another level. The realization that funerals had become too routine (and, well, lifeless) led our guest Jim Cummings on a quest to not only provide unique experiences, but also learn from Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore and receive Experience Economy Expert Certification. In this episode, we talk about how funeral directors are really community organizers, and how funerals are in many ways an opportunity to bring people together. We also discuss the cast of characters that he has met in his experience design journey, and what he has learned from other industries. We explore how his journey started with a couple of guys from Philly starting trouble, and how that has expanded to a national network of funeral homes working with Life Celebration.

What this episode covers

Funerals used to be community events held in the home where celebrations of life would take place. Jim Cummings is trying to recreate that experience through his organization Life Celebration. We talk about reconceptualizing end-of-life experiences, how the Pine and Gilmore 'Experience Economy' transformed his perspective, and how the COVID era has impacted funeral directors.

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Jim Cummings and End of Life Experiences

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This episode is 1 hour and 3 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 5, 2020.

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