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Today, I am privileged to speak with Rebecca Kanable. She is a former journalist who found herself at a crossroads after years of working in a shrinking and increasingly stressful newsroom world.
What Rebecca eventually discovered was a calling she never expected, that of helping families prepare for end-of-life decisions as a family services counselor at a cemetery in Wisconsin.
This was a thoughtful, honest conversation about work, legacy, grief and why planning ahead can actually be one of the most generous gifts we give to the people we love.
Here are a few takeaways from my conversation with Rebecca:
- First, burnout can be a powerful teacher. Rebecca shared how her journalism career, once deeply fulfilling, became unsustainable as resources disappeared and expectations grew. Walking away wasn’t failure. It was self-preservation.
- Second, talking about death does not diminish life. Rebecca explained how pre planning funeral and memorial decisions actually brings peace of mind and helps families avoid confusion, conflict and emotional overspending later.
- Third, planning ahead is an act of love. By making decisions in advance, people give their families clarity, reduce stress and remove the burden of guessing what mom or dad would have wanted.
- Fourth, meaningful work often finds us in unexpected ways. Rebecca never set out to work in the death care industry. Conversations, relationships and life experience gradually pointed her there.
- Finally, work after 50 can be deeply purposeful. Rebecca described how helping people during vulnerable moments has taught her gratitude, empathy and the value of honoring every life story.
As my conversation with Rebecca wrapped up, what really stood out was the meaning she has found in this chapter of her life.
After turning 50, Rebecca discovered that her work is not about selling plots or markers. It is about offering people peace of mind.
She is helping individuals and families face a difficult reality with clarity, dignity and compassion. In her words, she realized she is in the peace-of-mind business.
Rebecca also talked about how being invited into these deeply personal moments is an honor. She sees every conversation as an opportunity to listen, to educate and to help people feel less alone.
That sense of service, especially to those in an older generation, is what gives her work lasting purpose.
If you’d like to connect with Rebecca or learn more about her work, the best way to reach her is through LinkedIn.
Rebecca’s story encourages us to think differently about planning ahead and reminds us that meaningful work can still be discovered, even later in life and sometimes in the most unexpected places.
That’s all for this week’s show. If you’d like to start living a more meaningful life, I encourage you to download our free guide to finding purpose, which is available at www.forwardfrom50.com.
I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
