Just Talk Funerals

Jason Threadgold Funerals
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Join Jason and Nichola Threadgold for Just Talk Funerals - a podcast all about the funeral industry, what they do at Threadgold Funerals, and the people that work alongside them.

  1. Sep 8

    Demystifying Prepaid Funeral Plans

    In this episode, Jason and Nichola Threadgold explore prepaid funeral plans alongside guest Gary Hickman, Business Relationship Manager from Ecclesiastical Planning Services (EPS).Gary breaks down the three core components of a plan:- Guaranteed funeral director fees- Contributions toward third-party disbursements (such as crematorium or celebrant fees)- Initial provider administration feeThe discussion looks at regulatory changes over the years, reducing active providers from roughly 100 down to 23.The panel provides key reassurance regarding consumer flexibility, confirming that clients can cancel, top up, or transfer plans to another accredited director if they relocate. They highlight the profound emotional and financial peace of mind that pre-planning offers to surviving relatives, preventing grief-stricken families from facing unexpected costs or guesswork.

  2. Sep 8

    What Really Happens Behind Funeral Home Doors

    In this episode, Jason and Nichola pull back the curtain on the complex operational structure of their independent firm, detailing the 31 team members who carry out specialised roles behind the scenes. They deconstruct the widespread misconception that a funeral director acts as a single operator handling every task, revealing instead that a single service requires seamless coordination across 15 to 20 distinct internal and external professionals. The couple detail the intense, high-pressure reality of managing 20 to 30 active family cases per director at any given time, navigating a continuous stream of unexpected curveballs alongside external suppliers, florists, printers, celebrants, and municipal cemetery authorities.

  3. Sep 8

    Death and Disease: Navigating hard financial questions

    Jason and Nichola are joined by protection advisor Rob Brookes, director of the firm Death and Disease. Transitioning from a background in traditional mortgage advising, Rob explains how he shifted his entire professional focus toward securing bespoke life, critical illness, and income protection insurance for families and small business owners. He addresses the psychological barriers that prevent people from discussing serious illness or sudden death, revealing that rebranding his firm to Death and Disease actually served as an empowering catalyst that gave clients permission to confront these difficult subjects openly. The conversation highlights the tough financial pressures that can instantly strike a household or commercial enterprise following an unexpected diagnosis or tragedy - and gives advice on how to avoid it.

  4. Sep 8

    Across the Pond: What we learnt in New York

    Jason and Nichola share their experience visiting New York to explore how funeral services, legislative regulations, and cultural practices operate across the Atlantic. They spent time at Guttermans, a century-old independent firm catering predominantly to the Jewish faith across five locations in New York and Florida, carrying out roughly 2,000 funerals annually. They discuss striking differences in daily operations, such as American firms hiring limousines per service rather than keeping their own fleets, and the strict local regulatory bodies - like the Federal Trade Commission - that enforce massive monetary fines if walk-in clients are not handed full itemised price lists within five minutes. The conversation highlights the unique traditions within Jewish funeral care, where embalming, music, and elaborate floral displays are omitted in favour of natural preparation, swift three-day turnarounds, and rapid burials to uphold equality before God. Jason and Nichola recount meeting the Shomer (or Watcher), a dedicated individual brought in from the synagogue to recite psalms continuously beside the deceased so they are never left alone overnight. They also express their surprise at the physical simplicity of the traditional pine caskets used, which stood in stark contrast to the unpolished, unvarnished American caskets displayed in the firm's main showroom. And they discuss details their tour of Fresh Pond Crematory, a yellow-brick facility operating since 1884. They describe stepping back in time into a dark, Victorian-style crypt containing tens of thousands of urns housed in glass-fronted columbarium niches, noting that a judge's order is legally required to remove remains once interred. The couple also reflect on a prominent 9/11 memorial filled with worldwide pin badges left by visiting emergency personnel, concluding with observations on the sheer scale of New York's sprawling, privately owned granite cemeteries.

  5. Aug 21

    Demystifying Prepaid Funeral Plans

    In this episode, Jason and Nichola Threadgold explore prepaid funeral plans alongside guest Gary Hickman, Business Relationship Manager from Ecclesiastical Planning Services (EPS). Gary breaks down the three core components of a plan: Guaranteed funeral director feesContributions toward third-party disbursements (such as crematorium or celebrant fees)Initial provider administration fee The discussion looks at regulatory changes over the years, reducing active providers from roughly 100 down to 23. The panel provides key reassurance regarding consumer flexibility, confirming that clients can cancel, top up, or transfer plans to another accredited director if they relocate. They highlight the profound emotional and financial peace of mind that pre-planning offers to surviving relatives, preventing grief-stricken families from facing unexpected costs or guesswork.

  6. Aug 11

    Breaking the Silence: Why We Avoid Discussing Death and How to Change It

    In this episode, Jason and Nichola Threadgold confront the global taboo surrounding death, exploring why a topic that impacts every single person remains one of the most widely avoided subjects in the world. They address the common, deep-seated anxieties that keep families silent, specifically targeting the superstitious myth that merely discussing a funeral will somehow cause a person's death to happen sooner. Jason and Nichola emphasise that avoiding these conversations does not alter reality; it simply forces grieving families into stressful guesswork when trying to arrange a meaningful farewell without knowing their loved one's true wishes. The duo discusses how a total lack of prior planning routinely triggers painful family disagreements, as relatives with differing relationships struggle to compromise on basic operational elements like burial versus cremation. They highlight how a sudden passing without financial or administrative preparation transfers an immense physical and emotional onus onto children or partners. Nichola notes that those left behind to manage this complex web of unpaid bills, locked accounts, and unknown protocols are usually the very first people to step forward and pre-arrange their own future services to protect their own families from matching trauma. They provide gentle, realistic advice on how to naturally introduce these topics during major lifestyle changes, such as writing a will or downsizing a home. They share that the single most critical baseline detail every individual should firmly establish is their preferred resting location and the long-term fate of their ashes. Highlighting unique modern storage solutions, Jason and Nichola reveal that they manage remains for years when families feel anxious about keeping them at home, whilst also orchestrating highly bespoke scatterings—including deploying ashes via rockets or gliders—proving that embracing advanced planning ultimately leaves families closer together.

  7. Aug 11

    Beyond the Black Suit: The Evolution and Etiquette of Funeral Attire

    In this episode, Jason and Nichola Threadgold explore the deep-seated history, symbolic meaning, and modern cultural shifts surrounding funeral attire. They track the historical prominence of black mourning dress back to the Victorian era—notably popularised by Queen Victoria following the death of Prince Albert—explaining how full black attire historically acted as a public signal that a widow was in mourning and emotionally unavailable. They contrast this history with today's landscape, noting that whilst independent firms across the country are introducing darker alternative tones like navy or silver, traditional black remains a dominant landmark of consistency, professional authority, and reassurance for grieving families. The conversation highlights a major generational shift amongst Millennials and Gen Z who increasingly question rigid protocol, preferring to view funeral clothing as a choice rather than an unwritten rule. Jason and Nichola detail how modern celebrations of life routinely feature bespoke colour palettes, vibrant floral shirts, Christmas jumpers, and sporting colours to directly mimic a loved one's unique personality. Jason shares his own history of gentle rebellion within corporate structures, recounting how introducing multi-coloured ties and manicured socks into his attire early on served as a compassionate way to break the ice and showcase personal character during delicate initial family meetings. And they share moving, real-life examples of highly personalised ceremonies that successfully strayed from traditional dress rules. Jason describes an entirely black-free service where the team donned hired silver suits, a striking Caribbean ceremony conducted entirely in white, and a bespoke Mr Tumble-themed tribute for a child featuring white fleet vehicles covered in multi-coloured spots. He also recalls an incredibly powerful Star Wars service where he led a procession alongside a fully costumed Boba Fett and a dozen Stormtroopers, highlighting how a single thoughtful, themed gesture can leave an empowering and healing mark on a grieving congregation.

  8. Aug 11

    Turning the Tables: The 12-Year Threadgold Journey

    In this special episode, the tables are turned as Jason and Nichola Threadgold become the podcast guests, with their long standard business coach John McHale taking the reigns as host. They reflect on their 2014 launch, revealing how they identified an underserved gap in the local market and backed themselves by pulling together personal savings and selling Nichola's car to cross the start line. Spurred on by a memorable piece of wedding-day advice from Nichola’s father to "stop messing around and get moving," the duo blew the industry first-year average of 28 funerals completely out of the water by conducting an astonishing 176 services. The conversation charts the company's rapid expansion over the last 12 years, growing from a two-person operation to a dedicated team of 30 staff across seven locations, including their recent 2025 opening at Simpsons Corner. Nichola and Jason candidly discuss the intense growing pains of scaling a business, from the daunting step of their first hire to the psychological challenge of delegation and learning to "let it go." They emphasise that their strict, multi-stage recruitment process is designed to protect a non-negotiable workplace culture focused entirely on genuine care and transparency rather than corporate strategy. They celebrate the deep affinity the independent firm shares with the Scunthorpe community. They discuss their public sponsorship of Scunthorpe United, Nichola’s recognition in the Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs for 2023, and their international business accolades for exceptional customer service. The duo shares moving insights into local charitable initiatives—such as their 24/7 "Give One, Take One" coat shed that helps local school children stay warm—concluding with a subtle teaser that their next phase of industry-based evolution will bring forward structural changes that the public might not entirely expect.

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About

Join Jason and Nichola Threadgold for Just Talk Funerals - a podcast all about the funeral industry, what they do at Threadgold Funerals, and the people that work alongside them.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Threadgold Funerals
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jason Threadgold Funerals
  • Show Website
    Just Talk Funerals