Episode 28 | Human Composting (Yes, You Read That Right) | Guest: Katrina Spade, Founder & CEO, Recompose

What Nobody Tells Us

I get it. Thinking about death and what to do with your body after you die is something most people avoid. But here's the thing: None of us are getting out of here alive, so you should be as purposeful about your death as you are with your life. It's a big deal, and you shouldn't be pressued to choose (IMHO) antiquated options.

For decades, the funeral industry has made billions of dollars by pushing people down one of two predominant paths: Burial or cremation. Those two options have seemed like the only options for years, and the U.S. cremation rate is expected to increase in the United States from 60.5% in 2023 to 81.4% by 2045, according to the National Funeral Directors Association's (NFDA) 2023 Cremation and Burial Report.

It wasn't always this way. For centuries, the deceased bodies of loved ones were shrouded with cloth, covered with organic material and left to slowly decompose. It wasn't taboo. It wasn't gross. It wasn't shocking. It was the natural process of the body being returned to the earth.

My guest today, Katrina Spade, is CEO of Recompose; a licensed green funeral home specializing in human composting. Katrina was the pioneer in changing the current death care paradigm. To begin changing the death care paradigm, Recmpose first had to change the law. The Recompose process, known as natural organic reduction or human composting, is now legal in seven states. The team is working hard to legalize it in more states and, eventually, around the world.

Katrina and I have a fascinating, educational, and enlightening conversation around:

• Why human composting is not nearly as taboo as you may think
• The definition of human composting and how it's different than traditional methods
• Why the state of the funeral industry seems so outdated
• Why cremation and burial have long dominated as after-death options
• The impact cremation and burial have on the earth and atmosphere
• How Katrina's design thinking led to Recompose
• How Recompose gained the attention of Wall Street executive in its infancy
• What Recompose's facility entails, from the design, development, and legalization process
• The steps Recompose takes to compost a body
• Why it's important to talk to your kids and how to do so
• The difference between natural and traditional burial
• Why Gen Z is signing up for Recompose

Huge thanks for Katrina to taking the time to share her wisdom and passion for redefining death care. If want to learn more or pre-emptively sign up for Precompose, visit the Recompose website.