Waiting For The Right Door To Open

What if the closed doors in your life are actually signposts? We sit down with Michael Perie—mortuary educator, industry pro, and calming presence—to unpack how faith, timing, and real rest can shape a career that serves people at their most tender moments. Michael shares why he waits for clarity before moving, how doing “nothing” on purpose refills his tank, and why a steady voice can change the temperature of a room, a graveside, or a classroom.

Michael Perie

• Website: http://www.mp-educates.com/
• Email: mike_perie@yahoo.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-perie-0902025a/

From there, we zoom into the future of funeral service. Cremation is steadily becoming the norm in regions once defined by burial, and that shift demands new training. Michael outlines what students need now: practical cremation workflows, chain-of-custody precision, transparent communication with families, and ethical decision-making that honors budget, ritual, and belief. We also explore alkaline hydrolysis—water cremation—where student enthusiasm outpaces business adoption, and discuss the regulatory, financial, and cultural hurdles that keep innovative options on the edge in many mid-southern states.

Join us as we support In His Grace Ministries this month!

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Transcript

Welcome And Show Mission

Voiceover 0:03

Tales from the Wild. Stories from the Heart. A journey into the mind and soul of fighter business professionals where they share their vision for the future. And hear from a different nonprofit organization every month as they create awareness of their goals and their needs. Dive into a world of untamed passion. As we join our host, Shireen Botha, for this month's episode of Friends from Wild Places.

Tanya Scotece 0:35

Okay, okay. It's amazing how you uh just get, you know, it sounds, but it sounds like from what I'm hearing, it's like, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think it's like you you kind of seek to the Lord first to see what you're what you're supposed to be doing. Almost like a divine intervention is kind of what I'm gathering. I don't know if that's accurate, but that's what I'm hearing from you right now.

Michael Perie 0:57

It is, it's very accurate. I've done a lot of things where I said, I'm gonna try it, I'm gonna go do it. And it it totally falls to the ground because I didn't seek to get any kind of counseling, any kind of understanding, understanding about it. Um, but when I do seek him and he shares, hey, move this way, not now. Okay, now move. Uh, do it like this. Uh, he's showing me all the different ideas. I wait for him to show me the ideas or or show me what to say or how to do before I move, because there's a lot of things that I have, like, you know, you make a whole bunch of notes in your phone or iPad, a lot of different stuff I got in my uh phone and iPad, but I haven't moved on it yet because it's I know it's not time. And when at the right time, I know that he'll make, you know, he'll make me move on it. So um even at the um, I guess even now, uh, with us being on this this podcast, um, I've done other virtual things, um, but I I want to say I believe this is the first um podcast I've done. So being able to know when the timing is right. Um, and I know you all were saying, okay, we're gonna do it, we're gonna get to it. I wasn't worried because I knew at the right time it was gonna happen. So uh, and this the right time. So yeah, I'm gonna follow him all the time. All the time.

Tanya Scotece 2:13

And I almost want to just, you know, share with our listeners, you know, sometimes like, you know, life happens, right? It's like, you know, like we're all part of life. We all have 24 hours in a day. And it's just interesting when you feel like, for example, like doors close. And sometimes we feel that like the world is closing in, and it's like, you know, for whatever, whatever capacity, relationship, job, um, getting into a school, like you shared, Michael, right? And it's some like sometimes we feel like doors are closing and it's like, what's happening? Like my world is falling apart, as opposed to almost embracing whatever one's, you know, either religion is or philosophy or universal law, but allowing instead of action. And I think that's a piece that I just see so many people busy running around, like doing this, doing that, but as opposed to allowing what we are individually supposed to do, right? To allow like our true gifts to um to come to shine, I would say, you know, and and to come to fruition. So yeah, I like I like the way you uh you kind of you know you live your life like through through his grace, I think. That's how I would sh define it, and from what I'm hearing. But it's it's always evolving, always evolving. Yes.

Doors Closing And The Art Of Allowing

Shireen Botha 3:25

I love that. Yeah, because I mean my my journey with the Lord has been quite interesting, and it's been a long journey. And so I'm never very good with hearing his voice per se, but I've always said, Well, you know, I'm always doubting whether it's you speaking or myself speaking, that if you close this door, I'll know it's you. I'll know it's you say, No, no, this way, let's go. Um, and then I'll move, I'll move to the next one. If you close that one, I'll move to the next one. And I feel like that's how he works with me just because of the journey that we're at. And because he meets he meets me where I am. Is that a it's a fortunate thing actually, because um I always kind of envy the people that you know can really have um a confident conversation with God and actually say, no, I really heard him. He he's told me I gotta do this. I'm not gonna I don't understand it. Yeah, so it's it's it's very cool how you said that. Um and I got yeah, I I love that. I think it's very inspiring. Um with that, uh before we go into a little bit of a light aside to the podcast, Tanya and I like to play a little bit of a game question or something at the end of the podcast. But you know, I think everybody needs to find things to do to refill their tank because obviously one can only give so much until the tank is depleted, each and every one of us. And we need to find that which keeps our tank refill. What would you say that be for you, Michael?

Michael Perie 5:10

Me taking a vacation and doing nothing. Taking a vacation just to be off, just to close my mind off. Um, not necessarily taking a vacation to go somewhere or to do something, but often I take vacations throughout the year uh just to be off. Uh so I don't have the hustle and the bustle. Um, I can focus on one thing instead of three, um, or one thing instead of five. Uh, but that's for me, uh, just to be able to take off and and sit at home and and do nothing. Uh watch all the type of TV shows. I like the crime, uh, police detective shows. I love those, like the blue bloods, the FBI, the CSI, you know, to sit and watch all that stuff and don't have to have a care in the world about trying to uh wear one of those hats at the time. Uh, but that's a great window for me just to be able to be home with the family and just relax and do nothing.

Refilling The Tank With True Rest

Shireen Botha 6:10

Love that. Yeah. Beautiful. Yeah. All right. Yeah, I think um true crime. I actually started out when I was a youngster watching CSI. And I think that's actually where that whole the evidence never lies kind of thing that came from me because the CSI is all about the evidence, you know. Yeah, and and I think from that I've just grown up in the sense of you gotta follow the evidence, it's just that's it. That's the definitive way to choose to find out what really happened. So that's funny that you mentioned CSI, but yeah, I can't believe we've already come to the you know end of the podcast. That's crazy. Um but yeah, do you have any other questions, Tanya, before we do two truths and a lie?

Tanya Scotece 7:01

Yes, yes. So, Michael, I just want to ask you, um, as a mortuary educator, what do you see um for um like I would say like the future of the mortuary education? Or there's some things that you know, just I don't want to say predictions because it's not like we're sitting here with a crystal ball or anything, but right what do you see evolving or what would you like to see evolve? Let's let's let's go in that direction.

Michael Perie 7:25

Like what's you know, I uh I probably would like to see um evolve. That's our word, that's our word for the podcast.

Tanya Scotece 7:34

That's our word, that's our word, yeah.

Michael Perie 7:37

Uh I would like to see um like the students uh be able to evolve into um more of a um cremation conscious world. Uh, because I know we're going, I know down in in Florida that's that's big. That's that's the thing. Um but up here in the in the in the Bible belt and in certain areas where they do burials all the time, it's turning into um a cremation, cremation conscious world. Um, and I and I I knew I know that when I was in mortuary school, uh it was more so about let me learn the stuff for the test. Uh, when I do go do my apprenticeship, it was more so you know focused on funeral arrangements, funeral service with casket and burial, not so much cremation. Um, I do see it evolving into uh students uh being able to get more information and more teachings, I believe, will occur uh concerning cremation, um, where that will help those students to be better equipped uh once they do get into the funeral industry, because some may uh go to Muntuary School, learn all of these things, and then go work for a cremation society place where that's all they do. And they have to know that world and and not being able to um have all that information, um, I think it it uh it will hinder them. Uh I've seen that in some of the students now where uh that kind of hinders them because they're not too keen on cremation. I wasn't keen on cremation, I didn't know anything about anything really, except the word cremation uh and what the definition of it was. Uh but as far as the process and being able to uh get continued education on that, uh I think uh it's it uh the students, uh the schools uh should be able to, and hopefully they will evolve more into uh sharing things about uh the cremation process itself.

Tanya Scotece 9:38

Interesting. And how about um like the alkaline hydrolysis, the cremation by water? Is that popular out when you're in your land over there?

Michael Perie 9:46

Or in the in the mid-south, it's not uh popular in our area, like in the um Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas area, Oklahoma, it's not that's not popular here. Is it popular down in I think it's popular down in your area, isn't it?

Lighthearted Game: Two Truths And A Lie

Tanya Scotece 10:09

It's you know, it's you know where it's most popular with the students. Like really students love it, yeah. And it's I mean, there are like a few um involving um you know in Miami area, as far as like there's one um eternal water cremation, which is for pets specific, uh, one in West Palm Beach, gentle water cremation. But as a as a whole, it's it's funny because the industry, as you said, like green conscious or you know, world conscious, the students have more of a of a um fascination with it than the actual business model of funeral homes, is from my perspective.

Michael Perie 10:42

That's true. That's true. Yeah, I agree with that. That's true.

Tanya Scotece 10:46

Yeah, that's true. Yeah, thank you for sharing though.

Shireen Botha 10:49

Thank you for sharing. I'm learning more and more about your industry every time we do these podcasts with someone in the industry. I love it, I think it's fantastic. Uh, with that said, yes, we've come to the lighthearted part of the podcast. We'll be going to play a game called True Truths and One Lie. So if you're gonna take a few moments just to think of uh two truths and one lie, so a total of three statements you know, shared with us, and then we're going to pick which one is the lie. So who's ready to go first?

Tanya Scotece 11:25

Let's see. We're gonna do something different. I'm kind of come up with different topics this today, Shireen.

Shireen Botha 11:30

Okay, let me go first. All right.

Michael Perie 11:33

Okay, okay.

Shireen Botha 11:34

So first statement, I've eaten octopus. Second statement, I have two brothers and one sister. And third statement, I was stamped by an elephant. Okay. Which one is the lie?

Michael Perie 11:48

The lie is uh you have two brothers and one sister?

Shireen Botha 12:04

What about you, Tanya? I I'm gonna say that too. I'm gonna say that too. Oh my gosh, Michael! How did you know?

Michael Perie 12:13

I'm gonna be honest with you, I was just thinking about where you live. So she's probably ate an octopus, and she's probably been stamped by an elephant.

Shireen Botha 12:22

So you know, the the funny thing is I only had octopus in Spain for the first time ever.

Michael Perie 12:28

Wow.

Shireen Botha 12:28

So that was insane. But anyway, so who wants to go next?

Tanya Scotece 12:35

I'll go next. Okay, I'll go next. Okay, so here we go. Okay, I love spirit airline, I love oysters, and I love coffee.

Michael Perie 12:54

Move your camera around. Let me see what you got on your desk. See if you got a coffee.

Tanya Scotece 13:00

So which one which one you think is the there's two truths and a lie. Oysters, spirit airlines, and coffee.

Shireen Botha 13:20

I'm gonna say that was good.

Michael Perie 13:22

Umysters is a lie, and I'ma say, um I'm gonna go out on the lamp. I'm gonna say coffee. I'm gonna say coffee.

Tanya Scotece 13:32

Okay, so actually, the lie is spirit airlines. I'm gonna say I love Southwest. I love it, love it, love it. Uh yes, yes.

Michael Perie 13:45

I should have picked that one.

Tanya Scotece 13:48

Okay, all right. How about you, Michael? Go ahead. Let's let's let's hear from you.

The Future Of Mortuary Education

Michael Perie 13:52

Let's see. Um, my favorite color is red. Um I have a cousin named uh Jaleel White. Um, or well, you all know him as Steve Birkle or Stefan, um, who was an actor in Family Matters. And uh I love to watch um the Incredible Hawk on TV. The 70s series.

Shireen Botha 14:38

Hold on, can I just state sorry, sorry, but is your so that's the truth. Your brother is definitely Oracle. For sure.

Michael Perie 14:52

Two truths, you say two truths in a lie, right?

Shireen Botha 14:56

What was the third statement?

Michael Perie 14:58

The third one.

Tanya Scotece 15:00

The color red and the and the Hulk series.

Shireen Botha 15:03

Yeah, I'm gonna say the lie is your favorite color is red.

Michael Perie 15:10

Okay.

Tanya Scotece 15:12

I'm gonna say I think that's the lie too. Favorite color is red.

Michael Perie 15:16

Okay. So I did it. I I I I drug it out for a reason because I want to confuse you all. Uh my favorite color is red.

Tanya Scotece 15:25

Really? Oh my! I have never met a funeral director that loves red. We all love black, like black is our color. Black is our color, even though they say black is not a color, it's a color. Like in the world, it's a color. Okay, really? You love red, huh?

Michael Perie 15:41

I love red, yeah. Okay, yeah.

Tanya Scotece 15:43

And it's funny because Shereen, I don't think, has ever actually seen me in red. I'm the I'm usually in black, so uh it's funny. It's funny.

Shireen Botha 15:51

Just by the way, Janya looks stunning.

Tanya Scotece 15:53

Oh, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Okay, so tell us, Philip, we're we're now we're like all like excited to hear. Go ahead.

Michael Perie 15:58

Drum roll.

Tanya Scotece 15:59

Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.

Michael Perie 16:01

So you want to know the truth or the lie?

Tanya Scotece 16:03

But keep going, just share whatever you want to share first.

Michael Perie 16:06

So the truth, the second truth is um uh what I say. Jal no, the second truth is uh I love to watch the Incredible Hulk TV series.

Tanya Scotece 16:22

Okay, okay, okay.

Alkaline Hydrolysis And Student Interest

Michael Perie 16:24

Jalel White is the lie.

Shireen Botha 16:26

Okay, that's the lie. Seriously, you do actually look like Urkel's brother.

Michael Perie 16:32

So I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell you a story behind the uh reason why I chose that. So when I was younger uh in in high school, um that's when the series came out, and you know, the Urkel was on. And uh we used to have Nerd Day at school. So I would dress up like him and I would win every year. I will win. And then it came to where he changed from the Steve Urkel to the Stefan, the you know, the real Debonair guy. So half the day I would dress up as the nerd, and then the other half of the day I would put on like a suit and uh and dress up like um you know Stefan. So uh, and I would like to say we'll win every year. And I've had people throughout the years, um they'll like do a double take, you know, at me, or they'll see me, you know, driving by and they'll be looking and bro, you wonder like, who are these people? Oh, I thought I thought you were the guy. I said, Julia White, like, yeah, yeah, yeah. You look just like y'all related? Or people or some people they just used to call me that, like um my um my wife's sister who passed away uh a few years ago, uh, she used to call me that all the time. That's just what she used to call me. She wouldn't call me by my real name, she wouldn't say, Hey Mike, you know, hey Stefan, hey, how you doing?

Tanya Scotece 17:46

Yeah, I'm and do you see it though? Like, do you see the kind of like do you see why people think that? Or you know what I mean? Like, because it's funny how sometimes people like they don't they don't even see it, they just kind of go with it. But do you see it personally?

Michael Perie 17:59

Like I do.

Tanya Scotece 18:00

You do, I do it.

Michael Perie 18:01

It's it's like looking in a mirror sometimes. Like if I see the show and I see him like smile or something, I'll be like, oh my goodness, that's still just like mind-boggling to me. Or I've actually taken pictures. They're like, let me find pictures and put them side by side. I was like, wow, that's pretty neat. I guess you don't see it until you see it, you know.

Tanya Scotece 18:18

Right, right, right, right. Yeah, that's fascinating. But Michael, you know, I gotta share with you before we close our podcast out. So a couple things that you've shared that are just like I I call them like the synchronistic moments, right? So when I teach, for example, you know, embalming or restorative, I often teach through Kool-Aid or crystal light. Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I always say, like, you know, you know, when you make your Kool-Aid and you know, if you add too much, you know, it's gonna be too, or I use crystalline for those that don't drink Kool-Aid, but I use that same reference, and I haven't heard many educators do that. Like to me, it makes sense explaining concentration, like too strong or too weak. And the other thing about the the Hulk, it's so funny. I use him as a reference when I say, you know, with uh jaundice people, you know, what's what can happen? And saying we gotta go low flowing, like how low can you go with yellow? Otherwise, we're gonna turn somebody into the incredible Hulk, right? So I use like these words, like it's just funny. You don't normally hear you know, uh these words coming out of people every day. And here we are on a podcast uh that we're you know mentioning the same things, it's just fascinating.

Michael Perie 19:26

Yeah, Tanya, we're connected. We're connected.

Shared Teaching Moments And Calm Presence

Tanya Scotece 19:29

We are, we are. I know, I know, I know, I know. Thanks to Miss Ebony, Miss Ebony Dukes. We got to give her a shout out because uh love Ebony, love Ebony.

Michael Perie 19:37

Yeah, yes, thank you, Ebony. How are you doing?

Shireen Botha 19:39

Okay, yes, well, thanks, Ebony. I mean, we got amazing guests on the podcast. Um, thank you, Michael. It's great having you on on this podcast. And with that being said, I know there's a quite a lot of listeners that if they're inspired by you, they'd love to just get into touch with you. So if you want to mention um to us and the listeners where we can find you if we would like to get in touch with you.

Michael Perie 20:04

Absolutely. Um, you go on LinkedIn, uh, Facebook, uh, just look for Michael Perry. You see how my name is spelled, there's not too many people out there uh with the last name, it's like spelt like mine. Um and I'll pop right up. You'll see me. Uh, you can go to um the website, the MP Educates is uh www.mp-educates.com. Uh that's the uh mortuary educational stuff. Um some who are are connected in may want um some ministry portions. So you can go to www.ihglive.com uh and you can get that world, the ministry world. So it's educational world, ministry world, and funeral world. Um so that's where I am.

Shireen Botha 20:54

We're gonna have all that in the show notes, listeners. So don't worry, you won't miss out on anything. Uh with that said, Tanya, where can we find you?

Tanya Scotece 21:03

Yes, I will share. Um, Michael, but I have another like inspirational uh message for you, okay? So I feel like like your voice is amazing. Like you could actually be like in a crisis, like uh work, you know, like you know, like people like in Florida, we have like a lot of bridges and they have like like the intercoms and it goes too cost, and people want to like you know take their life. It's like suicide hotlines or crisis, like seriously, like your voice is like so like calming. I think for for that's another area like that you could venture into for crisis people. Truly, I I say that sincerely. Yeah.

Michael Perie 21:36

By you mentioning that um I had a graveside service one day, and the only thing I did was you know, just kind of close it out. Hey, this concludes. Thank you all for allowing us to help you, whatever, whatever. And I stepped to the side, and a lady who was in the family, she came up. She she said, Sir, she like, your voice, it just made us feel so great. It was just so calming. I was like, Oh, she's like, Thank you so much. I like, yes, ma'am, that kind of threw. Me off because I've never heard that before. So it's true.

Guest And Host Contact Info

Tanya Scotece 22:03

No, no, it's true. It's true. And Shireen and I, we interview a lot of people who've been doing this for years. And I will say, like, I don't think I've ever shared that with anybody, Shereen, right? Like his voice, it truly is very, very um, yeah, it's it's it's great, especially for people like you know that that need that, you know, need that calm presence. So good. All right. So as far as uh where folks can find me, so LinkedIn is my hub, uh, Tanya Scotisi. Um, the three areas that I work in, uh, I oversee the program at Miami Dade College, the Funeral Service Education Program. If anybody's interested in becoming part of the dark world as far as understanding death and dying and grief and really making a difference in here, would love to have a conversation, maybe a career change or anything of that nature. We do offer both programs. We do offer the Associate of Science, which is a two-year degree. We also offer the College Credit Certificate, which is a certificate in Florida to do funeral directing only. So anybody out there that's saying, you know what, we like the moratorium world, we heard Michael talk about it, we heard Tanya talk about it, please reach out. You can do the AS, which is funeral directing and embalming, or the college credit certificate, which is funeral director only for Florida. Second area that I specialize is in expert witness. I do serve quite regularly for litigation for funeral home and cemetery cases. So if there is a personal injury out attorney out there looking for representation as an expert witness on the family side, or if a funeral home is looking for representation if they feel that they are being accused of something that didn't happen, would be welcoming that conversation. And last area, my blessed work is I speak for the voiceless in all that I do, matching people who have cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's or one of the dementias, matching them with communities in Florida. My specialty is the east and west coast of Florida. So we are free service to the community. We get paid directly by the community if we make a match. So you can think of us as the matchmakers. So if you know a family member in Florida that is really just having some issues or struggling physically or cognitively, we can find them an assisted living community where they can thrive and be as independent as possible. And Shireen, where can we find you?

Reviews, Support, And Closing

Shireen Botha 24:20

Thank you for asking. So, yes, my bookkeeping hat would be Shireen's Bookkeeping Services. You can find that on LinkedIn and all the other social medias, Facebook and Instagram. So if you have a financial pain point you want to ask me about, I'm all ears. Um Shireen words are a personal side, also on all the personal pla and social platforms. But Bring some Wild Places though has a YouTube channel. So if you want to go and see our funny faces and hear us, you can go find us there. Um we also uh are on all the podcast platforms, like I've already said. But please leave your you know, a little um review. Tell us what you think. Are you enjoying what you're hearing? Do you have some questions? Do you have uh what would you like to hear from us? You know, what guests would you like to see on the podcast more? Uh we'd love to hear some feedback from you. It really means a lot. And once again, you know, if you want to even support us by joining the subscription, it's only five dollars a month. We would really appreciate it. Uh, but other than that, thank you so much again, Tanya, for being amazing, lovely co-host. I absolutely adore you, Michael. Thank you for being on the show. And with that said, remember you got this and stay wild. Bye, guys. Thank you.

Voiceover 25:46

You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places with Shireen Botha. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast from the links to catch every episode and unleash your passion.