S3E9: YMI Talking to Justin Keiper from Cantelmi Funeral Home

What drives someone to spend their life surrounded by grief, and still show up with joy?

On this episode of YMI Talking, we sit down with Justin Keiper from Cantelmi Funeral Home to talk about finding purpose in funeral service, supporting families through loss, and staying connected to the community.

From building trust in vulnerable moments to planning Halloween bar crawls for a cause, Justin shares how he’s made service personal, and how he’s learning to make space for himself, too.

It’s a thoughtful, honest conversation about the work that happens behind the scenes, and what it takes to keep showing up.

Listen now!

For more info on YMI insurance visit our website at ymiagency.com

Or give us a call at 610-868-8762 to see how we can better protect your business and family.

Transcript

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First. First organization, first event fundraising I ever got involved with was Real Men Wear Pink for the American Cancer Society. That was back in 2018. I know I jotted it down. I was gonna ask you. Yeah. So that was kind of my introduction to this whole nonprofit world. And, Abby Selfies has kind of been a mentor for me with that. I met her when she was there, and then soon after our campaign, she had left the Cancer Society and went over to the Heart Association. I joined the Heart Association then. And now I serve as the chair of the board. And, it's funny to me because as things have developed with the Heart Association, you know, my, my mom has had heart issues in the past, so it's something that's closer to me. And then two years ago, I had my own heart issue, and, it's really just become a passion of mine to really give back and help people. And alongside of it, there's fun events that you can go to with it, you know, heart walk, heart ball. These galas who doesn't like to get dressed up and go out, you know, and have fun and and you're still meeting people, but you're doing it for a good cause. So the involvement, I think for me, it just it drives me. It really does. I want to be out there, meet more people and just kind. Welcome to why am I talking? A podcast where the guests are so good. You'll wonder why the host is even talking in each episode, you will hear one of the leaders of the Lehigh Valleys vibrant business hub. They will tell you the keys to their success, the mistakes they've made, and what they have in store for the future. Here is the host of YMI Talking from YMI Insurance, Jimi Honochick. All right. That is me,Jimi Honochick. And we are here with another episode of YMI Talking. Where I plan on doing almost no talking. Because you, Justin Keiper, have such an incredible story. You've got so much going on. You are possibly the busiest man in the Lehigh Valley. And I want to know everything about you and about what keeps you going. So Justin Keiper from Cantelmi funeral home and the funeral director there at Cantelmi long funeral home. Yes. Thank you for coming. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. So what does drive you? You are everywhere. All the time. Yeah. Super involved. I love following you on social media because I feel like I am everywhere. But what drives you? What keeps you going? So I think for me, I mean, the main thing is through what I do every day at work. I love helping people. I love getting to meet people, hearing their stories. There are some days where it can be heavy with what you're learning about people who passed away and the families and their experiences. So outside of work, I like to be involved. I like to be involved in the community, meet new people. And I always say, that's kind of like my fun and that's my escape from everything. But it's also still something that's doing good for the community, cause that's what it's all about. Absolutely. When I think about the funeral space, I feel like there's a lot of family legacies. Did you come from a family legacy, or did you just find this on your own? So I found it on my own. So, no families in the business. When I was 15 years old, my great grandmother passed away. And most people don't ever get to even meet their great grandparents. And I was lucky to have her for 15 years. And, funeral was the first funeral I ever went to for someone close to me. And, we're driving to the cemetery, and I said to my parents in the car, I'm like, I think I want to be a funeral director. And they were like, oh, okay, sleep on that one. You know, they're like, we'll revisit the. Yeah, exactly. And from that moment on, I just followed it. I went and sadowed at a few funeral homes. I went over to the community college to, to watch an embalming and kind of just get more experience, because all I knew was what the funeral director did for my family that day. I didn't really know all the behind the scenes part of it. And I fell in love with it. I mean, a lot of times in this profession, it's a calling, more so than anything. And I just feel like I was put on this earth to help people. And that's why I love what I do every day. That's incredible. What what sort of background do you need? I mean, is it biology or is it therapy? Like, it's probably all of it. Yeah, it's a little mix of everything. So in Pennsylvania, there's two mortuary schools. One is here in the Lehigh Valley, which is Northampton Community College, and the other one's out in Pittsburgh. So naturally, when I'm graduating from Liberty High School, I was like, I want to go to the one in Pittsburgh because I wanted to go away, get the college experience. So my parents appease me, we go out to the school out there, visit it, and we walk in and, you know, they have your information. And they were like, why? Why do you want to come here? And I'm like, I don't know. I want to be a funeral director. I feel like this is a good program. They're like, you've the best program right in your backyard. Wow. You know, like, we would encourage you to go to Northampton. And I'm like, all right. And that's all my parents need to hear. And me as well. And came back and it was the best decision I ever made. It truly was. I didn't really think of it like community college because I knew it was going to get me where I needed to be. Yeah, I was able to start my career early and stay here in the Valley to do it all. You know, being born and raised here and being a funeral director, you have these connections. And sometimes I sit down with the family, and I might not know them, but they knew my grandparents or they know a friend of mine. And there's some type of connection there, and that's what it's all about to really gain their trust. Because they're in a vulnerable spot when someone passes away and all they want to do is be able to trust that person. So it's it's very, very rewarding. At the end of the day. That's incredible. Yeah. I never would have considered a path like that. But hearing you talk about it, you can tell it's a calling like this is really something that spoke to you. Absolutely, absolutely. And I mean, it's it's a lot, you know, it's I there's long days and it's long hours and people reach out all the time. But at the end of the day, I know I'm making a difference for them. And it's crazy to think this is my 10th year already at the funeral home, and I'm starting to get a lot more of those repeat families. So families that I served maybe when I first started out and they come back in and they're talking and they're like, we'll never forget what you did when mom passed away. And we want you to do the same for us now for dad. And they save your cell phone number and they call me again. And, you know, it's just it brings it all back. But for me, knowing that, I really made that difference for them, and they built this trust with me to come back, is everything. I'm such a superficial person, and I really expected to not feel this way, but I'm feeling like emotional right now. Like I came ready with funeral jokes and now I'm realizing this is such like a serious. You're like, such an important person in the worst day of someone's life. Yeah. And it's, you know, one thing that my boss, you know, at Cantelmi, always has taught me over the years is you really have to be yourself. You know, when I was in mortuary school and graduated, they kind of kind of build you up with this wall a little bit. And it's kind of like you have to be this professional person. And so many people think when they come into a funeral home, they're going to meet with someone from, like, the Addams Family. You know, it's this dark, depressing place nobody wants to be there. But funeral service has really taken a turn where you have this celebration of life aspect, and most of the time, it's people who are coming in and they want to celebrate somebody. Yes, there are sad situations when it's something tragic that happens, but daily, it's a lot of times someone who is 80 or 90, they lived a long life and all they want to do is celebrate that now. So you kind of help them bring out things that people loved in their lifetime. And we play any type of music, you know, we do anything we can to make it all about that person, because personalization is everything right now. But yeah, it's just it it can be heavy, it can be emotional. But I've learned that it's okay to cry with families. I mean, there's things at funerals that get everybody bagpipes for, you know, people hear the bagpipes or they hear taps, and you look around and see everybody crying. So you can't help to get choked up yourself. Yeah. And people like that because they see that you're a real person, you know? Now, obviously I'm not standing there like sobbing my eyes out and forgetting. Yeah, I'm actually in charge of it all. But just knowing that they can relate to you anyway is is what really makes those relationships happen. All right. This is the longest I've ever allowed myself to be in my feelings. So we need to we need to move on from this. Do it. The Lehigh Valley. So you born, raised, born and raised in the valley. What have you seen in terms of progression or growth or just change in the Lehigh Valley over that time? I mean, the valleys changed tremendously. I mean, growing up here, it was a great place to grow up. You know, I went to I started out in Catholic school, soon transitioned to public school, and the public schools here. I mean, it's you become well-rounded. I mean, you meet people from all walks of life. So I ended up graduating from Liberty High School. You know, my graduating class had over 700 kids in it, and we all knew each other, you know, because you were together all the time. But it was all walks of life. Yeah. You saw and you dealt with, and I think it helped to make me more well-rounded. Growing up there wasn't, I feel like too many activities to do for, like, the youth around here. Definitely now, like being an adult. There's so much to do and so much to get involved in, and it's starting to help. And I think for me, I just want to make a difference for the next generation. So I go out, I just spoke at Liberty again and, it's it's a full circle moment when I walk in there and, you know, I remember sitting there as a, as a student listening to somebody come in, for your day or whatever it could be, and going back to do that for them now really makes that difference. And I think the community just needs to see that and see more people that want to make a difference for our youth, because they're the next generation that's coming up here. Yeah. And just the the buildings around here, everything that keeps happening, the charities that are starting the events, I mean, sometimes there's 2 or 3 events a night anymore and it is hard to keep up with it all. But I think that's what's really bringing us all together more. Yeah. And there's something for everyone. That's what the best part about it is. We're going to dive into the events because I know you're big on those, but I did a career day at my old high school recently, and I'm just I want to swap stories here. How did your’s go? So good and bad. Okay. I think the the good part, obviously for me, it felt great. I felt great being there. But as I'm talking, it was kind of like set up, like a panel. Okay. So there were like 3 or 4 of us on the stage, different careers. And, a lot of us were at Liberty graduates and we had a moderator. They asked us questions, and then the kids could ask questions. Well, you saw half the kids that were really involved and engaged. Then you saw the other half that were sleeping, had their headphones and playing on their phone. Yes. So at the end, they were like, we want each of you to leave them with like one, one thing they can take away from today. And my main thing to all them was a life flies by. Yeah, it really does. And that's one thing I learned being a funeral director. And you know, you can't take anything for granted. And I'm like, as you're sitting in this room here, I said, you might all think that this is a joke or this is, you know, you're not taking it seriously because I see half of you on your phones are sleeping. And I'm like, in a year from now, you're going to be in the real world. Yeah. And there's a lot that you're going to have to figure out for yourselves. And they kind of all woke up and and the teachers and the moderator, they were all like, that was great. Yeah. Because my mom works over at the school, too. Okay. So, I know a lot of the staff over there and they're like, this is what we deal with every day. And it's some of these kids, they don't have that at home. They need people in the community to really help them and help them grow and know what they're going to be getting into. Yeah. You know, and it's not necessarily, you know, to go to college all the time. There's different paths you can take. And it's just having these kids realize that. But definitely like the career fairs, I go to a few different schools for them and they're all different. Every single one, you know, from the charter schools to the public schools to the Catholic schools. Yeah. But, you get you get a group that's engaged, you get a group that's not. And just kind of how you take it, I needed you at mine is basically what I'm learning. Yes. Because ours was, you know, my high school, it's gotten very small. Notre Dame, Stroudsburg. Okay. And they did, I think eighth grade to 12th graders in the class. And that's a large group. An eighth graders don't care about what they do. And so it was a lot of kids where I'm like, and me being as annoying as I can be, like just trying to pull things out of air as best I could. Yeah. So next time I'll bring you. Yeah, yeah, any time, any time. But it is. It's hard for the kids sometimes. I mean, I was I would have been a junior when I decided that I wanted to do this. So when I went to a career fair myself where I'm like, I have no idea what I want to do. Yeah, you know, and yeah, you can walk around and do things. But I remember even when I was there, like you would be dressed to go to the career fair, you know, you had to look nice, you were going to meet people and you never knew where this meant because some of it was community service too. Well, now you go in these kids, it's just their hoods up, you know, they're walking around and it's literally recess for them. They're like, I'm out of class. And I'm like, but you are supposed to be going around meeting people and talking, and that's what you need in life. Yeah. And, you know, it's it's different for everyone. But I feel like for me, especially over the past ten years, that's the one thing that I've been trying to do more of is meeting people, getting out there and building my network as best as I can. Yeah, it sounds like you appreciated that at that age. I was definitely one of the punks at that age. Okay, so I've learned that you're right though, it is about going out and meet people and developing those. And it can be, you know, nerve wracking. You know, nobody wants to do certain things. And I remember even when I started as a funeral director, I hated public speaking. Yeah. And it was one thing I said all the time. And my boss and some of my other mentors are like, that's all you're going to be doing. You know, like you're leading a group of people. And I'm like, but I don't know. Then sometimes when I know people that are in the audience, it just makes me more nervous. Yeah. But I've learned the main thing is you just got to be yourself. You know, if you messed up. I've given speeches and I've fumbled over my words or something, and I'm like, all right, well, let's just take that back and we're going to start here again, you know? And it's just having people relate to you and be that normal person is all they want to see. Do you feel comfortable with public speaking now? I do, I do, I'm much better off script. You know, when I go to some of these events and, you know, they have a script up there for you to read, and it just that really gets to me, even if they send it beforehand and then practicing it, I'm much better off script, same because you can just be yourself. I did the mistake recently of I had a script and I would go off script and then try to get back into the script, and that would trip me up. Yes. Yes, exactly. Yeah. So I'm much better with, like, they can send me some bullet points before that. I know exactly kind of where they want me to go, the direction, but when I'm up there I just want to grab the microphone and talk. Yeah. You know, which I think you're very good at, let's talk about, you know, some of your involvement because that will fill up the entire podcast, I think, what, like what sparked this idea? Are your parents, you know, heavily involved? Like, where did just the passion for being involved come from? So first, first organization, first event fundraising I ever got involved with was Real Men Wear Pink for the American Cancer Society. That was back in 2018. I know, I jotted it down. Yeah. I was gonna ask you. Yeah. So that was kind of my introduction to this whole nonprofit world. And, Abby, Silphies has kind of been a mentor for me with that. I met her when she was there, and then soon after our campaign, she had left the cancer society and went over to the heart Association. I joined the Heart Association then. And now I serve as the chair of the board. And, it's funny to me because as things have developed with the heart Association, you know, my, my mom has had heart issues in the past, so it's something that's closer to me. And then two years ago, I had my own heart issue, and, it's really just become a passion of mine to really give back and help people. And along side of it, there's fun events that you can go to with it, you know, heart walk heart, all these galas who doesn't like to get dressed up and go out, you know, and have fun and and you're still meeting people, but you're doing it for a good cause. So the involvement, I think for me, it just it drives me. It really does. I want to be out there, meet more people, and just do anything I can for the community. When we talk about real men wear pink. That was your first foray into this? Yes. And it was hugely successful. Right. You set a goal of 60,000. Yeah. And you way you doubled it. It's. Well, so we we kind of do it as a class. So my year we had about I want to say there were like 15 of us. Okay. And you know yes. One person at the end gets named, you know, the real man. But for all of us, we all looked at it like we're all going to help each other as much as we can. So the Cancer Society had celebrity bartending events for us to go to. And then collectively, they announced what we all raise together. Yeah. And what I raised on my own, I was happy about. And for me, though, I'm not one of those that just reaches out to people and be like, you can donate on this thing and donate there. I like events, yeah. So I hosted events. You know, we did, a Halloween bar crawl, you know, and it was just stuff that people could come out. You're spreading the awareness of it, but it's also fun. It's giving that different aspect there. So fundraising campaigns I've done from there on out, that's always what I do. Yeah. And last year I did The Visionaries for LLS And, you know, one thing they stress is the the emails and the phone calls and the text because you're kind of triggering people. And from the beginning I said, I'm an events guy, I'm going to be doing events. And they're like, well, don't don't do too many that it's stressing you out with them. Like, oh, like they're going to be simple events. Like you could host a happy hour. You can host we had a bowling event. You know, things that just wont get people together. That's what it's about, you know? Yeah, I appreciate the larger donations that come in, but I still want those people to come out and really see what we're doing and how we're making a difference, and at the same time meeting new people. Yes. Are you good at putting those events together? Because I think that takes a certain person. I love the idea of us doing lots of events, but I just don't know the have the know how, I guess, to put it together. So you have to know the right people. Yeah. And the only reason I know the right people is because I've built that network now. So I get together with, you know, local restaurants, let's say. And, you know, edge has been a big supporter of mine. Karen and Megan over there are wonderful. And, they really whenever I, whenever I'm involved in a campaign, I reach out to them. They're like, all right, we got some ideas. Let's do this, this and that. And they do a bulk of the planning for you. And then on my end, it's just spreading the word about it. Yeah. Getting people there. Could they be stressful. Some of them when you're doing the raffles and everything. Yeah. But it all comes together, you know, and people want to help, and I have a good network of friends and my family that are supportive and helping me through all of it. So that's what makes the difference. How do you balance networking and building out a large network with intimate relationships? Because I feel like you do have both. And how do you how do you make that work? So I think I oh, that's a good question. Yes, I'm so I normally so when I go to a lot of these networking events, I normally go with someone who's really close to me or in my close network because you kind of have that cushion. Yeah. I've went to some of my own, and I feel like I don't come out of my shell as much because if I'm with someone else that I'm close with, we can kind of play the conversation off of each other. Yeah. To meet these other people. And, you know, you, you know, when you go to some of these networking events, some of them are at the business card event, you go and everyone's just passing their business cards out. And if that happens in the first ten minutes, I know that's not the right place. Right? You know, I want the conversation. I want the just casual just talking like we're doing here. It's I don't want it to feel like, here's my business card. Follow up with me tomorrow. We'll put a meeting on the calendar. We'll do this. We'll do that. Yeah. Now, sometimes you have to do that depending upon what you're trying to build. But I think for me, I, I've made friends, you know, one of my best friends right now, we met through networking and at a networking event, and we just hit it off. Yeah. And, you know, we've become super, super close over the past two years. And people say just all the time, they're like, feel like you guys have known each other forever. And we're like, it just clicked. Yeah. You know, it just clicked. And that's what it's about. It's organic relationship part. So that's kind of how I separate it in a sense, because I feel like I know yeah, I know right away if I'm going to really connect with the person or not. And, you know, I'm going to connect with everybody, right? But you can have a conversation with them. And sometimes I say, you kind of have to fake it till you make it in certain aspects of that. And, and my friends, again, they laugh at me because I'll be talking to someone and then conversation's over. We walk away and they're like, that was so fake. Like, it's not. It's just it's just like, you know, you have that professional side sometimes, right? So yeah. And I like I said, I think I just try to keep it organic, casual and just connect anyway I can. Yeah. Somebody and I will say this conversation feels organic and casual. Yeah. It does. Absolutely. Where what's next? Where are you going? I mean, you've you've accomplished a lot in a short career. Where do you see that continuing? So, I mean, definitely, as a funeral director, I would not want to be a funeral director anywhere else than my hometown. Because, again, it goes back to having those small connections and meeting people. So I think really focusing more so now, it's crazy to say. But on the giving back aspect, yes, I feel like giving back. Yeah. I've given back somewhat, but now it's like I built my career. I'm kind of at the point in my career where I wanted to get, so now I can focus more so on me. You know, I for the past ten years, everything was always work. And then my life. Yeah. I'm trying to reverse that now. Again, I kind of built my network at work. I have established myself as a community member with being a funeral director. So now it's just. It's just all about giving back, making time for myself and also doing things that I enjoy, you know, trying to travel more or do things with my friends more and get out experience. All there is to do here is there's so much to do. Do you have favorite things to do here? Yeah, I think some of my favorite things to do would be obviously we all know there's something new. It seems like opening up all the time, you know, whether it was like Archer Music Hall just opened or you have these new restaurants. I'm a foodie. My friends and I, we love to go out to eat, try new places, try new things. So whenever we see that, we go, yes, breweries, wineries, you know, all that, like anything like that, just to get out a little bit. But also like the networking events, I just, I love them, I live for them, I love them, and again, I know in the first five minutes I'm there, if it's when I want to stay out or leave. Yeah. No. That's great. I don't go deep on this, but here we are. You have unlocked this in me. All right. Are you a spiritual person? I mean, given kind of your career, I feel like. Yeah, I would say yes. Yeah. You know, it's funny. People ask me. People ask me that question a lot, and or they'll ask me the question of, do you know what you want when you pass away? You know, because sometimes with an unexpected passing, I'm sitting down with the family and they say to me, we never really talked about. So we don't know if mom would want cremation or a traditional funeral. And I'm like, well, talk to me a little bit. And we talk and we kind of make it that conversation. And then I'm like, I feel like where we're kind of going is with this route, you know, and cremation can give families time. But for me, being spiritual, yes. You know, I mean, people from all walks of life, I mean people, all different religions. I am Catholic, but I think more so on that spiritual aspect of it where there is something after this, you know, and I'm not like a crazy, you know, ghost hunter or anything like that. But I do believe there's something after this and what it is, I don't know. Yeah. And when I think about it, do I get kind of nervous or scared sometimes. Yeah, I do, but then I see I see these people when they come in our care and they look so peaceful sometimes. And then you learn from the family about what struggles they may have had or what was happening. And for me, I think the most, the most spiritual part of me would be that as I get older, no matter what I do, if I don't have a quality of life any more, then that's it. Yeah. And I, I'm a big believer in, like, if you ever heard of assisted suicide, for example. So, there was a girl, a few years back. It was a few years before Covid, and, she lived down the West Coast and she was diagnosed with the glioblastoma. It was terminal, and she was only in her 30s. And she had known that. She's like, you make a decision for everything else in your life. Why can't you decide how you're going to die, too? Yeah. She was I'm not going to get better at any point. Yeah, but I don't want my family to watch me suffer and nor do I want to suffer. She goes, I'm going to know when my body's had enough. And she actually ended up moving states. She moved to Washington state, and because it was legal there. Yeah. And she kept sharing her story. I mean, she was on Good Morning America. She was on all these shows, and it was just inspiring. Yeah. Everyone would ask her, how do you pick the day? Like, how do you. And she goes, it's not like I'm going to say, okay, six months from now before I start, I'm going to do this. You know? She was like, I'm just going to know when I've had enough, when my body's changing with this illness. And she goes, we do it for our pets. You know, you go to the vet and they say there's not really much else we can do. You know, you should consider putting your dog to sleep or putting your sleep. And she's like, I want to do that for myself. And she ended up doing it and she had all her family come over. They all saw her. She was able to actually say goodbye to them. Wow. And that's that was it. And I'm like, that's the spiritual side for me. There is something there, and a lot of times people even call me and they're like, my mom's been on hospice for this long. We don't know why she's not passing yet. And I'm like, give her some space. You know, like step out of the room for a minute. You know, people, some people, they they know you're there. You know, they might not be able to talk to you, but they hear you. They can, you know, if you touch their hand, they can feel you. But they don't want to pass in front of you. They want to do it on their own terms. So I'll say to them, like, just if you're at the hospital, leave the room for five minutes, walk down the in the hallway or go to the cafeteria or something, and people do it and the person passes. And a lot of times people pass in the middle of the night. And I think it's because they know that. They know their family's going to be upset. So if they're there and watching it in that moment for that person, it's not comforting for their family who they're leaving behind. So that to me is the spiritual side of it. Yeah. And it is something out there. And hospice to me is a remarkable thing. And I've heard so many amazing stories from hospice nurses and hospice doctors. And if I ever got out of this line of work, that's where I would go. Just, you know, to help people or do anything I can to hear their stories. Because people really, you know, they have a lot of stories out there. And I'm amazed when I sit with a family and they'll start saying stuff about this person. I'm like, wow. I'm like, who knew you could even do half of these things for their lifetime? And obviously the world is totally different today than it was, you know, 80 years ago. But hearing how those people grew up and when, you know, they were just drafted automatically to the military and things that they saw over time, like, it's just remarkable. But that always lives on in people. Yeah. And I think for me, the spiritual side of it would more so be I don't think people can come back and haunt you or anything like that. When people say that. And I think it's just more so like you can carry that person forward so long as you keep talking about them, you're keeping their spirit alive, man, that's as real or as deep as we've ever gotten here. That's incredible though. Thank you. It really is. And you are doing a real you know, you're making the world a better place for sure. I appreciate that. Absolutely. Because I couldn't do it. Yeah. I would not calm any family, that's for sure. We are almost out of time, which is awful. But we always, you know, we're sponsored by Z Craft and they're incredible caterers. They are incredible coffee makers. And they you go there, you get a sip of coffee, but sometimes sip happens. And we like to ask our guests, you know, when was the time that sip happened to you? So I have a funny story. People love this story. So many people that story. So, you know, obviously as a funeral director most of the day is it's very serious and everything like that. So some people come in and they want to do something different at their funeral. And I had a family. They wanted to do a dove release. We have the dove release. And, what what happens with the doves is a lot of times there's 3 or 4 of them, let's say, and there's one dove that represents the person that just passed, and then there's 3 or 4 that represent the people that passed before that. So the the man who comes and does it, he'll release the 3 or 4 and then one family member's holding one, and the daughter's holding the bird. And it was a big you know, everyone's there. And then he reads a poem and says, you know, mom passed, dad passed, and now she's going to join them. Yeah. And then that's when the daughter releases the bird. Well, bird died. No bird. Oh, And it was I. In the moment, I'm like, oh, no. And then she just releases it and obviously it just goes right down, you know, and I've seen these videos. Yeah. You know, people send it to me all the time. Things like mistakes at funerals or funny funeral things that have happened. Because again, you're in the moment. You can't control things. Especially a bird. Yeah. You know, and so the bird went down and everyone immediately just looks at me. And in the moment I'm like, what am I going to say to these people? Yeah. You know, and obviously to no, it wasn't anything I did. Right. You know. And I'm just like, well, you know, we'll give the we won't give the bird some time. Let's I'll put our flowers on the cast. Yeah. Kind of move on with things. And then the next day, one of my friends who I went mortuary school with sends me this TikTok. She's like, oh, my God, look at this. It was mine. No. And I'm like, she sent it to me and I'm watching it. And I start zooming in on something. Oh my God, I'm like, that was my funeral. So I said back to I'm like, that's my fear. She was just it's going viral right now. And I'm like, well, please tell me, don't show my face. She goes, no, it literally just goes on the bird. You know, it was that TikTok song that's like, oh no. Oh yeah, yeah, it's just the bird going down. Everyone's faces just like dropping down to the ground. But yeah, I mean, stuff like that can happen. And again, though, I think being out in the community, meeting people, talking with people, yeah, I can adapt and know kind of what to say in the moment. And again, sometimes you don't know what to say in your speechless. Yes. There's been times a few years where I'm just like, well, I don't know. Here we go. Here we are. You know? And, people just need to see that real side of you. So. But yeah, that would be, that would be a funny thing that happened. That's amazing. Happened. Yeah. That was very good. It does happen. Yeah it does. It really does. Justin, is there anything we didn't hit that we should have hit anything you want to talk about? No, I mean I think we covered a lot. I think just if I can almost leave, like a word of advice for people and, you know, the listeners is just get out there and get involved, you know, and there's something for everyone. There's organized sessions that I try to be a part of, or things I've tried to do that weren't the right fit. And you learn that over time. And, you know, I just tell people I'm honest with them and that organization like it just doesn't feel right for me. But also make time for yourself. Yeah. That's most important. You know, I have started, you know, kind of saying no and kind of doing things and being part of organizations or events that have some type of true, true meaning to me. They're all wonderful and there's so much good here, but you can't be everywhere. And you also have to take care of yourself. And, there's a lot of people in my life that tell me that all the time, so they're probably laughing right now. I just said that. Yeah, I'm giving that advice, but it is something that I'm working on. And, if you're not, if you're not good at, we say at the funeral home all the time, the caregiver needs care too. Yeah. You know, and we look at ourself like a caregiver sometimes to these families. But when you have a lot of funerals going on or something, you need a moment to because you can't be your best self, you know, without taking care of yourself. Yeah. Summer of Justin.. Yes. Yes, exactly. Good. Well, Justin, thank you so much for coming on here. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. This was truly one of the deepest, best, you know, conversations that we've had. So I really appreciate it. Absolutely awesome. Thank you. Thanks for listening to another episode of the YMI Talking podcast. If you enjoyed this and want to hear more content from amazing personalities in the Valley, please subscribe, leave a rating and drop us a quick review.