From Wall Street to Death Tech: How Rachel Edwards is Changing How We Handle Loss

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things a person can go through. In the heavy fog of grief, families suddenly have to become project managers. They must figure out a confusing maze of funeral homes, legal paperwork, and closed bank accounts. It is a lonely and overwhelming process. Recently, Niki Weiss sat down with Rachel Edwards on the Digital Legacy Podcast to talk about a better way forward. Rachel is the CEO and Founder of Gravely. But she did not start her career in the end-of-life industry. Her journey from the fast-paced worlds of fashion and finance into "death tech" is a deeply personal story. She turned her own heartbreak into a mission to help others. A Career Built in Fashion and Finance Rachel’s path as a business owner is very unique. She has started three companies, invested in others, and given advice to new businesses. Her career began in fashion technology, where she built and sold her own styling business. After that success, Rachel shifted gears completely. She joined the team at J.P. Morgan’s investment bank. There, she helped new companies raise money to grow. She was doing great in a high-pressure corporate world. Then, life took a sudden and devastating turn. A Heartbreaking Turning Point Rachel’s move into the end-of-life space started with a personal tragedy. When her father passed away at age 77, her family was completely unprepared. Because her parents were divorced and her father was not a planner, there were no clear instructions left behind. As the oldest child, the massive pile of paperwork and planning fell onto Rachel's shoulders. She suddenly had to clean up a complex mess while trying to deal with her own deep grief. Coming out of that painful experience, she realized the system was broken. She knew there had to be a better way to support people dealing with loss. Building Gravely for Grieving Families Rachel used her grief and her business background to create a solution. She founded a company called Gravely to support families in the death care space. It is designed to be the very first place a family goes during the difficult first 72 hours after a loss. Instead of a confusing maze, Gravely provides a clear list of the steps you need to take. It helps families understand what services should cost. The site connects users with the right professionals and helps with complicated tasks like closing bank accounts. It even acts as a shared workspace, so you can safely invite other family members to help share the heavy workload. Finding Support in Shared Stories To build a truly helpful tool, Rachel knew she needed to understand the struggles of other grieving families. She took a chance and posted a simple request on LinkedIn. She asked if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with loss. The response was huge. Complete strangers reached out to her. They were willing to jump on a video call and cry for thirty minutes just to share their stories. This incredible response proved a heartbreaking truth. People are desperate for a safe space to talk about death and grief without being judged. It showed Rachel that her mission was not just a business, but a vital public service. Using Doubt as Fuel Building a new technology company comes with unique hurdles, especially in a sensitive space like death care. Rachel openly discussed the realities of being a female business owner. She noted that women and minority founders often have to be prepared to be underestimated in the tech world. Critics might unfairly blame a female founder's success on her looks or connections, rather than her hard work and smarts. However, Rachel uses this doubt as powerful fuel. She uses it to prove her critics wrong. Her ultimate goal is simply to make the world a better place for people in their darkest hours. Thinking About the Future as Self-Care When people learn about Rachel's new career, they often ask how she handles such a heavy topic every single day. But Rachel views her work in a very positive way. She believes that thinking about death forces us to think deeply about our lives. Knowing we will not live forever makes us question how we are spending our time. It makes us ask if we are truly present with the people we love. Rachel encourages people to view planning ahead as a key part of their overall health and wellness. It is not a sad chore, but a deep act of self-care. Small Steps to Protect Your Family Rachel’s story is a powerful reminder that planning ahead is the ultimate gift you can leave for your family. By getting organized today, you save your loved ones from the heavy workload she had to carry. Consider taking a few small steps this week: Start the Conversation: Talk to your family about their wishes. Use Rachel's story as a gentle way to start the chat. Change Your Mindset: Treat your planning as a wellness activity. Grab a comforting cup of tea and spend just fifteen minutes organizing your papers. Share the Work: Do not carry the burden alone. Find trusted friends or family members who can help manage the tasks if a crisis happens. To hear Rachel Edwards’ full inspiring story, listen to her conversation with Niki Weiss on the latest episode of the Digital Legacy Podcast. You can also connect with her team on social media at @meetgravely or explore their helpful platform at http://withgravely.com.

About This Blog

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things a person can go through. In the heavy fog of grief, families suddenly have to become project managers. They must figure out a confusing maze of funeral homes, legal paperwork, and closed bank accounts. It is a lonely and overwhelming process.

Recently, Niki Weiss sat down with Rachel Edwards on the Digital Legacy Podcast to talk about a better way forward. Rachel is the CEO and Founder of Gravely. But she did not start her career in the end-of-life industry. Her journey from the fast-paced worlds of fashion and finance into "death tech" is a deeply personal story. She turned her own heartbreak into a mission to help others.



A Career Built in Fashion and Finance

Rachel’s path as a business owner is very unique. She has started three companies, invested in others, and given advice to new businesses. Her career began in fashion technology, where she built and sold her own styling business.

After that success, Rachel shifted gears completely. She joined the team at J.P. Morgan’s investment bank. There, she helped new companies raise money to grow. She was doing great in a high-pressure corporate world. Then, life took a sudden and devastating turn.



A Heartbreaking Turning Point

Rachel’s move into the end-of-life space started with a personal tragedy. When her father passed away at age 77, her family was completely unprepared. Because her parents were divorced and her father was not a planner, there were no clear instructions left behind.

As the oldest child, the massive pile of paperwork and planning fell onto Rachel's shoulders. She suddenly had to clean up a complex mess while trying to deal with her own deep grief. Coming out of that painful experience, she realized the system was broken. She knew there had to be a better way to support people dealing with loss.



Building Gravely for Grieving Families

Rachel used her grief and her business background to create a solution. She founded a company called Gravely to support families in the death care space. It is designed to be the very first place a family goes during the difficult first 72 hours after a loss.

Instead of a confusing maze, Gravely provides a clear list of the steps you need to take. It helps families understand what services should cost. The site connects users with the right professionals and helps with complicated tasks like closing bank accounts. It even acts as a shared workspace, so you can safely invite other family members to help share the heavy workload.



Finding Support in Shared Stories

To build a truly helpful tool, Rachel knew she needed to understand the struggles of other grieving families. She took a chance and posted a simple request on LinkedIn. She asked if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with loss. The response was huge.

Complete strangers reached out to her. They were willing to jump on a video call and cry for thirty minutes just to share their stories. This incredible response proved a heartbreaking truth. People are desperate for a safe space to talk about death and grief without being judged. It showed Rachel that her mission was not just a business, but a vital public service.



Using Doubt as Fuel

Building a new technology company comes with unique hurdles, especially in a sensitive space like death care. Rachel openly discussed the realities of being a female business owner. She noted that women and minority founders often have to be prepared to be underestimated in the tech world.

Critics might unfairly blame a female founder's success on her looks or connections, rather than her hard work and smarts. However, Rachel uses this doubt as powerful fuel. She uses it to prove her critics wrong. Her ultimate goal is simply to make the world a better place for people in their darkest hours.



Thinking About the Future as Self-Care

When people learn about Rachel's new career, they often ask how she handles such a heavy topic every single day. But Rachel views her work in a very positive way. She believes that thinking about death forces us to think deeply about our lives.

Knowing we will not live forever makes us question how we are spending our time. It makes us ask if we are truly present with the people we love. Rachel encourages people to view planning ahead as a key part of their overall health and wellness. It is not a sad chore, but a deep act of self-care.



Small Steps to Protect Your Family

Rachel’s story is a powerful reminder that planning ahead is the ultimate gift you can leave for your family. By getting organized today, you save your loved ones from the heavy workload she had to carry. Consider taking a few small steps this week:

  • Start the Conversation: Talk to your family about their wishes. Use Rachel's story as a gentle way to start the chat.

  • Change Your Mindset: Treat your planning as a wellness activity. Grab a comforting cup of tea and spend just fifteen minutes organizing your papers.

  • Share the Work: Do not carry the burden alone. Find trusted friends or family members who can help manage the tasks if a crisis happens.

To hear Rachel Edwards’ full inspiring story, listen to her conversation with Niki Weiss on the latest episode of the Digital Legacy Podcast. You can also connect with her team on social media at @meetgravely.

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Rediscovering the Art of Dying: How a Forgotten Practice Is Making a Digital Comeback

In the age of rapid innovation and hyper-connectivity, we spend vast amounts of energy preparing for the next big life moment: new jobs, marriages, births, even retirement. Yet, the one event that touches every human life—death—remains shrouded in silence. But this is changing. A new wave of thinkers, practitioners, and technologists are leading a resurgence in how we confront and integrate death into our modern lives. In the most recent episode of The Digital Legacy Podcast, host Niki Weiss and grief expert Michelle Desmond, MBA, MS explore this movement and reexamine the ancient practice of dying well—and its rebirth in the digital age.
Embracing the Unseen: How a Neurodivergent Perspective Transforms Our View of Death and Grief

The topic of death, often shrouded in silence and discomfort, can feel like an insurmountable mountain for many. We shy away from conversations about end-of-life planning, leaving loved ones to navigate a labyrinth of decisions during their most vulnerable moments. Yet, what if our perception of death, and our reluctance to confront it, is rooted in how our brains are wired? This profound question was at the heart of a recent illuminating discussion on the Digital Legacy Podcast, where Niki Weiss sat down with Ryan Bell, a family service advisor at Dignity Memorial. Ryan, who identifies as neurodivergent, offers a truly unique and deeply empathetic perspective on death, grief, and the unexpected gifts they can hold. Ryan Bell’s journey into the death care space was not a straight path, nor was it born from a childhood ambition. Like many life-altering callings, it emerged from personal tragedy and a subsequent journey of self-discovery. Starting in 2021, Ryan experienced an intense period of loss: the death of a friend from congestive heart failure, another to a heroin overdose, the passing of an abusive family member, and the ending of a toxic relationship. These "four very different types of grief," as he describes them, converged into an overwhelming season. Understanding Neurodivergence and Grief It was during this time that Ryan sought help for depression and anxiety, leading to a pivotal diagnosis of autism, ADHD, and Tourette's. This revelation, though not an immediate "light bulb" moment, began to unravel the mystery of why his brain was "wired differently." He realized that his neurodivergent mind processes information from the "bottom up," requiring him to understand every piece of a puzzle before grasping the whole picture. For his own mental well-being, this meant becoming an expert in grief. "If I don't understand this, I can't get past it," Ryan reflected, describing his need to delve deep into the mechanics of loss and toxic patterns. This intense, detail-oriented approach to understanding grief became his superpower, transforming a period of immense pain into a profound insight into the human experience of loss. For neurotypical individuals, the default approach to problems is often "top-down," focusing on the holistic rather than the granular. But for those like Ryan, who have often felt like "aliens in their own skin," disconnected from a world that isn't always welcoming, the bottom-up processing of end-of-life topics can be transformative. It allows for a dismantling of the fear and unknown, replacing it with an almost scientific, philosophical exploration. The Gift of Planning: Easing Burden and Embracing Life Ryan's role as a family service advisor is to help people pre-arrange their funeral and cemetery plans. He witnesses daily the stark contrast between families who have planned ahead and those who haven't. When a loved one dies unexpectedly, the surviving family members are often in a state of crisis, struggling with multiple burdens: financial decisions, emotional turmoil, and the sheer administrative weight of managing a life that has ended. "When you're grieving, you're running two different operating systems," Ryan explained. "Both of those operating systems, there's a new operating system that shows up and the old operating system's exhausted." His mission is simple: to make this excruciating process easier. Pre-planning removes a significant portion of this burden, allowing families to grieve without the added stress of immediate, complex decisions. The conversation with Niki also touched upon the common, yet misguided, sentiment: "Dead is dead. What do I care? They can figure it out." Ryan passionately refuted this, highlighting the immense logistical and emotional toll left on those who remain. The idea that "you're still carrying that person with you on your journey" emphasizes that planning isn't just for the deceased, but a profound act of love and care for the living. It provides comfort, ensures wishes are honored, and allows for a more focused grieving process. Death as a Catalyst for Life and Curiosity One of Ryan's most profound insights is his assertion that "death is life." By acknowledging that death is an inevitable part of our journey, we can paradoxically live more fully. This isn't about morbid fascination, but about embracing our finite existence as a motivator to connect deeply with the world, our relationships, and our spirituality. He draws a beautiful analogy to serpentine walls, which, despite their curves, are more stable and require fewer bricks than straight walls. Our emotional "downs," like the curves in the wall, can lead to new heights of understanding. Grief, therefore, becomes an opportunity for growth, a "gift" that compels us to go inward, to address unresolved traumas, and to connect with our innermost selves. The evolving landscape of funeral rituals also excites Ryan. He encourages families to break away from rigid traditions and personalize memorial services in ways that truly reflect the deceased. From playing Jimmy Buffett at a funeral to simply curating a Google Drive of cherished photos, these small acts of personalization transform a somber occasion into a meaningful tribute and a shared moment of connection. The Future of Grief: AI and Ethical Considerations The discussion ventured into the realm of AI, specifically "grief bots." Ryan, ever the curious explorer, saw potential within ethical parameters. While acknowledging that AI can never replicate a human soul, he believes these tools could serve as another facet of remembrance, a way to interact with echoes of a loved one's personality or words. He underlined the importance of responsible creation and ensuring such tools support healthy grieving processes, rather than prolonging stagnation. Ultimately Ryan's message is one of empowerment and curiosity. By embracing our "bottom-up" understanding, we can dismantle the fear surrounding death, plan thoughtfully, and transform grief into an opportunity for profound self-discovery and connection. It’s about being easy on ourselves, listening to our internal voices, and recognizing that even in the deepest sorrow, there is an invitation for growth. To learn more from Ryan Bell's compassionate approach and insights into end-of-life planning, you can find him @RyanBellGuide on Instagram. Listen to the full episode with Niki Weiss on the Digital Legacy Podcast for more invaluable discussions on navigating death in the digital age.
Why Talking About Death Helps Us Live More Fully

Death is one of the few certainties we all share, yet it remains one of the hardest things to talk about. We will happily plan a wedding for a year, but we will not spend a single afternoon talking about how we want to be cared for at the end. Recently, Niki Weiss sat down with Jill McClennen, a death doula and end of life educator, on the Digital Legacy Podcast. Their conversation was honest, warm, and surprisingly hopeful. Finding a Calling at the Bedside Jill’s path began with a loss. She moved across the country to care for her 90 year old grandmother, who was later diagnosed with cancer. The final night at home, before hospice arrived, was frightening and confusing. A hospice nurse helped Jill understand that what she was seeing was natural. That moment of guidance changed everything, and Jill realized this was the work she was meant to do. What a Death Doula Really Does Many people picture a death doula sitting quietly at a bedside. Jill explained that a doula is a trained companion who supports people through the end of life, much the way a birth doula supports new parents. But most of her work happens long before the final days. It looks like honest conversations, helping families get clear on what matters to them while there is still time to decide. Why We Look Away Niki and Jill explored a strange contradiction. Our culture is fascinated by death on television and in true crime stories, yet many of us cannot bear to discuss our own wishes. Part of the reason is that death is no longer woven into daily life the way it once was. We are more removed from it, so it feels unfamiliar and frightening. Jill believes that naming it, out loud and often, is how we begin to take away its power. Understanding the Final Days For families sitting with a dying loved one, the unknown can be the hardest part. Jill gently described what the active dying phase often looks like. This is the natural process the body moves through in the last days of life. A person may sleep much more and eat or drink very little. There can be a brief surge of energy that families sometimes mistake for recovery, known as the rally. Breathing may change as well. Jill reassures families that these signs are normal and not painful, even when they are hard to witness. Knowing what to expect, she says, turns fear into understanding. Having a Say in Your Own Care Jill also helps people understand the choices that can exist at the end of life. Some people reach a point where they feel ready, even as their body continues on. In certain states, a person with a terminal diagnosis may explore medical aid in dying (MAid), a legal option in some states, that involves careful evaluation by physicians. Another path, recognized as legal options across the United States, is the choice to voluntarily stop eating and drinking (VSED). What moved her most was a quiet truth. For many people, simply knowing an option exists brings peace, even when they never use it. The sense of having a choice can be its own comfort. Small Steps You Can Take Today Jill’s advice was simple and kind. You do not have to solve everything in one sitting. You just have to begin the conversation. Here are a few gentle steps: Ask a loved one one easy question, such as what matters most to them at the end of life. Write down a few of your own wishes, even informally, so they are not left to guesswork. Learn any terms that are new to you, so you can make informed choices with the right professionals. Listen to the full conversation with Jill McClennen on the Digital Legacy Podcast, and learn more about her work at endoflifeclarity.com or through her own podcast, Seeing Death Clearly. When you are ready to put your own wishes and plans in order, visit finalplaybook.com for more ENDevo resources. Live fully, die ready.
Green Burials: A Return to Natural Death Care Practices

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