Where do we start? If the PR team wanted to describe us, they might say, “Karen Bussen, a celebrity event planner, met Elizabeth Meyer Karansky, a funeral industry superstar…” but really, we’re just Karen and Liz. We like silly jokes and cool fashion. We love helping people. We finish each other’s egg sandwiches. It’s true, we come to this life-changing project from two different career paths, but we share one mission: to completely transform the experience of planning for end-of-life.
What We Do
Well, before we tell you what we do, let's tell you what we did...
After more than fifteen years in the events and entertaining world, basically Karen had a dream career and a pretty rad life as a designer, consultant and globe-trotting bon vivant (Coucou! she also speaks French). But when her younger sister suddenly found herself in the middle of a serious health crisis, things changed. Karen started thinking about how death fits into our lives and why we're so afraid to talk about it. The great news: Karen's sister came through her illness, and you can listen to her story on this emotional episode of Farewelling: The Podcast. The other great news: Karen's deeper dive into the nature of mortality and what it all means was the genesis for Farewelling.
Now Liz on the other hand, she's been a uniquely bright voice in the world of funerals for more than a decade. Yep, Liz is a funeral director. Just so happens she also wrote a memoir about how she came to her vocation. It's called "Good Mourning" and you can find it here.
One spring day, Karen invited Liz for a coffee, and three hours later they had shared a whole pot. Turns out, their views on end-of-life were in sync (basically, we need to talk about it and plan for it more openly and personally!). When Liz mentioned she was about to get married, they both laughed at the irony of the situation. After all, Karen was a wedding planner trying to start a funeral-related business, and Liz was a funeral pro planning a New York City wedding.
Okay. So with all that said, let's get back to "What We Do." What we do is...we're a women-led company out to transform funeral- and end-of-life planning into a much improved experience—one that is organized and streamlined but also full of personal details that reflect the individual's values and their style. We call the whole thing “farewelling,” and we want to be your guides on this part of our human journey. We believe that living fully and celebrating a beautiful life, beautifully, go hand in hand. What we're trying to do is very simple. We just want to change the world!
Internationally recognized entertaining expert Karen Bussen has been a leader in the celebration sphere for more than fifteen years, producing one-of-a-kind events for A-listers and luminaries of business and culture, and creating unforgettable experiences in travel and entertaining. With Farewelling, she shifts her focus to a personal passion--changing perspectives around one of our most personal human journeys.
Elizabeth Meyer Karansky
Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer
A licensed funeral director with an MBA and a certificate in Thanatology (the study of death, dying and bereavement), Elizabeth Karansky brings a decade of expertise and personal passion to the Farewelling mission. She is dedicated to helping us all understand and open up to new ideas around end of life planning, and to leading the way for industry providers as they innovate and personalize the celebration of a beautiful life.
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