Katie Costello - Soul Midwife and Funeral Celebrant

24/11/2025

I had some tote bags made! Now I did this for 2 reasons, 1) to obviously make sure folks know there is such a person/business as me to help them, and 2) to get folks attention and make the term ‘end of life’ something you see on a random Monday on the train home from work. And today, it worked.

I am not trying to be antagonistic, I am trying to be brave with nothing but love, this is for the greater good.

So many people tell me they wish they could speak more openly about this stuff. They worry about how it’ll land, what people might think, whether it’ll go down well and understandably do not want to upset anyone. But the truth is, none of us can control that. Not with any conversation, ever, and especially not with something as tender and sensitive as death and dying.

What I can say is this: don’t underestimate how many people actually want to talk or learn. Don’t be shocked by how many welcome the chance. Of course, some won’t. Some may find it too much. Please trust me when I say that actually, for every few who don’t want to see it, there are at least double the amount who do. But again, you have no business knowing where everyone is at, at any given moment.

We assume nobody wants these conversations… but so many people do, or they at least want to listen and learn.

So if you ever find yourself thinking, ‘I wish I could share that, but I’m not sure how it’ll be received’, please share it. You are trying to help and make a difference and you will. There will always be people who appreciate your courage. And for the ones who don’t, that’s ok, we are all dealing with stuff, and we genuinely send them nothing but love.

Everything I put out into the world is for the greater good and a deep rooted intention to make a loving difference - even on a tote bag 🛍️💖

24/11/2025

Series 2 might have wrapped… but I’m back with TWO powerful BONUS episodes! Episode 15 of Dying for a Cuppa®️The Podcast with Bec Hadman is out NOW 🎙️❤️

First up is a conversation with Bec, one half of the incredible duo behind the Room to Grieve podcast. This episode is tender, raw, and honestly tough in places. Beck talks about her son Bradley, who died at 18 from a brain tumour. She shares his story openly: who he was, what he loved, his diagnosis, his courage, and the nearly year long journey that followed.

‼️ It’s emotional. There’s swearing. You’ll want a big mug of tea or coffee and a slice of cake that could double as a doorstop.

Bec speaks with such honesty about her experience of supporting Bradley, it is incredibly powerful.

Every episode this season has been heartfelt, but child loss - it lands differently. So go gently with this one, and please do check out the brilliant women over at Room to Grieve on YouTube and wherever you find your podcasts.

Next week, I’ll be talking with Karen about her daughter Emily - another incredible mother, another story of love, heartbreak, and the individuality of grief. Bec and Karen’s journeys are very different, but their friendship, their honesty, and the way they hold each other through loss is something truly special.

So settle in, listen to Bec and Bradley’s story, and get ready for Karen and Emily next week.

23/11/2025

Dying for a Cuppa®️The Podcast is reaching folks around the world and it is all thanks to YOU. Please keep listening, liking, rating, sharing, following etc, it is making more of a difference than you know 🙏🏼🎙️❤️

22/11/2025

So I might have 2 extra bonus episodes coming your way!! 2 wonderful women I had hoped to chat with but we never got round to getting a date to record booked in, but now we have!

We have 2 very emotional episodes coming, 2 raw and honest episodes about 2 similar but totally different experiences of loss. First one drops on Monday morning 🤩🎙️❤️

Thank you so much for all the love and support so far for the podcast folks, it is so SO appreciated. Feedback has been incredible and so valuable so please keep your thoughts coming. If you’re wondering how you can help spread the word, here are the 4 things you can do on Spotify that will REALLY help.

Firstly, make sure you are ‘following’ the podcast, this will keep it handy in your library and easy to find.

Secondly, if you click on the little bell, it will go green and you then get notifications about what’s happening and when new episodes are released!

If you can then go to the 3 little dots, here you can SHARE the podcast with people and also ‘rate’ it. It comes up with 5 stars and you select your rating (all 5 would be absolutely fantastic if you don’t mind)
This then adds to the little number next to 5 stars at the top left there, which means I reach more folks who might need a listen to this.

If you can do all this jazz on Amazon and Apple too that would be incredible 🙏🏼

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU ❤️

21/11/2025

My day today supporting a celebration of life in a pub following a direct cremation. There are many ways you can still gather (some that I have supported I share here) even if a person has opted for a seperate cremation, and you can do that before or after the event, in which ever way you chose. Today is national and the theme is so any questions, I’m here… ❤️

21/11/2025

Today is National Funeral Celebrants Day! This year’s theme is ‘Ask a Funeral Celebrant’

If you follow any other celebrants, you’ll probably see a lot of us popping up on your feed today! Me and my lovely celebrant pals are all doing our bit to educate, reassure, and open up the conversation around funerals, farewells, and celebrations of life.

We’re a passionate bunch, and we care deeply about people knowing just how many options they actually have.

You’re not boxed in (pun intended!)

You can shape a farewell in a way that feels right for you, your family, and the person you’re honouring. There are far more possibilities than most people realise.

So if you’ve ever wondered ‘Can we…?’ chances are, yes, you can. If you think ‘I’d really like to do….’ Please know, yes you can!

So today, pop your questions below. I’ll happily answer anything you’re curious about ❤️

20/11/2025

The love never goes away 🙏🏼❤️

19/11/2025

If you have a few minutes and have a read, I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks to the folks at whiteballoonfuneralhub, I absolutely love working you all 🙏🏼❤️

In today’s Guest Blog, we hear from Funeral Celebrant and Soul Midwife Katie Costello about her mission to give people the tools and confidence to talk about end of life and death. Katie shares with us her thoughts and insights about the importance of open conversations and of planning ahead.

This weekend, Katie joined us for a brilliant panel discussion for Lifting the Lid International Festival of Death & Dying, alongside John Adams, Jess May and Dr Bill Webster. The theme was ‘Creating meaningful goodbyes in a changing landscape’ and so many important topics were covered.

We look forward to sharing insights from this talk in the coming week, including a Guest Blog from John Adams, ‘Beyond the Silence: Reflections from Australia’.

To read Katie’s Guest Blog, please visit our Blog at https://www.whiteballoon.co.uk/blog/.

Thank you Katie for sharing your thoughts and insights with us. 💙

Katie Costello - Soul Midwife and Funeral Celebrant Lifting The Lid Festival of Death and Dying John Adams May

17/11/2025

FINAL EPISODE OF DYING FOR A CUPPA®️THE PODCAST - SERIES 2 - IS OUT NOW 🎙️❤️

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a funeral directors? Have you ever thought to ask what care your person receives after the funeral directors collects them? Do you understand the natural processes of the body after someone dies?

Here I discuss all that AND MUCH MORE with the brilliant Judith Dandy from Dandelion Farewells Funeral Directors in Wisborough Green, West Sussex. At the heart of their business is an unhurried approach, listening to what is important to YOU, and a willingness to openly share with you a wealth of knowledge and understanding, allowing you to make the choices that feel right to you.

A modern business, they provide a sensitive, personalised approach to funeral and after death care, mindful of the many choices that are available and guiding you through the important decisions that need to be made.

You will see and feel all this in Judith’s sharing here. As always, please be mindful we talk very openly about death and in this case, physical bodies that have died. Not in a gruesome way, but in a real and supportive way to offer information and support understanding.

I think you will be surprised how you feel after listening and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.

That is me done now for a break for Christmas. But panic not, I’ll be back in late January with SERIES 3 with more honesty, more information, more heartfelt stories and more perspectives to share🎙️ ☕️ ❤️

https://dandelionfarewells.com/
https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/

16/11/2025

What a BRILLIANT panel to be a part of this afternoon in the - a whole weekend of all things death and dying. What better way to spend a weekend! 🤩 So much learning, connection and understanding, huge HUGE thank you for creating such a great panel Jo and team, for the Death Doula chat today. I absolutely loved it 🙏🏼 with

14/11/2025

Ohh great opportunity if you have an hour to spare tomorrow! What better way than to spend it chatting to a funeral director, having a cuppa and a nosey behind the scenes with a chance to ask those random questions you might not know who to ask?! I had a BRILLIANT day at Dandelion Farewells last open day so really hope you’ll all pop by if you can 🙏🏼💚

Be curious! Come along and see our extended premises, ask any questions, share your ideas.
As a local funeral director our connections in the community really mean a lot to us ~ come and say hello! This Saturday (15th) 10am-1pm