Her Story
About Amanda
I'm a second-generation funeral director and embalmer, following in my mother's footsteps who has been licensed for about 24-25 years. I was raised to always think about helping others because we were blessed, and I loved how my mother explained funeral service as helping people when they're going through the toughest time of their life. I've been licensed in Virginia since 2012, and I still do some work on weekends. In 2016, my husband and I started an affordable long-term rental business, and we're currently up to 34 properties that we do long-term. We also have a plumbing and septic business that we run and manage. About four years ago, I saw healthcare from a different side point - I was seeing how people were passing from chronic diseases that were either not optimally managed, they didn't understand what they were taking, or they didn't even understand their disease. It really broke my heart, and I wondered what I could do to help people before it gets to this point. I discovered ambulatory care pharmacy, where you work with providers to help monitor and help people with their chronic diseases to get a better understanding. COVID was also a big factor in my decision, as I saw how pharmacists were on the forefront trying to get vaccines together and administer them. I'm getting ready to graduate with my doctorate degree in pharmacy on May 2nd from the Appalachian College of Pharmacy in Oakwood, Virginia. I have a 6-year-old daughter and a very supportive husband.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family - not just my immediate family, but my entire extended family. I'm blessed with a wonderful, outstanding family who have been my biggest supporters. When I made the choice to go back to school, my family stepped up and asked what they could do to help with my daughter and what they could do to make it easier on me. They're my pushers to keep going, even when I've been struggling. I feel like they have truly been there for me, and it's been my entire family that has made this possible.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to put yourself in someone else's position and treat others with care. In the funeral industry, I was often told, 'What if this was your loved one? What if this was your mom? What if this was your grandmother? How would you want to be treated? How would you want them to be cared for?' I always felt like that was very meaningful and very impactful. That's why I do what I do - I try to help families in whatever way I can, because I know I wouldn't want anything less for myself. I feel like that is a huge impact - trying to place yourself, maybe not in their shoes because maybe you haven't walked in their shoes, but asking what you can do to make it a little bit better for others by imagining yourself in that position.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is helping people and blessing others. I was raised with the mindset of 'what can we do to bless others? Because we were blessed.' This has been instilled in me throughout my life. My main expertise is really just helping people and trying to get a better understanding of where they're at and trying to help them move forward - it doesn't matter what area in life. That's kind of just how I like to live my life: how can I better somebody else's day? I'm very community-oriented, and whether it's helping families through the toughest time of their life in funeral service, or helping patients understand their medications and chronic diseases in pharmacy, it all comes back to serving others. My faith is also a big part of my life - I love going to church, I'm a Christian, and I feel like that's a major part of who I am.
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