Her Story
About Jodie
Jodie McGinley serves as a funeral director and the creator of the Willow Award, a national recognition program honoring excellence in end-of-life care. With at least 15 years of experience in end-of-life care and grief education, she transitioned into the field after working as an educator and experiencing personal loss, which inspired her to become a licensed funeral director and develop the award to recognize caregivers such as hospice nurses and physicians. McGinley holds a bachelor's degree in education from Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, as well as a certification in thanatology, certification as a death doula, and certification as a celebrant. She maintains memberships in the National Funeral Directors Association, the International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association, and the American Death Education Credentialing Council. McGinley describes herself as a servant-oriented transformational leader who values compassion and integrity, and she engages in public speaking for an organ procurement agency to share her family's story of donation. She attributes her success to her partnership with the Smith family at a family-owned funeral home that has supported the Willow Award's national expansion.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jodie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to partnering with a family-owned funeral home. That particular family has really believed in me and believed in this process. They believe in recognition of these end-of-life caregivers across the country. They have invested, and that has been a big, huge part of the success. The Smith family.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice is the quote 'how foolish to forget how rare all of this is.' It hit me like a ton of bricks recently, and I printed it out, and it's just so true.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Any women interested in getting into death care, they are important, they are needed. Women very much bring a valuable piece to death care, and sometimes that's just offering other women a hand of support, or a hand of experience, an ear or a shoulder. That's something that only women can offer other women, especially women that have experienced losses.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that death care is primarily a male-dominated field, and recruiting women into the field, especially women with children at home where the work is not flexible. The biggest opportunity is to empower women that this is a field they can come into, to recognize their losses and talk about their children, and encourage families to tell end-of-life stories so death does not have to be all doom and gloom.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Compassion and integrity are important. In work, I am very servant-oriented and a transformational leader. I want to serve others, especially in the form of recognition. At home with family, compassion is key when working with families going through the death experience.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.