Meet Sarah Wambold

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Wambold a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi SARAH, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

I have been the recipient of generosity from others which in turn inspired me to cultivate this quality in myself. I am a big believer in building community, learning from others and helping people achieve their goals to strengthen our collective success. There is real joy in sharing information, making a connection or helping someone overcome an obstacle that you can’t get if you’re only focused on your own needs.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a funeral director whose focus is on promoting and facilitating natural or “green” burials. This is a type of burial that removes the ecologically harmful materials from the burial such as embalming, metal caskets and concrete vaults, and allows people to be buried in a natural space like a forest, meadow or prairie.
As the manager of Campo de Estrellas, a conservation cemetery in East Texas, I work with families to create meaningful memorials in a natural environment, as well as hold workshops and give presentations that introduce people to the practice of natural burial. I love being able to provide an alternative option to families who are unsatisfied with what the modern funeral industry provides, as well as being able to work in and with nature.
My cemetery is also a site of conservation, meaning we have programs for wildlife rehabilitation and plant restoration happening as well. This type of cemetery is quite unique and has generated a lot of interest. We were the recipients of a grant to expand our educational offerings and are getting ready to host our first collaborative workshop with a local environmental organization.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My success in this role came from having a deep understanding of audience needs, developing strong communication skills, and having a creative and resourceful mindset.

I knew from working with families in the conventional funeral industry that they desired something different from what was being offered. I also knew that experiencing a loss is a deeply sad and confusing time, no matter how expected it is. It means a lot to people when someone is willing to go the extra step in researching an option and provide a service that isn’t routinely chosen.

Because it’s such unique form of burial, being able to discuss it with families and present it to potential clients in a way that is simple and clear is super important. Most people don’t want to talk about death at all, so I am always striving to communicate in a way that is empathetic and engaging.

Finally, I learned very quickly that to make the transition to this type of work, I had to be resourceful with my time, energy and money. I would say this is pretty typical for any new venture however, so I drew from my experiences working at start-ups and on creative projects with friends where I wore many hats and learned how to stretch a dollar. Also, knowing when and who to ask for help is key to not over-extending yourself early on.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My parents were very open in talking to me about death, even as a young child. Children are very curious by nature and when they start asking questions about death it can give a lot of parent pause. We are so afraid to talk about death in our society and I think a lot of this stems from death being hidden from us our whole lives, as a way to ‘protect’ us. But it often does more harm than good.
My parent, by contrast, were willing to help me explore my curiosity. I was allowed to go to funerals (something I often hear from friends that they weren’t allowed to do!) and they’d answer my questions to the best of their ability. In doing so, it help alleviate a lot of fear and confusion I had and truly made me a more caring and empathetic person. It definitely contributed to my decision to go into this line of work and advocate for alternative end-of-life options.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://campodeestrellas.co/
• Instagram: @campostellaburials
• Other: My personal website:
  https://sah-raw.github.io/

Image Credits

Sarah Wambold/ Campo de Estrellas