Leave a Legacy, Not a Logjam, with Rachel Donnelly, Author of Late To Your Own Funeral (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 854)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Rachel Donnelly, founder of AfterLight and author of Late to Your Own Funeral: How to Leave a Legacy and Not a Log Jam. Rachel shares her personal journey that led her to establish AfterLight, a company dedicated to helping overwhelmed executors manage post-death logistics. She discusses the challenges of estate administration, the importance of strategic estate planning, and provides valuable insights and anecdotes from her work. Rachel’s new book aims to educate and guide people through the often-overlooked complexities of end-of-life planning with a touch of humor. Listeners will gain a more profound understanding of the necessity of preparing for the administrative side of death and the benefits of leaving a well-organized legacy.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Rachel Donnelly, Author
Rachel Donnelly is the author of Late To Your Own Funeral and founder and CEO of AfterLight. Her mission is simple: to help the living deal with dying.
She created AfterLight to help clients navigate the administrative maze of estate settlement and legacy planning after experiencing the overwhelming process herself, serving as executor for both her mother’s and uncle’s estates while working full-time and raising two children.
Prior to founding AfterLight, she worked in development for institutions including Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the Shepherd Center Foundation.
A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Donnelly lives in Decatur with her husband and two children.
Connect with Rachel and AfterLight: Rachel’s LinkedIn |Website | Instagram | Facebook
Late To Your Own Funeral, by Rachel Donnelly
The only aspect of life more certain than death? The bureaucratic nightmare that accompanies it. In Late To Your Own Funeral, Rachel Donnelly offers an effective and entertaining guide out of estate settlement purgatory.
“Rachel’s irreverent humor and no-nonsense guidance make legacy planning not just manageable but oddly enjoyable.” – Matt Paxton, author of Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff and television host of Hoarders
Approximately 70% of Americans lack an estate plan, which leaves their loved ones grappling with a complex array of administrative challenges during their most difficult times. From planning funeral arrangements to the seemingly impossible task of canceling cable service, the logistics of loss often compound grief in unexpected ways.
After losing several family members in quick succession, Rachel realized that navigating grief is hard enough without the added burden of managing an estate. What mourners need most, she learned, isn’t another casserole, but a guide through death’s bureaucracy. Now, as an after-loss and legacy planning consultant, she serves as a “wedding coordinator—but for death,” helping others navigate the administrative maze of estate settlement.
Through a blend of practical insight and unflinching honesty, Rachel offers a roadmap for both the living and those thrust into the role of executor. Late To Your Own Funeral helps readers face the conversations everyone else avoids, giving loved ones an invaluable gift: the ability to mourn without drowning in paperwork.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:49 Meet Rachel Donnelly: Author and Entrepreneur
02:51 The Inspiration Behind Afterlight
04:31 Challenges of Being an Executor
06:58 The Importance of Estate Planning
20:36 Digital Age Complications
23:57 Humorous Insights and Personal Stories
28:03 Success Stories and Client Experiences
31:28 Conclusion and Contact Information
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 850 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
