rachel donnelly Archives - Business RadioX ®

Leave a Legacy, Not a Logjam, with Rachel Donnelly, Author of Late To Your Own Funeral

March 18, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Leave a Legacy, Not a Logjam, with Rachel Donnelly, Author of Late To Your Own Funeral

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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.

Amazon

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, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio*, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

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.

What Do After Loss Professionals Do?, with Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight

September 9, 2024 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

What Do After Loss Professionals Do?, with Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight

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What Do After Loss Professionals Do?, with Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight

Rachel Donnelly: One of the things that people have to do when they become an executor is put together the process of how they’re going to attack it.

And we come in and help them to really get organized, do an audit and inventory of their loved one’s assets and debts, put together a spreadsheet because that is the biggest part of being an executor, is getting organized from the beginning. And one of the mistakes that I made in being an executor, so I’ve taken the mistakes I’ve made, the mistakes I see executors make and reverse engineer that into a proven process that we utilize over and over again.

Every client engagement is customized. Every client engagement is different, but we have that framework that we work with clients to do over and over again. Okay, let’s put together the scaffolding of your loved one’s affairs from, like I said, their assets and debts to the intangible assets, their photos that may be behind a username and password at a Google Drive, or what did they want to have happen to their Facebook account?

So we do a very detailed inventory and then systematically. And then we work alongside them per the wishes of the will, or the sort of laundry list the estate attorney has given them and say, okay, let’s follow along with that. Let’s close, transfer, archive, according to that laundry list. And then, there are always sort of other duties as assigned that come up that we help them to brainstorm and figure out what to do with mom’s Hummel figurine collection.

Getting the house cleaned out, we can help do that. So we’re very full service in taking each aspect of a loved one’s life and figuring out, how do we close that down and protect and safeguard that?

Listen to Rachel’s full ProfitSense with Bill McDermott interview here.

Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight

Rachel Donnelly is the Founder and CEO of AfterLight.

AfterLight is on a mission to help the living deal with dying, fostering lighter hearts and lighter loads. The company assists clients in managing the unavoidable administrative tasks associated with after loss and legacy planning.

Whether you’re facing an unexpected loss or want to prepare your legacy so your family can grieve in peace and settle your affairs with ease, AfterLight is the answer to your overwhelm.

Connect with Rachel and AfterLight: Rachel’s LinkedIn |Website | Instagram | Facebook | X (Twitter)

The “One Minute Interview” series is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Marika Ponton, Office Angels and The Profitability Coach, Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight, and Gary Massey, Massey and Company CPA

August 20, 2024 by John Ray

Host Bill McDermott with Gary Massey, Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight, and Marika Ponton

North Fulton Studio

Marika Ponton, Office Angels and The Profitability Coach, Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight, and Gary Massey, Massey and Company CPA

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Marika Ponton, Office Angels and The Profitability Coach, Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight, and Gary Massey, Massey and Company CPA (ProfitSense with Bill McDermott, Episode 60)

In this episode of ProfitSense, Bill McDermott, The Profitability Coach, welcomes guests Marika Ponton from The Profitability Coach, Rachel Donnelly, founder of AfterLight, and Gary Massey of Massey and Company CPA. They discuss various challenges and solutions for improving business profitability, the intricacies of estate management, and the unique offerings of their respective services. The episode also highlights the importance of building trust with clients, managing finances effectively, and offers practical advice for both business owners and those facing personal loss.

Bill concludes the show by discussing the concept of profitability and its significance in business operations.

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott is sponsored and presented by Bill McDermott, The Profitability Coach, and the show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton Studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Marika Ponton, Office Angels and The Profitability Coach

Combine a CPA’s in-depth accounting background, the outgoing personality of a business development professional, and an unwavering drive to help small business owners command their businesses to achieve growth or exit goals, and you have Marika E. Ponton (MEP).

Her unique background as an auditor & a successful small business owner allows her to serve profitability coaching clients using deep personal experience to relate to business owners regarding their financials, their internal operations and their goals for new business and growth.

Rachel Donnelly, AfterLight

Rachel Donnelly is the Founder and CEO of AfterLight.

Whether you’re facing an unexpected loss or want to prepare your legacy so your family can grieve in peace and settle your affairs with ease, AfterLight is the answer to your overwhelm.

Connect with Rachel and AfterLight: Rachel’s LinkedIn |Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Gary Massey, Founder, Massey and Company CPA

Gary Massey is the founder of Massey and Company CPA, based in Atlanta. He has over 30 years of experience in tax preparation, tax planning, and IRS and state tax problem resolution. He holds a CPA, a Master’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in taxation. Gary is also a Certified Tax Representation Consultant.

Gary’s focus includes helping clients with tax problems. This includes representing clients in front of IRS and state agencies to resolve difficult tax issues, including audits, unpaid taxes, liens, levies, penalties, and notices. His work requires negotiation on a wide variety of tax matters, including offers in compromise, installment agreements, currently not collectible status, and penalty abatement.

Gary enjoys collecting art and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is married to Chelly, a native of The Netherlands.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction to ProfitSense
01:13 Meet the Guests: Marika Ponton, Rachel Donnelly, and Gary Massey
01:36 Marika Ponton on Profitability Coaching
04:10 Building Trust with Clients
06:58 Challenges of Small Business Ownership
11:09 Rachel Donnelly’s Journey and AfterLight
15:55 AfterLight’s Services and Executor Challenges
20:43 The High Cost of Funerals
20:57 Challenges Faced by Executors
21:41 Role of Afterloss Professionals
23:53 Introducing PALS: Setting Industry Standards
24:38 Educating the Market and Future Growth
27:06 Gary Massey: A Unique CPA Approach
30:31 Advice for Aspiring Accountants
32:16 IRS Updates and Tax Management
34:28 Importance of Inventory Management
38:18 Bill McDermott Commentary on Defining Profitability

About ProfitSense and Your Host, Bill McDermott

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott dives into the stories behind some of Atlanta’s successful businesses and business owners and the professionals that advise them. This show helps local business leaders get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession.

Follow this link to find the show archive.

The show is presented by The Profitability Coach. The Profitability Coach helps business owners improve cash flow and profitability, find financing, break through barriers to expansion, and financially prepare to exit their business.

Bill McDermott is the Founder and CEO of The Profitability Coach. When business owners want to increase their profitability, they don’t have the expertise to know where to start or what to do. Bill leverages his knowledge and relationships from 32 years as a banker to identify the hurdles getting in the way and create a plan to deliver profitability they never thought possible.

Bill currently serves as Treasurer for the Atlanta Executive Forum and has held previous positions as a board member for the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center, Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity, and Treasurer for CEO NetWeavers. Bill is a graduate of Wake Forest University, and he and his wife, Martha, have called Atlanta home for over 40 years. Outside of work, Bill enjoys golf, traveling, and gardening.

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn and Instagram and follow The Profitability Coach on LinkedIn.

Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants and Derek Chard, Payroc/TWC Atlanta Inc.

January 12, 2023 by John Ray

Family Business Radio

Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants and Derek Chard, Payroc/TWC Atlanta Inc.

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Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants and Derek Chard, Payroc/TWC Atlanta Inc. (Family Business Radio, Episode 40)

On this episode of Family Business Radio, host Anthony Chen welcomed two esteemed business owners to the studio. Rachel Donnelly discussed her personal history with loss and what motivated her to create Black Dress Consultants, the services they provide, and much more. Derek Chard talked about the biggest concerns local business owners face in today’s economy, the biggest misconceptions of the merchant services industry, advances in technology and how that changes business, and much more. Anthony closed the show with a commentary on how financial planning can be overwhelming. He suggests starting somewhere small and keeping it simple.

Family Business Radio is underwritten and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network.

Black Dress Consultants

Black Dress Consultants handle the business of death so you don’t have to. By coordinating with attorneys, financial advisors, accountants, etc., they offload the administrative tasks that come with legacy planning and after loss, so you can focus less on the logistics and more on creating space to live worry-free and grieve peacefully.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Rachel Donnelly, Owner / CEO, Black Dress Consultants

Some days Rachel Donnelly feels like a real-life Little Orphan Annie whose life should be subtitled “Death Becomes Her.” (She’s joking! Sort of.)

Growing up, Rachel used to accompany her father on his house calls and hospital rounds, which gave me a deep understanding of compassion and leaning into hard spaces. When she was 16, my father passed away at the age of 48. A few years later, she moved my grandmother to an assisted living home where she passed shortly after. Several years later, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away shortly thereafter. Her passing left Rachel with five houses to clean out and sell, as well as her role as caregiver for her uncle.

After Rachel’s uncle passed away, she assumed the role of Co-Executrix of his estate. Needless to say… she’s dealt with a lot of death. And in these instances — especially the two where she was Executor — there were so many decisions to make and tasks to complete. And she was doing it all while trying to work full time, raise two small kids, run a house and stay married (because let’s be honest… life never stops, not even for death).

Rachel vividly remembers standing in the parking lot of the bank after spending hours trying to (unsuccessfully) open an estate banking account and thinking to herself, “Why isn’t there someone who can help project manage this dumpster fire?!” Which is how Black Dress Consultants came to be.

She created this business because this is the service she wishes she had available to her then. Many times over, Rachel has been where you are right now. She understands how overwhelming and emotionally taxing it can be. But you don’t have to do this alone.

The Black Dress Consultants are here to help you manage the expected and unexpected of end-of-life. Whether you’re looking for someone to help legacy plan, or you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one and don’t know where to start, they have ample experience in taking tasks off your plate so you can free up space to breathe.

Payroc/TWC Atlanta Inc.

Payroc is a full-service payment processing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. They also have a headquarter office right here in Atlanta, GA. They pride themselves in taking a consultative approach with business owners to improve their payment acceptance processes while mitigating the cost of payment acceptance, specifically credit card acceptance. They have a plethora of networks, software, and hardware to best serve the clients’ needs.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Derek Chard, Owner, Payroc/TWC Atlanta Inc.

Derek Chard has been a sales professional and business owner in various industries for the last 10 years. He grew up working for his family’s businesses, attended the University of Connecticut, and then moved down to Atlanta, GA in 2017 from CT.

He has worked in and held leadership positions in financial services, telecom sales, office supply sales, and now payment processing. Derek now runs an Independent Sales Office for Payroc Inc.

Anthony Chen, Host of Family Business Radio

**Anthony Chen, Lighthouse Financial, and Host of “Family Business Radio”**

This show is sponsored and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. Securities and advisory services offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. (RAA), member FINRA/SIPC. RAA is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of RAA. The main office address is 575 Broadhollow Rd. Melville, NY 11747. You can reach Anthony at 631-465-9090 ext 5075 or by email at anthonychen@lfnllc.com.

Anthony Chen started his career in financial services with MetLife in Buffalo, NY in 2008. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, he considers himself a full-blooded New Yorker while now enjoying his Atlanta, GA home. Specializing in family businesses and their owners, Anthony works to protect what is most important to them. From preserving to creating wealth, Anthony partners with CPAs and attorneys to help address all the concerns and help clients achieve their goals. By using a combination of financial products ranging from life, disability, and long-term care insurance to many investment options through Royal Alliance. Anthony looks to be the eyes and ears for his client’s financial foundation. In his spare time, Anthony is an avid long-distance runner.

The complete show archive of “Family Business Radio” can be found at familybusinessradioshow.com.

Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants

August 10, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants

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Rachel Donnelly, Black Dress Consultants (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 374)

Rachel Donnelly, founder of Black Dress Consultants, joined host John Ray to share the work her consulting firm does in end-of-life concierge and after-loss services. Rachel saw a need for support as families and individuals face end-of-life and after-loss decisions at a time they are more focused on family and grieving. Her consultancy fills the gap, offering practical services and assistance navigating the after-loss maze of tasks. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Black Dress Consultants

Black Dress Consultants is an end-of-life concierge and consulting firm that helps families strategically manage the administrative and logistical tasks of legacy planning and organization, after loss and everything in between while also integrating your family values and traditions. They provide personalized solutions for life’s transitions giving you and your family the space to live worry-free and grieve peacefully.

They are here to help guide you through decisions, tasks, and endless to-dos so that you have the space to grieve. Their goal is to provide solutions for life’s transitions while also integrating what’s important to you and your family. Custom services available.

Disclaimer: They are not attorneys, financial advisors, or CPAs. However, they do partner with these resources, when needed, to ensure that every task that Black Dress completes for you is under their advice. If you do not have an estate attorney or financial advisor and your estate requires or would benefit from these resources, they are happy to connect you with their network of seasoned professionals.

Company website | Facebook | Instagram

Rachel Donnelly, Founder and CEO, Black Dress Consultants

After many experiences with loss, including the death of her parents at a young age, Rachel founded Black Dress Consultants, a consulting firm that helps individuals and families manage the unavoidable tasks and logistics of after loss and end-of-life.

Rachel is also a fundraiser extraordinaire, having worked in higher education fundraising for Agnes Scott College, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. Rachel serves on the Board of Directors on Love Not Lost, an Atlanta non-profit that provides grief tools and free photography sessions for families facing terminal diagnoses.

Rachel lives in Decatur with her husband Zack with their two kids, Finn and Roane.

Questions and Topics in This Interview

Tell us a little bit about your background. How did your earlier career path relate to or inspire your current work in the space around helping families wrap up after the loss of a loved one?
What was the motivation behind the creation of Black Dress Consultants?
Can you tell us about your services?
You mentioned that there are several blind spots in end-of-life planning. Can you tell us about a few?
In your experience working with families, and considering all the services you offer, what do they need the most help navigating?
Tell us about how your clients find you and what your role is in the complex project of settling an estate and wrapping up the details. W
How does what you do differentiate you from or overlap with the legal and financial aspects of settling an estate?
What’s one of the most unique or memorable experiences you’ve had working with families after a loss?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. 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, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Simplifying and Managing Your Finances for When You Age and Beyond

March 24, 2021 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

Simplifying and Managing Your Finances for When You Age and Beyond

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Leah Nichaman/Everyday Money Management

Leah Nichaman is a Certified Daily Money Manager (CDMM) with over 15 years of experience helping people manage their day-to-day financial affairs. She established Everyday Money Management in 2007, and built it into the premier daily money management firm in the Washington D.C. area, primarily serving older adults and busy professionals.

Ms. Nichaman is a Past President of the American Association of Daily Money Managers, the
professional association serving over 650 daily money managers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her professional background is in management consulting, non-profit management, and health survey research. She holds a degree in Cognitive Science from Brown University.

Ms. Nichaman is active in her community, serving as a volunteer representative payee for an individual living with mental illness, and serving on the Board of Directors of The Senior Connection, a non-profit that provides free transportation and grocery shopping for seniors in Montgomery County, MD.

Rachel Donnelly/Black Dress Consultants

After many experiences with loss, including the death of her parents at a young age, Rachel Donnelly founded Black Dress Consultants, a consulting firm which helps individuals and families manage the unavoidable tasks and logistics of after loss and end-of-life.

Rachel is a fundraiser extraordinaire, having worked in higher education fundraising for Agnes Scott College, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. Rachel also serves on the Board of Directors on Love Not Lost, an Atlanta non-profit that provides grief tools and free photography sessions for families facing terminal diagnoses.

She graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur with a degree in Political Science, and married her high school sweetheart, Zack Donnelly. They now live together in Atlanta with their two children, Finn and Roane.

Rachel has been referred to as the “Boss of After Loss,” “Real Life Orphan Annie” and a “Death Influencer,” and she believes that end-of-life planning is the greatest gift you can give to your family.

CLICK HERE to watch the Zoom video of this episode.

About Gaslowitz Frankel:

Gaslowitz Frankel is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation throughout Georgia and the Southeast. With a focus on representing individuals, companies, banks, and fiduciaries in dispute involving wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, businesses, and securities law, their experienced and highly qualified litigation attorneys have tremendous credentials and a proven history of success.