Dina Bell-LaRoche explains how grief is the natural and normal response to life losses. As coaches we work with people to support them through various life stages and understanding fundamental thanatological concepts like grief, bereavement, continuing bonds, ambiguous loss, and so much more can help us better support our clients in the achievement of their big dreams and in companioning them through dark times.

Dina’s life changed dramatically in 2001 after the death of her youngest sister Tracy. Since then, her journey through grief has inspired her to advocate for greater grief and loss literacy.  As a death educator, Integral CoachTM, keynote speaker, and published author, Dina’s commitment to help the bereaved re-imagine a new relationship with loss is unwavering. She activates this through workshops, speaking engagements, Grief Cafés, volunteer work, her blogs, and through Grief Unleashed.

Dina has held several senior leadership positions through her three decades in Canada’s high performance sport sector including the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, the Canadian Olympic Committee and since 2010, as a Partner with Sport Law, a company devoted to elevating sport. Dina is certified as an Integral Coach and is a member in good standing with the International Coach Federation as an accredited Professional Coach. In 2019, she enrolled as a student in thanatology at King’s College (University of Western Ontario) where she has immersed herself in topics related to social justice, trauma, children and adolescent loss, ethical issues in thanatology, and so much more. Throughout her extensive journey, Dina has discovered many grief gems that she shares in her book.  Her knowledge runs deep. Her teachings are wise. Her heart centered way of demystifying a taboo topic will leave you feeling more hopeful and less isolated. Her greatest hope is that people re-imagine a new relationship with loss and in so doing, become more compassionate and present to life’s blessings.