Grief and Growth: navigating the rough waters of life

Prof Richard Light’s academic career saw him become a leading international thinker and researcher in the development of innovative sport coaching and physical education teaching. His twenty-year career included appointments in Australia, the UK and New Zealand, and positions as invited professor in highly regarded universities in Japan, Canada, and France. In 2021, he returned to his hometown of Byron Bay as Professor Emeritus at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and flies down to The University of Sydney to teach casually during semester. Over his career, he has published more than 200 journal articles and book chapters, and 12 academic books on sport and physical education, but Grief and Growth is his first non-academic book. He had a story he had to tell and one he thought that many readers could relate to and learn from. It is a story about dealing with the loss of loved ones, and how it promoted personal, professional, and spiritual growth that gave life deep meaning.