Most of us spend our lives learning how to achieve.

We learn how to perform, compete, lead, build careers, raise families, and push through adversity. What we rarely learn is how to navigate loss.

In this episode of Misfits Among Us, I sit down with Dina Bell-Laroche, certified thanatologist, speaker, facilitator, and advocate for grief literacy, to explore one of the most universal—and least understood—parts of being human.

After losing her younger sister Tracy to a rare form of cancer, Dina began a journey that would ultimately reshape her understanding of grief, belonging, leadership, and resilience. What followed wasn’t just a personal healing journey. It became a mission to help individuals, organizations, athletes, and leaders better understand how loss impacts every aspect of our lives.

Together, we discuss why grief isn’t something we “get over,” how loss extends far beyond death, the hidden cost of pretending we’re fine, and why belonging may be one of the most powerful tools we have for healing.

This is a conversation about grief.

But it’s also a conversation about love, connection, identity, leadership, and what it means to be fully human.

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CONTACT Dina Bell-Laroche

• dina@griefunleashed.ca
• https://www.griefunleashed.ca
• Substack: https://dinabelllaroche.substack.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grief.unleashed/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dblaroche/

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ABOUT MISFITS AMONG US:

Misfits Among Us is a conversation-driven podcast exploring how people develop their beliefs, identities, and worldviews through life experiences. Each episode focuses on real conversations about identity, reinvention, trauma, success, and personal growth.

No talking points. No safe lanes. No topics off limits.
Because the misfits aren’t rare. They’re among us.

If you are if you know someone who has a great story and lived a great life, please reach out. Misfits would love to chat!

• misfitsamonguspodcast@gmail.com

Find us everywhere:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MisfitsAmongUsPodcast

Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/misfits-among-us/id1874680505

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3pn5swLhuTnRDL4TeiPXq3?si=03bed449dc2547ba

TikTok: tiktok.com/@misfitsamonguspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/misfitsamonguspodcast

When the Table Moves Without You | Ageism, Corporate Culture & Reinventing Yourself and realizing The Quiet Exit of an Entire Generation. For decades, Cassell Kaye did everything right. She built a successful career inside some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Yahoo, Disney Interactive, Amazon, and Live Nation. She climbed the ladder, delivered results, led teams, and played by the rules.

Then something changed. Not overnight. Not with a dramatic firing or public fallout. Instead, it happened quietly—the way it happens to thousands of professionals every year. Conversations shifted. Opportunities disappeared. Influence faded. And for the first time, Cassell found herself asking a question many experienced professionals are beginning to face. What happens when the system decides you’re no longer a fit? In this episode of Misfits Among Us, Joey Marcus sits down with Cassell to explore the realities of ageism, gender bias, corporate identity, reinvention, and what it means to reclaim your life after decades of defining yourself through work. This is not just a conversation about careers.

It’s a conversation about identity, purpose, and what happens when the life you built no longer feels like your own.

If you’ve ever questioned your place in the workplace, wondered what comes next, or felt like the rules changed without warning, this episode is for you.

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CONTACT Cassell Kay

cassellkaye@gmail.com

https://thereframedcollective.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cassellkaye

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.reframed.collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@cassellkaye/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassell/

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ABOUT MISFITS AMONG US:

Misfits Among Us is a conversation-driven podcast exploring how people develop their beliefs, identities, and worldviews through life experiences. Each episode focuses on real conversations about identity, reinvention, trauma, success, and personal growth.

No talking points. No safe lanes. No topics off limits.
Because the misfits aren’t rare. They’re among us.

If you are if you know someone who has a great story and lived a great life, please reach out. Misfits would love to chat!

· misfitsamonguspodcast@gmail.com

Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/misfits-among-us/id1874680505

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3pn5swLhuTnRDL4TeiPXq3?si=03bed449dc2547ba

TikTok: tiktok.com/@misfitsamonguspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/misfitsamonguspodcast

What happens when the mission ends… but your mind never fully leaves the battlefield?

In this episode of Misfits Among Us, Joey Marcus sits down with former Marine infantryman Mike Francis — known online as “Dirty Mike” — for a raw conversation about military service, identity, trauma, purpose, and the invisible war many veterans face after coming home.

Mike served in both Iraq and Afghanistan after joining the Marines shortly after 9/11. But while combat changed him, the hardest battle wasn’t overseas.

It was figuring out who he was once the uniform came off.

This conversation explores:

• The emotional reality of life after military service
• Why veterans struggle with civilian life
• Brotherhood, belonging, and identity
• PTSD, isolation, and rebuilding purpose
• The hidden mental health crisis affecting veterans
• Why “The Virtual Barracks” became a lifeline
• The surprising truth about what makes the Marine Corps powerful

At one point, Mike describes the true superpower of the Marines as love — not violence, toughness, or intimidation.

This isn’t just a story about war.

It’s about what happens after.

Because sometimes the hardest fight begins the moment you come home.

Because the misfits aren’t rare… They’re among us.

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CONTACT Mike Francis

talesfromthecorpspodcast@gmail.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/talesfromthecorps
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ABOUT MISFITS AMONG US:

Misfits Among Us is a conversation-driven podcast exploring how people develop their beliefs, identities, and worldviews through life experiences. Each episode focuses on real conversations about identity, reinvention, trauma, success, and personal growth.

No talking points. No safe lanes. No topics off limits.
Because the misfits aren’t rare. They’re among us.

If you are if you know someone who has a great story and lived a great life, please reach out. Misfits would love to chat! misfitsamonguspodcast@gmail.com

Find us everywhere:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MisfitsAmongUsPodcast
Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/misfits-among-us/id1874680505

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3pn5swLhuTnRDL4TeiPXq3?si=03bed449dc2547ba

TikTok: tiktok.com/@misfitsamonguspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/misfitsamonguspodcast