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About Dina


MY STORY

Twenty years ago, when I was 30, doctors told me that I had an 87% chance of getting breast cancer in my lifetime. I was told this as my sister, Debbie, made her way through chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, surgery, and radiation. At age 32, Debbie had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. These events changed my life.

Prior to this time, I was climbing the corporate ladder at a brisk and promising pace. I had earned a master’s degree in business administration and I was working as a marketing manager at Hewlett Packard. Life was good. I had no real knowledge or concern about healthy living. My relationship with my own health changed the day I received the phone call from Debbie.

As I watched my sister go through the debilitating treatment, I was overcome by fear that my sister would die and that cancer would be my fate as well. Because my sister was so young and her cancer was so aggressive, doctors wondered if the disease ran in our family. It turns out, it did. We discovered that nine relatives on my mom's side of the family within the last three generations had breast cancer at some point in their lives.

When I learned that I am high risk for cancer, I worried about every morsel of food that went into my body and every product that touched my skin. Although I began eating healthy foods and using healthy products, I was not healthy because I was operating out of fear. I was developing an unhealthy obsession with healthy living. My fear of disease and dying were overpowering my joy in living.

With time, the intensity of the fear I had been feeling began to subside. Still, the statistics quoted to me about my possible fate floated in and out of my consciousness as the years passed. Was cancer my destiny, or did I have a say in the matter? This nagging question eventually changed the direction of my life. A decade after finding out about my genetically based high risk, I left the corporate world and went back to school to find the answer.

Earning my master’s in holistic health education taught me that the way we live our lives does impact our health. Our genes are influenced by signals outside of our cells by such factors as nutrition, stress, lifestyle, and emotions. Our health is determined not by our genetic makeup alone, but by the combination of our genetics and our environment (our environment being how we live our lives)

Inspired by my new knowledge, I founded my company, Four Quadrant Living, to help others live healthier and happier lives. For true health and wellness, we need to nourish all four quadrants, not just one. Calming our minds, nourishing our bodies, engaging in healthy relationships, and detoxifying our environments are all health-supporting actions that counterbalance the negative aspects of our genetics.

I hope you find the content on this website and in my book helpful and informative for helping you live your best life. I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments.

 


BIO

Dina Colman Mitchell, MA, MBA, a widely published health coach, founded Four Quadrant Living to inspire others to live happier and healthier lives by nourishing their Mind, Body, Relationships, and Environment. She emphasizes a balanced approach that can be used by anyone, regardless of age, previous health, or family history.

Dina graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude from Pomona College with a BA in Economics. Following graduation, she worked at Price Waterhouse before obtaining her Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She then spent over a decade in the high-tech corporate world in a variety of marketing and business strategy positions.

After her sister was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, Dina was told that she had an 87% chance of getting the disease herself. This motivated Dina to earn a Master of Arts in Holistic Health Education from JFK University, learning how to counterbalance her genetics with healthy living.

Dina first published her book, Four Quadrant Living, in 2013. Six years later, she was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. She credits living a four quadrant life with helping her go through treatment with grace, strength, and health. In her revised 2020 edition, she shares new insights and provides updated statistics and information. She illustrates that even with disease, we can still be healthy. Now cancer-free, Dina continues to devote her time to helping others around the world live healthier, happier lives.

Dina inspires and informs others through her writing and one-on-one client sessions. She is author of Four Quadrant Living: A Guide to Nourishing Your Mind, Body, Relationships, and Environment (Sep 2020).

  

 

Four Quadrant Living Book Cover Image

 

Winner of 10 Book Awards!

Revised and Updated, 2020

  • She truly cares

    I initially started working with Dina to help me with my diet for an autoimmune disease I have been battling for years. She has also helped me with stress, relationships, and work. She is very encouraging. I am now happier and healthier because of Dina. She truly cares about you and it definitely shows in the difference it has made in my life.
    Mary M.
  • Guidance & knowledge

    Reaching out to Dina was one of the best decisions I've made this past year. Every aspect of my life; spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, was out of balance. She was and continues to be exactly what my life was missing; someone to hold me accountable, a cheerleader, a confidant, a trustworthy advisor, a coach!
    Lisa H.
  • Saved my life

    Dina has provided me with the tools and knowledge that I needed to make changing to a healthier lifestyle a manageable goal. She never judged me when I stumbled but has only given me the encouragement and steps I needed to get back up and try again. I will be forever grateful to Dina because she has literally saved my life from the downward spiral I was in.
    Kristin A.
  • Helped me balance my life

    After the my mom's death, I withdrew from life. Dina helped me move past the self-destructive tendencies I had used to cope with my grief. She is a compassionate listener, offers gentle suggestions, and provides nonthreatening accountability. Through our sessions she helped me balance my life. I don't know where I'd be without her.
    Liz L.
  • Lost 10 pounds

    Working with Dina has helped me to manage and control my prediabetes. I have lost 10 pounds with her guidance by being more aware of the food I am eating. I like working with Dina because I feel that she really tries to find ways for me to be healthy in my life—the things I like to do and eat—rather than providing a cookie cutter solution.
    Diane C.
  • Feel stronger and happier

    Dina and her Four Quadrant Living consistently give me simple, easy to implement suggestions to make my entire life healthier. With Dina's gentle guidance, I have vastly improved the way I eat, the way I deal with stress and, basically, the way I balance my life. It is impossible to not feel better, stronger and happier when working with Dina.
    Gracie T.
  • Offers variety of services

    Dina's approach is never threatening or condescending and she offers a variety of services that fit many, many different needs - whether just a little nudge when it comes to diet or organization or an all-out weekly session helping with all four quadrants. Highly recommend!
    Tiffany T.
  • Highly recommend her

    It wasn't just about food but my overall well-being. I got the tools to work toward the things that I wanted to achieve. I love that I can email Dina with any question that I might have along the way! I highly recommend her.
    Gabriela V.
  • Amazed at improvement

    By the end of the 3rd week (of the Detox Program), I started to notice changes. I felt less tired and was actually sleeping less. I was amazed at the improvement in my well being. Dina was great in providing information and motivation throughout the program. She presented a nice balance of telling me what I needed to know without overwhelming me.
    Dave L.
  • Invested in her clients

    Dina offered ideas on dealing with my job stress. I felt the ideas really catered to me and my job specifically, rather than being some general ideas I could get from internet research. I use one of the fantastic ideas religiously to help destress after every shift. I was so pleased with my experience, I recommended Dina's Four Quadrant Living to my sister.
    Bev Y.