In September, Nigel Latta passed away from gastric cancer—one year after his diagnosis, when doctors had given him just six to twelve months to live. On the very same day, his new book Lessons on Living arrived in bookstores. I think he would have appreciated the irony of that timing.
Many of us know Nigel Latta from his television shows, parenting books, and presentations. As a clinical psychologist, he had a remarkable ability to make psychology relatable and practical. His down-to-earth, conversational style on screen carried through to his writing—filled with real stories, humour, and entertaining examples.
Lessons on Living continues in that same spirit. Latta began writing it after his diagnosis, wanting to share how he faced his “cancer death sentence” using the psychological toolkit he had built over his professional life. He admits there’s nothing entirely new in his approach, but his goal was to save readers “a lot of time sifting through the piles of accumulated wisdom and road-testing it to find the best bits.”
He distilled that wisdom into three core principles:
Drive the Bus
Focus on the Things You Can Control
Teamwork
These principles form the heart of Lessons on Living. Latta explains that this toolkit isn’t just for coping with hardship—it’s equally useful for parenting or building an empire.
In the second-to-last chapter, titled Tested, he reflects on his own experience of applying these principles after his diagnosis—the ultimate test of their power and simplicity.
I’m deeply grateful that Nigel Latta chose to spend his final year writing this book. It truly is a gift. My copy is filled with bookmarks and notes that I revisit daily, both as reminders of his tools and as sources of strength. If he could remain positive through incurable cancer, when so little else mattered, then surely there’s hope for all of us when life feels dark or overwhelming.
WILMA
