Dent was born in Wandering, Western Australia, on a sheep and wheat farm, where she was raised with her five brothers and sisters. The siblings helped on the farm, and Dent attributes the farming lifestyle and working with animals to giving her an insight into life and death. Dent attended boarding school and then university in Western Australia, where she decided to study teaching instead of journalism as planned. She became a teacher, however, also became involved in palliative care and worked as a counsellor, in suicide prevention, and as a funeral celebrant. She has four sons.
