Renda Dionne Madrigal, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Registered Drama Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Author, and Performance Artist. She is President of the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit and a UCLA certified Mindfulness facilitator and Stanford Certified Compassion Cultivation Educator . She is enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Her work bridges storytelling, performance art, and healing, using theatre/narrative, mindfulness, and performance art as powerful tools for personal and collective transformation. She has been recognized for her contributions to Indigenous storytelling and mindfulness, appearing on the cover of Mindful Magazine (February 2018) and as a Powerful Woman of Mindfulness (August 2022). Through workshop-based performance art, she collaborates with Indigenous communities to bring their stories to the stage. She also offers individual coaching and therapy. Her coaching work includes guiding artists in land-based storytelling with Voices Unidos, adapting ethnographic research on health disparities in First Nations community into theatre, and helping people navigate grief and transition through Story Medicine (Braided Wisdom). Renda also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She writes fiction featuring Indigenous female protagonists as world-changers. Her book, The Mindful Family Guidebook (Parallax Press/Penguin Random House), was named a Best Book of Mindfulness 2021 by Mindful Magazine. Look for her book The UnSilencing coming soon.
Events with Renda Madrigal
August 26 - September 2, 2026
“The world is not made of atoms, but of stories.” —Muriel Rukesayer This silent meditation retreat will weave instructions on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and teachings on the Four Great Elements—earth, air, fire, and water—with ceremony and story. Our time together will include periods of silent sitting and walking, guided meditation instruction, Dharma talks, ceremony, and ample time to explore and be held by the land at Vallecitos. The teachers will share stories from Buddhist and Indigenous Peoples that illuminate the power of our intimate connection to ourselves, each other and the planet. Cultivating the capacity to listen…
