For speaking inquiries, contact Maria directly at maria@atomica-arts.com.
Maria is a dynamic keynote speaker and workshop leader who blends storytelling, theatre, and mindfulness to inspire creativity, resilience, and radical imagination. Her talks are interactive and experiential — audiences don’t just listen, they participate, leaving with practical tools they can apply to their own lives and communities.
Why Invite Maria
Maria brings over two decades of experience designing creative and mindful programs for schools, nonprofits, and communities. As co-founder of Atomica Arts and author of Be the Protagonist, she offers a unique voice at the intersection of imagination, resilience, and social connection. Her speaking engagements have included audiences ranging from intimate workshops to international conferences with hundreds of participants.
Beyond her work as a speaker, Maria offers Embodied Leadership Presence Coaching, a customized experience for leaders who want to communicate with clarity, confidence, and authenticity in high-stakes moments. Drawing from her background in theatre, applied improvisation, and mindfulness, and grounded in a science-based understanding of how the nervous system responds under pressure, Maria helps clients strengthen their voice, refine their presence, and think on their feet without losing themselves. Her approach focuses on building practical, repeatable tools that align internal confidence with external impact, so leaders can show up with greater clarity, connection, and intention in the moments that matter most.
Click here for Testimonials!
Upcoming Talks
Storytelling Experience – St. Petersburg
Maria will be featured in a special storytelling event at the The Jack Kerouac House, a historic literary space dedicated to creative expression and community connection.
This intimate gathering invites participants into the power of storytelling as a tool for reflection, connection, and meaning-making. Through shared stories and creative exploration, the experience highlights how narrative can help us better understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
To learn more and RSVP, visit:
👉 View Event Details
Emotions in Motion: Understanding Our Emotional Patterns
In this interactive session, Maria Schaedler-Luera (Atomica Arts) and Will Luera (Lifeline Productions) blend mindfulness, emotional literacy, and applied improvisation to explore how emotions influence the way we connect with others. Participants will experience simple, engaging exercises that reveal common emotional patterns and learn practical tools to pause, gain awareness, and choose more intentional responses in everyday interactions.
This session is part of the Step Into the Light: A Mental Health Summit, taking place on Saturday, May 2 at the Mote SEA (Science Education Aquarium), 225 University Town Center Dr., Sarasota.
To learn more about attending the summit, visit: SunshineFromDarkness.org
Focus 5 Arts Integration Conference 2026
Interactive Sessions with Maria Schedler-Luera
July 8–9, 2026
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design | Lakewood, Colorado
At this national gathering of educators and artists, Maria leads a series of immersive workshops that bring learning to life through theatre, play, and applied improvisation. Participants actively engage in creative strategies that deepen understanding, strengthen human connection, and build the kinds of flexible, resilient thinking needed in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each session blends practical classroom application with embodied experience, inviting educators to rediscover the power of imagination as a tool for learning.
What to expect:
- Active, hands-on participation
- Practical strategies ready for immediate use
- Connections between creativity, neuroscience, and learning
- Opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and play
Conference Sessions led by Maria
Improv: What, Why, and How?
Drama as Dialogue: Reinforcing Human Connection in the Age of AI
Co-led with Kassie Misiewicz
Improv for the Algorithm Age: Building Creative Resilience Through Play
Creative Companions: Exploring Human Imagination with AI
Learn more:
https://focus5inc1.ticketspice.com/focus-5-arts-integration-conference-2026
Recent & Featured Talks
2025
Awakening Resilience Through the Senses and Imagination
Speaker, Early Learning Coalition Teacher Restorative Retreats, November 2025
Maria served as a featured speaker for early childhood educators, guiding participants through an interactive, sensory-based workshop designed to support teacher well-being. Blending breathwork, movement, imagination, and the five senses, this session offered calming, science-informed practices for stress relief and renewal. Teachers experienced simple, playful tools for grounding and resilience that they could carry into both their personal and professional lives.
Resilient Classrooms: Creative Tools to Support Educators and English Language Learners
Speaker, Embracing Our Differences, November 2025
In this interactive session, participants explored practical, arts-based strategies to nurture resilience, both their own and their students. Through reflection and experiential activities, examined how creative practices can support emotional well-being, engagement, and language development for English language learners and beyond.
Arts & Resiliency
Panelist, Arts &… Speaker Series, Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, October 2025
Presented by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, this session is launching the Arts &… Speaker Series with a focus on creative tools for healing, adaptability, and emotional well-being. Maria will join a multidisciplinary panel of facilitators to explore how the arts support resilience in both personal and community contexts. Drawing on her background in applied theatre, trauma-informed facilitation, and mindfulness, she will guide participants through interactive moments designed to foster emotional awareness, nervous system regulation, and imaginative reflection.
The Resilient Protagonist: Tools for Navigating Uncertainty with Creativity and Care
Keynote, Global Applied Improvisation Network Conference, 2025
Maria guided an international audience through playful, interactive exercises rooted in theatre and mindfulness. This keynote explored imagination, resilience, and nervous system regulation, balancing depth and humor while offering practical tools for navigating uncertain times.
Awakening Wonder: Art, the Brain, and Theater as Pathways to Healing
The Wonder Symposium, The Ringling Museum, 2025
Maria co-presented on the power of theatre and art to awaken imagination, support brain health, and serve as pathways to individual and collective healing.
The Power of Now: Embracing Mental Health, Presence, and Mindfulness through Improvisation and Meditation
Mental Health Summit, Sunshine from Darkness, 2025
This presentation explored how improvisation, theatre, and mindfulness practices can support emotional wellbeing and resilience in individuals and communities.
Artists at the Table: Rehearsing Change Together
Arts and Cultural Alliance Arts Summit, Sarasota Opera House, 2025
Maria shared insights on the role of arts and education in shaping Sarasota’s cultural identity, emphasizing equity, access, and imagination as civic tools.
The Literacy of Theatre and Improv for Autism
National Arts Integration Conference, Denver, 2025
This session highlighted theatre-based strategies that support creativity, collaboration, and communication skills for students with autism, demonstrating how applied theatre and improvisation build resilience and connection.
10×10 Series, January 2025
Maria was featured in the 10×10 speaker series, sharing her story and the power of imagination as a compass for resilience and belonging.