Maria Schaedler-Luera 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.
Maria speaks in English, Spanish, and Portuguese — and brings the same warmth, depth, and rigor to every stage, whether it’s an international conference, a community gathering, or an intimate summit.
Video by BRAD!BRYAN Multimedia during the 2025 Early Learning Coalition Educator Retreat
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 and the forthcoming The Resilient 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.
Upcoming Talks:
Focus 5 Arts Integration Conference 2026
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design | Lakewood, Colorado July 8–9, 2026
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 flexible, resilient thinking needed in today’s rapidly evolving world.
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
Recent Talks — 2026:
Storytelling Experience — The Jack Kerouac House
St. Petersburg, FL — April 25, 2026 Maria was featured at The Jack Kerouac House — a historic literary space dedicated to creative expression and community connection — for an intimate storytelling event exploring narrative as a tool for reflection, connection, and meaning-making.
Emotions in Motion: Understanding Our Emotional Patterns
Step Into the Light: A Mental Health Summit Mote SEA, Sarasota — May 2, 2026 Maria and Will Luera (Lifeline Productions) blended mindfulness, emotional literacy, and applied improvisation to explore how emotions influence the way we connect with others — offering participants practical tools to pause, gain awareness, and choose more intentional responses in everyday interactions.
Recent Talks — 2025:
Awakening Resilience Through the Senses and Imagination
Early Learning Coalition Teacher Restorative Retreats — November 2025 Maria guided early childhood educators through an interactive, sensory-based workshop blending breathwork, movement, and imagination to support teacher well-being and resilience.
Resilient Classrooms: Creative Tools to Support Educators and English Language Learners
Embracing Our Differences — November 2025 An interactive session exploring arts-based strategies to nurture resilience for educators and English language learners.
Arts & Resiliency
Arts &… Speaker Series, Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County — October 2025 Maria joined a multidisciplinary panel exploring how the arts support resilience in personal and community contexts.
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 — exploring imagination, resilience, and nervous system regulation.
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 Exploring how improvisation, theatre, and mindfulness practices support emotional wellbeing and resilience.
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 Theatre-based strategies supporting creativity, collaboration, and communication for students with autism.
10×10 Series — January 2025
Maria was featured sharing her story and the power of imagination as a compass for resilience and belonging.
What People Say:
“Maria Schaedler-Luera recently visited my Hutton Honors College Applied Improvisation class at Indiana University Bloomington as a guest speaker to share the powerful work of Augusto Boal. Her session highlighted how Boal’s methods—especially Theater of the Oppressed—invite both deep introspection and genuine collaboration. I first met Maria this summer at a conference where she delivered a keynote on becoming the ‘Resilient Protagonist’ of your own life, and her visit with my students carried that same clarity, passion, and generosity. Maria is a true gift as a facilitator and speaker, and I am grateful for the insight she brought into the classroom.”
— Dawn Wisher, M.A., General Mills Distinguished Teaching Professor | Communication & Professional Skills, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington
Book Maria:
Maria is available for conferences, professional development days, community events, academic institutions, and summits — in person and virtually, in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.