Born in California, raised mostly in Japan and Europe, the ocean and nature was always a source of refuge and grounding for her as someone who grew up as a mixed-race, ethnically ambiguous and often culturally “confused” human. Madoka comes to Brown Girl Surf with a decade of experience in nonprofit organizing and development. She also had stints of working as a full time yoga / mindfulness / sex-ed teacher for high schools across the Bay Area, followed by a chapter of being a full time gardener for some time. Madoka earned her B.A in Comparative Literature at Chapman University – her apartment table is full of books she is reading simultaneously. She is a passionate advocate for decolonizing the wellness world, creating more access to movement for those who are limited in mobility and/or access to embodiment and somatic practices of healing – which includes surfing! On her days off, you can find Madoka floating, swimming or surfing in the ocean or completely covered in soil while tending to her back yard.