About Serena
Practice, Education, and Lived Inquiry
Serena Olsen is a facilitator, educator, sound artist, and public health professional whose work sits at the intersection of innerdance, community health, education, and sound-based experiential practices.
Her approach is shaped by decades of lived inquiry, international program leadership, and formal training across public health, education, wellness, and creative technologies. Innerdance is not a single focus within her work, but a core thread that informs how she listens, designs learning environments, and supports individual and collective experience.
Relationship to innerdance
Serena has been engaged with innerdance since its early years of emergence and has played a significant role in how the process has been explored, shared, and practiced internationally. Her involvement spans facilitation, soundscape creation, education, and organizational leadership.
Rather than approaching innerdance as a technique or modality to be mastered, Serena engages it as an experiential field—one that continues to unfold through listening, presence, and relationship over time. This orientation informs both her facilitation style and her approach to teaching others.
Her work emphasizes non-directivity, self-regulation, and respect for individual autonomy, aligning innerdance with broader principles of ethical practice and care.
Sound, facilitation, and creative practice
Serena is widely known for her contributions to innerdance soundscapes under the name Shamanic DJ. Since the mid-2010s, her sound work has supported innerdance sessions, trainings, and personal listening across global communities.
Her sound practice is grounded in deep listening, live composition, and responsiveness to context rather than fixed musical formulas. Over time, this work has influenced how sound journeys are shaped and experienced within innerdance, while remaining one expression among many within a shared and evolving field.
Her soundscapes are used in both facilitated and self-guided contexts and continue to evolve alongside her broader work in education and health.
Education and public health background
Alongside her experiential and creative work, Serena brings a strong foundation in public health, education, and program development.
She is currently a Master’s candidate in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Her academic focus includes community health, health equity, program evaluation, and evidence-based approaches to wellbeing.
Her background also includes a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Culture from New York University, with training in graphic design, technology, and media systems.
This combination of public health training and creative practice informs how Serena designs learning environments, community programs, and facilitation pathways within Innerdance Trust.
Leadership and global experience
Serena has held leadership, program management, and instructional roles across diverse international contexts, including community health initiatives, retreat centers, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
Her experience includes:
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founding and leading Innerdance Trust and Innerdance Global LLC
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directing wellness, education, and community programs across Asia, Europe, and the United States
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designing and evaluating learning programs for diverse populations
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collaborating with international facilitators and organizations focused on sustainability, health equity, and community development
Across these roles, she has consistently worked at the intersection of education, wellbeing, and community capacity-building.
Training, certifications, and areas of study
Serena’s work is informed by ongoing training across multiple disciplines, including:
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public health research and ethics
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behavioral health and wellness education
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complementary and integrative health approaches
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experiential education and facilitation
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sound, listening, and creative technologies
These trainings support a broad and integrative approach to innerdance that is responsive, informed, and grounded in both lived experience and professional responsibility.
Innerdance Trust
As founder of Innerdance Trust, Serena supports the development of education, facilitation pathways, and community spaces where innerdance can be experienced with care, clarity, and ethical consideration.
Her role within Innerdance Trust is not positioned as authority over the process, but as one of leadership, responsibility, and ongoing inquiry—ensuring that innerdance remains accessible, non-directive, and adaptable as it continues to evolve.
Continuing the Exploration
Those interested in Serena’s work may explore:
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Music and Soundscapes – recorded sound journeys and listening
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Sound Learning and Soundscape Creation – educational offerings
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Training Pathways – facilitation and study
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Innerdance Evolutions – reflections and dialogues
Her work continues to evolve through listening, collaboration, and practice.