Quána Madison

About Quána Madison
"Namaste, the Divine in Me Honors the Divine in You."

Quána Madison is an abstract expressionist artist, author, inspirational speaker and expressive arts wellness workshop facilitator. Expressive arts revived her soul after cancer treatments and developing incurable life-changing chronic illnesses.

In 2015, Quána exhibited early cancer warning symptoms during her PHD program at the University of Colorado Boulder. After becoming severely ill, she was diagnosed with BRCA1, ATM and NBN cancer genetic mutations. In 2016, she had an emergency hysterectomy, oophorectomy and double mastectomies. She underwent multiple breast reconstruction procedures and experienced necrosis of her remaining breasts. 3 months after surgical treatments, she barely survived a spontaneous vaginal cuff dehiscence and evisceration. While bleeding out to death from this rare surgical complication, Quána had an extraordinary out-of-body near death experience. The experience was transformative and restored her faith in the sacredness of life.

By January 2017, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and peripheral neuropathy. Doctors informed Quána that she has a shortened life expectancy due to her complex health landscape. The compounding impact of her incurable chronic illnesses caused her life to completely fall apart. In April 2017, she discontinued her PHD due to debilitating health reasons. This marked the beginning of her post-traumatic growth journey.

Quána experienced positive transformation during her post-traumatic growth journey. Expressive art-making, self-care practices, creative coping, mindfulness, emotional nourishment, physical wellness approaches and meaningful arts engagement in the community are invaluable tools that support her everyday health journey. She believes in encouraging others and uplifting communities in the ways she is able.

Painting, poetry, performance art, singing, dance, drama, arts advocacy and participating in community arts events are bridges for positive transformation. Quána firmly believes that authentic arts engagement at any and all ages can promote physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, communal and societal well-being. She gained courage to create and share her own art and writing with the world during her post-traumatic growth journey.

Quána is passionate about promoting hope, inner peace, self-understanding, emotional wellness and uplift of others through expressive arts engagement. As a fibromyalgia warrior queen, she strives to inspire, educate and empower people living with chronic illnesses. She shares her own stories about creative coping strategies, self-care approaches, emotional wellness, embracing a growth-mindset and hope through expressive arts. Her post-traumatic growth through expressive arts fuels her desire to ignite hope in hearts of people living with fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses. She believes in living your best life no matter your diagnosis.

Quána Madison has over 15 years of experience working in public, private and international schools and higher education settings. She has served in a variety of leadership, teaching and advocacy roles.

Her background has focused on the following topics:

-Critical Disabilities Studies

-Black Feminist Thought

-Brain-based Learning

-Multiple Intelligence Theory

-Constructivist Learning Theory/Teaching

-Arts-based Learning in School Settings

-Culturally Responsive Teaching, Equity & Inclusion Practices

-Self-Leadership Studies

-Differentiation for Diverse Learners

-Emotional Wellness

-Trauma & Recovery

-Post-Traumatic Growth

-Youth development

-Education in Urban Spaces

-Refugee education advocacy

-Peace studies

-Community-based Research using Arts-based Methods

www.quanamadison.com

Email: quana@quanamadison.com

Facebook: @quanamadisonllc

Instagram: @quana.madison

Twitter: @quanamadison

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/quanamadison