Melinda Rodriguez is a Spiritual Mentor, Shamanic Practitioner, Energy Healer and Inspirational Teacher specializing in personal & spiritual development.  Her internationally acclaimed certification courses and one-on-one mentoring reflect her passion and commitment to helping people overcome obstacles and find purpose and a passion for life. Melinda is Certified as a Spiritual Counselor through the American Board of Hypnotherapy and trained with Dr. Doreen Virtue.  With a Cherokee lineage, Melinda has apprenticed and studied a medley of Shamanic traditions and facilitates this profound wisdom in her healing and teaching practice. She is also an integrative healing practitioner and holds certification as a Reiki Master Teacher. Guiding people across the globe towards their own inner wisdom and greatest potential, Melinda founded the International Awareness Academy in 2000 as an educational platform and resource for learning in the areas of consciousness, Shamanic Wisdom, healing, intuitive awareness and personal growth.

With more than a decade of professional experience and a lifetime of study and exploration, Melinda is dedicated to her mission of sharing the powerful wisdom she has gained upon her journey.  Melinda uplifts, rejuvenates, restores and inspires people to pursue their own personal power, healing and purpose.  She is renowned for creating a genuine connection with Spirit and a deep awareness of the wisdom that lies within us all.

Drawing upon her own challenging life journey and overcoming numerous obstacles, Melinda forged a pathway to empowerment which lead her to enhanced consciousness, purpose and passion for life. After pursuing a degree in traditional psychology, Melinda soon recognized that most conventional therapy methods were not getting to the root of a person’s issues nor facilitating empowerment and self love.  From her own spiritual development and understanding that loving the self was far more affective than playing victim to supposed outside forces, Melinda elected to study spirituality, metaphysics, Shamanism, alternative healing, and evolved methods of psychology and counseling.  This decision lead Melinda to her life’s work which then begin to transform her painful past into passion and purpose.

Melinda is also a passionate percussionist utilizing ceremonial and recreational drumming as a transformational tool that heals and awakens ones inner power.  Introduced to drumming through her shamanic training, Melinda soon realized the profound and positive transformation that drumming inherently creates. This lead her to study various cultural methods of making music through rhythm.  She is a Professional Drum Circle Facilitator and has trained with world-renowned industry Master Arthur Hull along with many other extraordinary teachers of the drum. With an eclectic background & education in African, Native American, Middle Eastern & Latin percussion, Melinda has lead hundreds of drumming and motivational events with a dazzling style that enables people to feel energized, inspired and empowered.  As part of her life's work, Melinda travels extensively to share this ancient transformational tool of drumming with modern audiences everywhere. She has had the great fortune of sharing the stage with award winning musicians and Master African Drummers as she performs for high profile corporate and private clients.

Melinda has been featured on Live 365 Radio with Tuesday Miles, Contact Talk Radio with Karen Anderson and is a repeat guest on Acoustic Fuel Radio.  She has authored countless articles and features in various publications such as The Messenger Magazine and is featured on Christine Steven’s DVD “The Art & Heart of Drum Circles. Melinda has lead motivational events for some of the top companies in the world such as Microsoft, Disney, Chapman University, The American Heart Association, GE, Harrahs, and many more. 

In 2004, Melinda collaborated with Dirk Barkermeijer de Wit and released The Ultimate Shamanic Journey CD which is a meditation tool using the healing beat of the drum and didgeridoo.  Since then, Dirk and Melinda have performed together throughout the Southern California Region, igniting audiences to connect with their own primal nature and rhythm.  Melinda & Dirk are currently working on their next CD which will be a musical compilation of both traditional and contemporary percussive pieces.

Melinda lives in Southern California.  She greatly enjoys teaching, mentoring individuals and leading motivational drumming events across the country. Her unwavering integrity and amazing gifts of listening sincerely, leading from the heart and inspiring the best in others has earned Melinda deep admiration and appreciation from her clients, students, and audiences everywhere.