
Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, MBA, (she+), brings over 25 years of meditation practice and spiritualstudies to her livelihood as a Spiritual Teacher and Leader. She is a dedicated lay practitioner of the Dharma and has spent the last six years undertaking contemporary Upasika vows and living as a lay renunciate. Ramona Lisa is honored to be in the 2025-2028 cohort of the Insight Meditation Society/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. She enjoys scholarly programs and has completed East Bay Meditation Center’s Commit to Dharma Program (C2D3), Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s (SRMC) Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP6) and East Bay Meditation Center’s two-year Spiritual Teacher and Leadership training. Ramona Lisa is an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT) Practitioner, certified mindfulness teacher and mentor. Ramona Lisa is a Free Spirit who creatively weaves real life experiences into her Dharma interpretation using Earth based practices, authenticity, kindness, humor, music and joy! When not teaching, she is likely meditating, sitting in long, silent retreat practice or enjoying time with her adult daughter, family, friends and Dharma Buddies!

Photo Credit: Monique Arelle
Using as much integrity, kindness and humor as possible, Ramona Lisa aims to weave her non-traditional entrepreneurial spirit, “black” feminist thought, leadership skills and business mind into her meditation practice, Dharma interpretation and teachings.
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Ramona Lisa earned her BA in Business Economics with a minor in Ethnic Studies and her MBA in Management at Mills College.
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Ramona Lisa is ordained by American Marriage Ministries and enjoys officiating wedding ceremonies for those she knows deeply.
Trainings, Certifications & Affiliations

