It's funny how people circle in and out of our lives, sometimes for years, before we really get to know them. Dre Bendewald and I have been doing just that. We share mutual friends, and our paths have crossed, but it wasn't until recently, when I joined one of her circles, that I truly got to experience the beautiful work she does.
Dre has a remarkable gift for bringing women together and creating a sacred space where they feel safe enough to be vulnerable, to share their stories, and simply be themselves. It’s incredibly powerful to sit among women who listen without judgment, offer support, and remind us how much we have in common. We need more of these spaces in the world today.
What struck me about Dre was her ability to hold that space with such warmth, wisdom, and genuine curiosity. She's a listener, something that seems increasingly rare these days, and she has a way of making people feel heard. That same curiosity and gift for conversation carries over to her podcast, Circle This.
Our time together in the studio was fantastic! Dre arrived with so much creative energy and a willingness to play and experiment. It was one of those sessions where ideas kept flowing, and by the time we finished, we were both completely exhausted. It was a beautiful collaboration, and I think that spirit comes through in the photographs.
As you'll discover in her answers, Dre's own story is one of learning to recognize her gifts, trust herself, and embrace the woman she's always been. I particularly love her choice of one word to describe herself: Presence. After spending time with her, I understand why.
I'm delighted to introduce you to Dre.
What really matters to you?
Feeling connected to myself, to source, to each other. Being awake for this life. The beautiful, the messy, the mystery. Life, death, and everything in between.
Being kind. Staying curious. Knowing myself well enough to take responsibility for what I bring into a room and staying open enough to be changed by who I meet there.
What brings you happiness?
I am my happiest, most tuned in and turned on when I’m sitting in or leading a circle. Put me among people willing to share what’s really going on in their lives, who they are in that moment, and I am my most alive.
In circles we share stories, hopes, dreams, fears, and everyday realities. As we listen, the masks soften. Someone says the thing we’ve felt but never found words for. There’s recognition, connection, laughter, and tears. All of it welcome. All of it human.
I love, love, love circling with family, old friends, new friends, and complete strangers. In schools, online, at retreats, around a kitchen table or a fire. Every circle holds the possibility of discovering something about ourselves through someone else.
That moment when we recognize ourselves in one another—the mirror effect—gets me every time. For me, there is no better experience.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?
My biggest challenge has been recognizing my purpose and owning who I am and what I have to offer. For years, I questioned all of it. Even as a working actor, while building meaningful relationships and experiencing success, I was full of fear and doubt. The things I thought would make me feel sure of myself never quite reached that deeper place.
I wanted to be seen, but I struggled to believe in what there was to see. I could recognize someone else’s gifts so easily, then question my own into the ground. At times, into depression.
Learning to value myself has meant taking my own knowing seriously. Claiming my gifts while I’m still learning how to use them. Letting what I offer matter before someone else tells me it does. Oof.
That’s still a practice. But I trust the woman practicing and what she has learned along the way.
“How will your mirror ever be polished
if you are irritated by every rub?”
—Rumi
What would you change if you could?
I would be on my own side sooner. Loved myself more freely. Been my own greatest cheerleader. Been kinder and gentler with the woman who was doing the best she could with what she knew.
I would have celebrated her along the way, given her more grace, and let her have even more fun!
The loving light I feel in myself now was there all along. I wish I’d let her shine with this much wild abandon sooner.
What single word do you identify with?
Presence. My favorite word. When someone tells me they feel seen or nurtured in my presence, I take that as an enormous compliment. To give someone my full attention is one of the most loving things I can do.
Presence is also how I find alignment. It’s where the vertical meets the horizontal, where my connection to source meets the life happening now. I feel whether my choices honor what I know inside. My intuition. My truth.
Saves a lot of time. And a whole lot of bullshit.
PRESENCE
Thank you Dre!
Andrea “Dre” Bendewald is the founder of The Art of Circling and host of the Circle This podcast. For more than three decades, she has explored the power of storytelling and human connection. Her early career as an actress and acting coach deepened her understanding of authentic expression, emotional truth, and the importance of being heard, qualities she brings to her work today.
Through The Art of Circling, Dre brings the ancient practice of gathering in circle into modern life, offering retreats, workshops, and meaningful conversations centered on connection, mindfulness, and personal growth. On her podcast, she continues these conversations with artists, thought leaders, and everyday people, exploring the stories that shape our lives. At the heart of her work is the belief that every story matters and that gathering with intention can create meaningful change.
www.AndreaBendewald.com
Instagram: @andreabendewald