Madeleine was born in Doorwerth, Holland, in 1929. She emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s. In the mid-1970s she traveled to India, and became a devotee of Muktananda, who was a follower of his predecessor Nityananda. She had a mystical experience there that left her wanting to start an intentional community. Purchasing the property that now is the Madeleine Sone Wildlife Preserve was the first step in starting the community. While the intentional community did not endure, Madeleine continued to work on the land and develop her ideas about wildlife conservation. In the 1990s she added an environmental easment to the 3 properties she owned, which prevented logging and other activities that would harm wildlife.