Dr. Imani Maat-Kynes

Personal Details

Bio

Dr. Imani Ma'at Kynes is an Integrative Health Practitioner, author, and wellness educator dedicated to helping individuals and communities reclaim balance through holistic practices, creative expression, and accessible health education. As the creator of the Healthy Haiku Program, she blends haiku poetry, mindfulness, and wellness literacy to teach children, parents, teachers, and incarcerated populations how to nurture their mind, body, and spirit.

With decades of experience across public health, wellness coaching, and community empowerment—including her years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Dr. Imani offers a grounded, culturally informed approach to healing. Her work bridges evidence-based holistic practices with the transformative power of storytelling and creativity, inspiring audiences to see wellness as both a personal journey and a collective responsibility.

A sought-after speaker for schools, women’s organizations, corporate wellness programs, and justice-involved settings, she delivers presentations that are interactive, uplifting, and practical. Her sessions help participants reduce stress, build resilience, deepen self-awareness, and activate wellness tools they can use immediately.

Whether she is guiding a group through gentle detox strategies, teaching the science of red light therapy, or using poetry to spark emotional healing, Dr. Imani’s presence brings warmth, clarity, and a fresh lens on whole-person health.

Signature topics include:

Creative Wellness Education: How Haiku and Creative Arts Support Emotional & Physical Wellbeing

Holistic Stress Reduction for Schools, Workplaces, and Community Spaces

Detoxification, Red Light Therapy, Frequency and Light Therapy

Wellness in Justice-Involved Environments

Integrative Wellness for Women’s Health and Resilience

Culturally Rooted Approaches to Healing and Self-Care

Dr. Imani’s mission is simple: to help people feel seen, supported, and empowered to create healthier, more intentional lives—one breath, one choice, and one inspired moment at a time.

Current position (1)

CEO

Sankofa Institute for Wellness

Achievements (8)

Educating the Incarcerated with the Healthy Haiku Method

From 2016-2019 I created and offered a special program based on Healthy Haiku method to inmates of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in Decatur, Georgia. Poetry and prose from the students are included in the next publication entitled: Educating the Incarcerated coming in January 2026!

First Director of the REACH 2010 Program (CDC)

Served as first Director of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010) Demonstration Program, a national program to eliminate disparities in health among racial and ethnic minorities by year 2010. Represented Program at Congressional briefings and to Legislative bodies.

African American HIV Initiative Special Assignment (CDC)

Coordinated the African American component of the HIV Prevention People of Color Initiative for CDC which resulted in Congressional Black Caucus appropriation of $156 million additional funding to reduce disproportionate impact of HIV within African American and Hispanic communities.

Co-created Teen Theater Program Y.E.S. 4 Health, Inc.

Co-Founder and Executive Director of Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.) 4 Health, Inc, a teen peer health education theater program based in Stone Mountain, GA. Wrote and directed a production on the impact of diabetes on African Americans and Latinos entitled Drive-Thru Justice and another on HIV.

Creator of Healthy Haiku Productions

Healthy Haiku (HH) Workshops for Youth and Training Programs for Teachers are based on a scientifically evaluated and award-winning curriculum. The Healthy Haiku Method uses Haiku and other forms of creative expression. Haiku is a poetic form that originated in Japan in the 17th Century.

Healthy Haiku (HH) Book Series

I have authored 3 books in the Healthy Haiku Series, a 4th to be published soon. Lessons from Healthy Haiku 3: How to Fight Childhood Obesity One Poem at a Time, are shared in HH Language and Lifestyle Workshops by the author. Teacher Training courses on the HH Method are also offered.

Podcast Host: From Blogtalk to Podcast Host

Created and hosted a BlogTalk radio show entitled: Stepping Into My Power which ran from 2012-2015. This show focused on health topics. In 2023 :I launched and co-hosted Progressively Yours Health and Wellness Podcast, a podcast also on wellness topics.
returning 2026. See episodes: CEOdrimani.

Sankofa Institute for Wellness Blog (Drimanimaat.com)

Created this Blog as a bridge between my former Blog and new (at that time) Podcast: Progressively Yours Health and Wellness Podcast which is starting a new season in January of 2026. There is great content on this site. The podcast is part of a company entitled Sankofa Institute for Wellness.

Degrees (4)

Health Education and Behavioral Health

Columbia University Teacher's College ( Ed.D)

1993 to 1996

Education Administration (M.Ed)

Harvard Graduate School of Education (M.Ed)

1981 to 1982

Master of City Planning (MCP)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MCP)

1979 to 1981

Urban Studies

Mount Holyoke College (BA)

1975 to 1979

Presentations

Presentations (3)

Infusing Poetry, Creativity and Fun into Teaching about Health & Wellness

The Healthy Haiku Method is an Award winning approach to teaching that was created by Dr. Imani Ma'at Kynes in 2006. The Healthy Haiku Method is an Educational Series evaluated with a post-doctoral grant from Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee & Univ. of Alabama Birmingham. The goal of the talk is to invite people to the training for educators, parents and mentors to use Haiku poetry and creativity to promote health, literacy, and creativity.

Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry usually configured on 3 lines with 5-7-5 syllables on the three lines. The method is simple, engaging, easy for all ages. The program encourages reflection, creativity, and memory retention.

The Healthy Haiku Method includes:
• Infusing wellness topics (nutrition, fitness, self-esteem)
• Brainstorming topics with students
• Writing and sharing poems aloud
• Group role-play and discussions

A Unique Approach to Educating the Incarcerated Including Poetry, Creative Arts and Fun!

This talk is based on fourth book in the Healthy Haiku Series and application and expansion of the Healthy Haiku method to teach in a local county jail. The first three books in the series address health and wellness and introduce the Healthy Haiku method as a strategy to teach about important health topics while capitalizing on the natural creative abilities and talents of the students. This book does all of the above as a starting place while adding other tools and techniques that flow into the realm of meditation, Ho'oponopono - an ancient Hawaiian strategy for resolving conflict, energy, and spicy soul stirring.
I share this talk with excitement fueled by my passionate desire to assist county jails and other correctional institutions with achieving a level of rehabilitation and reduced recidivism that has formerly not seemed attainable.

7 Mistakes Made When Starting a New Wellness Regimen that can Actually Sabotage Your Efforts:

Starting a health regimen can offer numerous benefits, but without a holistic approach, focusing on only one or a few components can lead to challenges and may even sabotage your efforts. This talk offers a breakdown of the potential issues associated with each of the seven points and the benefits of combining all components into an integrative health plan, especially with the guidance of an Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP).
Comprehensive Approach: An integrative health plan ensures that all components of well-being (exercise, diet, hydration, detoxing, supplementation, and proper tools) work in harmony. When all aspects are addressed, your body can function optimally, leading to better physical, mental, and emotional health.
This is a great presentation for those planning to launch a new wellness regimen in their lives in order to give them the most effective health outcomes not only for the short term, but for the long term also.