We were lucky to catch up with Kukuwa KYEREBOAH recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kukuwa, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At Kukuwa® Fitness, our mission is to change lives through the joy of African dance, movement, and culture — making fitness fun, inclusive, and rooted in the richness of the African continent.

But it’s more than just movement. I take this mission deeply personal,

As the founder, of Kukuwa Fitness, I was born and raised in Ghana, where movement, rhythm, and community are part of our daily lifes. I saw how dance transformed and brought people together — across generations, villages, and borders. It was celebratory, and healing as well as life-giving. This was displayed to me as a young girl, growing up with my great-grandmother of age 120.

When I moved to the West, I noticed something missing: fitness had become rigid, intimidating, boring and disconnected from joy, happiness and excitement — I knew I had to bring what I knew from my culture — movement that comes from the soul, rooted in culture, and accessible to all bodies.

So, I created Kukuwa® African Dance Workout. It’s more than a workout — it’s a cultural experience. It’s an invitation to move your boombsey (your core and hips), connect with your roots or discover new ones, and celebrate your body at every age, stage, and size.

It’s meaningful because we’ve seen the transformation: women and men of all ages dancing and sweating and losing weight and toning, people reversing health conditions naturally through movement, and communities reclaiming their joy and identity through African rhythms.

My mission is about honoring heritage, healing through movement, and building a global village — one dance at a time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kukuwa Kyereboah, founder and CEO of Kukuwa® Fitness, Africa With Us, and Africa With Us Foundation. and I’m the creator of Kukuwa® African Dance, a movement that’s been inspiring people around the world to connect with their bodies, their roots, and their joy through African music and dance. I’m originally from Ghana, West Africa, and my passion for movement and culture began at the age of 3.

Growing up, dance was a part of everyday life for me —it was how we celebrated, how we healed, how we connected as a community. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of teaching all over the world, training instructors, and appearing in major media outlets. But what drives me is the mission to help people of all ages get in the best shape of their lives. feel strong, vibrant, healthy and and overall well in this life’s journey, no matter where they are in the world.

I had an extensive upbringing in the holistic teachings of my great-grandmother and mother which I practice and helps me stay ageless. Kukuwa® Fitness was born—not just as a workout, but as a wellness lifestyle rooted in culture, joy, and self-expression. And today, with the help of my daughters and our dynamic instructor team, we’re bringing that mission to even more people—through online classes, retreats to Africa, and partnerships across wellness and entertainment. I am an author of 4 books entitled African Health Secrets, African Dance with Passion, Kuwa Inaafa, and Kuwa Vizuri.

Kukuwa® Fitness provides transformational wellness experiences rooted in the joy, rhythm, and movement of Africa. Our main offerings include:

Kukuwa® African Dance Workouts – Online and in-person cardio dance fitness classes that infuse music and moves from across the African continent.

Wellness Coaching & Holistic Health Tips – For men and women over 40 and beyond, helping them stay vibrant, fit, and energized.

Cultural Wellness Retreats & Group Travel to Africa – We curate life-changing wellness adventures to countries in the continent of Africa.

Coaching from a Diverse Team – Including Coach Cass (weight loss), Coach Sam (adaptive fitness), and Coach Kree (pre/post-natal wellness), so every body is represented and supported.

The Problems we Solve:
Making fitness joyful, inclusive, and culturally rooted.
Providing age-appropriate, accessible, and adaptive movement options via our series.
Connecting people to African heritage through movement, music, and travel.
Empowering women to reclaim their health, energy, and confidence—at any age.

What Sets Us Apart:
We are the only Mother/daughters fitness brand combining authentic African dance, wellness, and intergenerational empowerment.
A family-led, women-run company with a multi-generational coaching team (Coac Kuks, Coach Cass, Coach Sam, Coach Kree).

Deep cultural authenticity—not just entertainment, but education, elevation, and connection.

We bring the vibrancy of Africa into people’s lives, bodies, and spirits.

What We are Most Proud Of:
Transforming lives around the world—physically, mentally, emotionally, and culturally.
Remaining rooted in purpose, passion, and the power of African culture.
Bringing joy, happiness and engery to people from all walks of life.

What We Want People to Know:
Kukuwa Fitness isn’t just a workout—it’s a movement. Our mission is to help you move your body, reclaim your energy, and feel alive—no matter your age, background, or ability. Sweat with purpose and Glow from the inside out with each and every workout you do with us anytime and anywhere.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes, what began as a side hustle eventually blossomed into my full-time business and life’s passion, namely the Kukuwa Fitness Workout & Travel.. I used to have a corporate job in the DC area at an outstanding International organization and was using my degree in languages to translate for the delegates and associates on a 9-5 schedule. However because of my passion and love for dance, I used to teach Kukuwa Dance Fitness during my lunch breaks and after work to the staff and employees of that organization. I also added fitness centers on weekends and evenings to start spreading and sharing the joy, culture, and health benefits of African dance with them. I did all this while juggling other professional commitments. Initially, I taught about 2 – 3 classes in the day but then it spread quickly and word went around about the joy and effectiveness of my classes so I slowly but surely started teaching more and more classes and had to leave my International day job. I ended up teaching 7 vibrant and energetic classes of Kukuwa African Dance each day, Monday through Saturday, totalling 42 classes a week with only Sundays to rest. It was a passion project that brought me immense fulfillment, especially seeing how it uplifted and transformed people’s lifes.

The turning point came when I realized the powerful impact the workouts were having—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. People of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels were connecting with the movement and energy. As demand grew, I began traveling to host workshops, filming DVDs, and creating online content. Earlier during the 1990s well into the 2000s my classes grew exponentially, so it became my main full/time business. I was blessed to have had Oprah Winfrey endorse my workouts by naming my workouts as the best in the year 2010, this propelled me well into a success story. By the time President Obama came into office, Michelle Obama had heard about me and I was teaching my classes privately to her and her friends.

Some of the key milestones in my growth journey include:

Having my daughters come work with me after they graduated from college to enable me to expand the business.

Launching my online platform: This allowed us to reach a global audience, especially during the pandemic when people needed joyful, at-home workouts.

Building a global community: With an expansion to include Certified Instructors and classes across the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Growing our family of Instructors: Including my daughters, Coach Cass and Coach Sam, and my goddaughter Coach Kree, who bring unique specialties and help us connect with more diverse groups—like moms, people with weight lose issue, people with autoimmune conditions, and the 60+ community.

Creating wellness retreats and cultural trips to Africa: These immersive experiences bring our mission full circle—connecting fitness with travel, culture, and healing.

So I can say what began as a side hustle driven by my passion is now a full-fledged business that is empowering people globally through movement, culture, and wellness. I’m proud of the impact we’ve made and excited to see what’s ahead!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Illustrating my resilience in my life’s journey has been a story to tell for sure! There have been many moments in my journey that tested me, but one that truly stands out is when I had to keep building my business while everything around me felt uncertain. I was pouring my heart into Kukuwa Fitness—sharing African culture, dance, and wellness with the world—but there were times I wasn’t sure if people would really “get it” or support it. I faced negative comments, laughs, and even insults of people telling me to go get a real job to make a living!

There were days I was running on little sleep, doing everything from teaching classes to packing orders, answering emails, raising my kids, and keeping a smile on my face. But I didn’t quit. I reminded myself why I started—this was about more than business, it was about legacy, healing, and uplifting others through movement and culture.

Every time someone told me, “You changed my life,” or “its because of you I keep going and not quitting” it gave me the fuel to keep going. I turned every obstacle into motivation. I learned to pivot, to keep pushing with faith, prayers, and fire, and to always trust that the seeds I planted would bloom in their time, and I live to share it today.

That resilience—that decision to rise no matter what—is what has brought me and Kukuwa Fitness to where we are today. And I’m still rising.

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kukuwafitness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kukuwafitness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KukuwaFitness/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kukuwa-fitness/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KukuwaFitness
• Other: Tik Tok:

Image Credits

The pictures are of my family so permission granted.