We were lucky to catch up with Meanna Kintaudi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Meanna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The story behind my mission is deeply personal, because it came out of survival. Not just physical survival, but emotional, mental, and spiritual. I experienced a health crisis that nearly took my life—three heart attacks in a single week—and what I realized in the aftermath is that my body wasn’t breaking down from poor habits, but from unprocessed pain, chronic stress, and constantly performing strength.

That experience stripped away every excuse I had for not putting myself first. It made me confront how many of us—especially Black women—are carrying the weight of everything and everyone, and doing it silently. We’re told to push through, to be resilient, to keep showing up even when we’re falling apart inside. That narrative nearly killed me.

So, I decided to flip it. My mission is to create spaces—physical, digital, emotional, and spiritual—where people can come back to themselves. Where they can pause, breathe, and feel without shame. Whether it’s through mindfulness practices, movement, storytelling, or affirmations, everything I do now is rooted in helping others reclaim their peace before their body demands it for them.

This work matters to me because I know what it’s like to feel unseen, unheard, and overwhelmed—and I know how powerful it is when someone finally gives you permission to rest and reconnect. That’s what I’m here to do: offer that permission, every day, in every way I can.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Meanna DK—a wellness facilitator, author, speaker, and mindfulness educator. I specialize in creating spaces—both digital and physical—where individuals, especially Black women and children, can reconnect with themselves, regulate their emotions, and cultivate holistic well-being.​

My journey into this field was born out of a desire to offer spaces where individuals can find solace, understanding, and encouragement. I specialize in creating content that intertwines mindfulness with cultural relevance, aiming to provide healing and empowerment through connecting unseen dots.​

My offerings include guided meditations, affirmations, and insightful commentary that address the complexities of modern life. I tackle issues ranging from mental health and self-worth to societal pressures and personal growth. What sets my work apart is its authenticity and relatability; I speak from experience and with a voice that resonates with many who feel unseen or unheard.​

I’m most proud of the community that is forming around this work—a collective of individuals who support and uplift each other. For anyone new to my content, know that this is a space of acceptance, growth, and genuine connection.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that I don’t have to earn rest. I don’t have to “deserve” it. I don’t have to be productive every second of the day just to feel like I matter.

That grind mentality—especially when you come from poverty—will have you thinking rest is a reward instead of a right. I used to feel guilty every time I slowed down. Like if I wasn’t doing something, I was failing. And that pressure only got heavier when I started chasing my dreams, trying to build a business and a brand that would get me and my family out of survival mode.

I would work and work and work… not even knowing if I was working on the right things. Just moving to stay in motion. Just busy. And when I did try to rest? I’d lay there and beat myself up the whole time, thinking about all the things I “should” be doing.

It was toxic.

What I had to unlearn is that rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. And the truth is, I get my best work done when I’m well-rested and clear-minded, not when I’m scrambling at the last minute, burned out and overwhelmed.

So now I remind myself often: I don’t have to earn rest. I deserve rest because I’m human. That’s it. That’s enough. And unlearning that has helped me not just survive—but finally start to live.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My journey started in the fitness space. I was focused on weight loss and physical health, and after losing a significant amount of weight, I built a following around that. But when life got heavy, I gained the weight back—and I pushed myself harder and harder to get back to what I had before.

Then I had three heart attacks. That was my wake-up call.

My cardiologist told me the issue wasn’t physical. It was mental. He said, “You can lose the weight again, but if you don’t learn how to manage your stress, you’ll be right back here in three months.” And in that moment, I knew: something had to change.

I shifted my focus from physical fitness to mental and emotional well-being. Mindfulness and meditation became my go-to throughout my healing process. The pivot wasn’t just personal—it changed how I show up in my work, too.

When I started the transition on social media, I saw a steep drop in engagement. For a while, I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. But the truth was, I was living a new kind of wellness—I just wasn’t showing it. I was still trying to give people what I thought they wanted to see, instead of sharing what was actually saving my life.

So I made the decision to align what I post with how I live. I let go of the need to perform fitness and started creating content that reflected the mindfulness, peace, and healing I was experiencing off-screen.

Today, my focus is on holistic wellness—emphasizing the importance of mental health right alongside physical health. That pivot allowed me to connect more deeply with my audience and offer tools that help get to the root of burnout, stress, and disconnection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meannnadk.com
• Instagram: @meannadk
• Facebook: DeShawn Kintaudi
• Youtube: @Meanna_DK
• Other: TikTok: @MeannaDK

Image Credits

This is from me speaking at the 2024 Shenomenal Brunch !