Meet our team
Maggie McGinnis Kerns, LMT
Hello! I am Maggie McGinnis Kerns, owner of Imagine Peace. I graduated from Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School and became a licensed massage therapist in 2007. I build my massage therapy sessions around each client's needs and work with clients of all ages, even children. I can help you with focused deep tissue work, injury recovery and pain relief or just let you de-stress, relax your mind and renew your spirit.
I was a birth doula for many years, and I have a special passion for working with clients throughout pregnancy and early parenthood. If you need help with pregnancy resources, creating your birth plan, breastfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapering, finding the right care provider (I know all the best people), gardening, or anything else you can think of - please pick my brain, I am happy to help!
My happy home is shared with my husband Jacob, five children, and a house full of pets. Baby number 6 will be joining us in May 2024!
We spend our days together creating art, gardening, reading, dancing, and playing.
Jon Paul Harkin, LMT
Jon Paul or “JP” Harkin has been a full time Licensed Massage Therapist for nearly 20 years. He studied at Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School and became a licensed massage therapist in 2005. You may recognize JP from Sahar’s Salon & Day Spa, where he worked full time for 12 years. He had now been on the Imagine Peace team for 5 years! JP specializes in relaxation, deep tissue, prenatal, and hot stone massage in a passive way to allow you to “tune out.” JP’s main goal is to reduce your muscle tension and sense of stress in a safe and comfortable environment. Jon Paul hopes to guide you to a better, more peaceful, state of mind and body!
Jon Paul is a retired veteran, serving 20 years in the Army including 2 deployments to Iraq. He served active duty for 2 years at Ft Bragg North Carolina. Since 2000, JP was part of the Iowa National Guard Army Medical Detachment guiding soldiers through their physical and psychological assessments. He also has a bachelors degree from Iowa State University.
JP shares his life with his wonderful wife Erin and their dog Bella. They enjoy live music, theater, cooking, and gardening.
Katy Bird, LMT
Katy Bird studied massage therapy at Wellspring School of Allied Health in Kansas City, Missouri and became a Licensed Massage Therapist in 2020. She was drawn to massage therapy as a career after she discovered holistic healing and massage in her own healing health journey. It is now her goal to give back, treat, and educate those interested in holistic care. Katy has experience with relaxation, deep tissue, prenatal, geriatric, and hospice massage. She has a passion for helping clients with anxiety, depression, migraines, pain management, and trauma release. Katy joined Imagine Peace in February or 2023 and our clients love her friendly personality, INCREDIBLE massages, and thoughtful care.
Katy is also a yoga instructor!
Katy earned a bachelors degree from Iowa State University in Apparel Design. She does custom clothing alterations and sells vintage clothing!
Katy is loving life as a first time mom to her sweet baby, born in fall of 2023!
Rachel McAfee, LMT
Rachel McAfee just relocated to Iowa and we are so happy to have her at Imagine Peace! She joined us in Fall of 2023.
While in college, studying to be a school teacher, Rachel discovered the benefits of yoga and bodywork. She developed a strong home practice, delving deeper into the connection of self and source. Beginning a career as a behavior interventionist, she shared these tools with her young students to use as they developed their own skills for coping, mood regulation, and wellbeing. After receiving training in therapeutic art expression she then transitioned to working as a middle school art teacher.
Throughout her career Rachel recognized the need for connection and regulation of the nervous system within the general population. She moved to Northwest Arkansas to study yoga and massage in depth. She completed both her 200 and 500 hour yoga teacher certifications through Circle Yoga Shala in Jasper, Arkansas. Rachel completed massage therapy training through The Edge School of Massage in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Rachel works with each massage client to tailor experience to individual need. She offers relaxation, deep tissue, prenatal, postnatal, hot stone, and cupping therapy. She continues to study art and facilitates creative expression workshops for individuals of all ages.
Rachel and her husband John are big animal and reggae lovers, and will be welcoming their first baby in Spring of 2023.
Maggie Balik, LMT
Maggie Balik is joining Imagine Peace in late February 2024. We are thrilled to welcome her and add her expertise to our team! She studied massage therapy at Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School in Urbandale, IA and graduated in 2022. While in school she studied various Eastern and Western modalities and is able to blend techniques that can be energizing or calming depending on the client’s needs. She offers relaxation, deep tissue, lymphatic drainage, Thai, prenatal and postnatal massage. Maggie earned a bachelors of arts in psychology from University of Northern Iowa.
Maggie has a background in human services and also customer service. You may recognize her as your favorite barista at Mars Cafe and Daisy Chain Coffee. Maggie's passion for massage comes from a place of nurturing the mind and body connection to create a sense of overall wellbeing. Through touch her goal is to create a space of safety and relaxation for each client to slow down and find ease in their body. She will listen to and assess areas of concern with each individual to create a specialized treatment plan to optimize your time together.
