Meet Dr. Shekyra DeCree —The “Midlife Maven,” Creator, and Curator, of Crown Academy

About Dr. DeCree

I have a big heart for Black women in midlife. And part of that is because I am one.

I get what it means to reach this season of life and realize you need something different. Midlife can leave you craving the space to rest, breathe, and finally make room for your own dreams, peace, and joy.

I understand what it feels like to be the rock for everybody else while trying to figure out where you fit into your own life.

I understand being tired in a way that sleep does not always fix.

I understand being stretched thin, being needed by everybody, showing up at work, showing up for family, showing up in relationships, and still wondering, “When do I get to show up for me?”

Midlife can bring up some real questions. Who am I now? What do I want now? What still matters to me? What am I ready to let go of? What do I want this next chapter of my life to feel like?

Sometimes it can feel like you have to reintroduce yourself to yourself.

I also understand the frustration that can come with our changing bodies, navigating menopause—what I sometimes call “puberty 2.0”—while also being mindful of the health disparities that have affected generations of Black women in our families.

As a Black woman in midlife, I also understand what it feels like to be in spaces where you do not fully feel seen or understood. Whether that is at work, in your family, in your community, or even in relationships where people may not fully understand just how tired you are or how much you carry.

I understand the need for connection, and the misery of feeling left out.

I get the need to sit with other Black women who “get it” without needing a whole explanation.

That is a big part of why I created Crown Academy.

I wanted to create a space where Black women in midlife could come together, slow down, study themselves, reconnect with themselves, and make room for who they are becoming.

A space where you can learn yourself, unapologetically prioritize yourself, while protecting your crown, your peace, and your joy.

I consider myself a midlife maven for Black women because I deeply believe this season of life can be rich, powerful, freeing, and deeply personal when we finally give ourselves permission to pay attention to us. I have spent countless hours listening to the voices and lived experiences of Black women in midlife, and I consider it an honor to create spaces where we are not merely tolerated, overlooked, or mishandled, but truly seen, valued, and cared for.

Trust me sis, I get it.

So if any of this sounds like you, pull up, sis — The collective is in session.

Being a Black Woman in Midlife Hits Different.

There are real reasons this season can feel different for us. Research on Black women in midlife has found disparities across menopause symptoms, sleep, depressive symptoms, cardiometabolic health, physical functioning, and overall quality of life.

One of the most important sources of this research is the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a long-running, multi-site study that has followed women through midlife and the menopause transition. SWAN examines physical, biological, psychological, and social changes and includes women from multiple racial and ethnic groups, including Black women. The study began with 3,302 women ages 42–52 and continues to inform research on women’s health in midlife. Learn more about the SWAN study

For Black women, these findings matter because midlife is often about more than hormones alone. Our bodies are changing, our roles may be shifting, our relationships may be changing, and many of us are carrying the cumulative weight of caregiving, work, family responsibility, discrimination, and years of simply being expected to keep going.

That is why Crown Academy was created with Black women in midlife in mind. We deserve space to slow down, pay attention to ourselves, and consider what this season is asking of us.

Join the Fall 2026 Collective

  • SWAN research has consistently found more frequent, bothersome, and persistent vasomotor symptoms — such as hot flashes and night sweats — among Black women compared with White women.¹

  • SWAN researchers have documented Black–White differences in sleep, depressive symptoms, cardiometabolic health, physical functioning, and quality of life during the midlife years. ¹

  • Recent SWAN research found that greater everyday discrimination was associated with increased odds of experiencing menopausal vasomotor symptoms, although discrimination alone did not fully explain the racial disparity. ²

Sources:

1. Harlow, S. D., Burnett-Bowie, S.-A. M., Greendale, G. A., Avis, N. E., Reeves, A. N., Richards, T. R., & Lewis, T. T. (2022). Disparities in reproductive aging and midlife health between Black and White women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Women’s Midlife Health, 8, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-022-00073-y

2. Reeves, A. N., et al. (2024). Does everyday discrimination account for the increased risk of vasomotor symptoms in Black women?: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Menopause.