Crown Academy is a guided self-study and wellness experience created with Black women in midlife in mind. Through reflection, sisterhood, culturally grounded learning, shared experiences, and the CRWND Method, women are invited to slow down, learn themselves more deeply, and become more intentional about what they want this season of life to hold.

Crown Academy was created specifically with Black women in midlife in mind — women who are navigating change, questioning what they want next, craving connection, learning to prioritize themselves, or simply wanting space to slow down and reconnect with who they are.

You do not need to be in crisis or going through a major life transition to participate.

Crown Academy was created in response to the lived experiences, needs, and voices of Black women in midlife. The experience is intentionally culturally grounded and centered on the ways race, gender, aging, family roles, work, health, identity, and community can intersect in this season of life. The conversations, activities, curriculum, and shared experiences are intentionally grounded in that perspective. Creating a space specifically for Black women allows participants to explore those experiences without having to translate, explain, or minimize important parts of who they are.

Women of other racial and cultural backgrounds are not excluded from participating, but anyone joining Crown Academy should understand that Black women remain at the center of the experience.

Crown Academy is not based on the belief that other women do not have meaningful midlife experiences. It is simply designed with a specific community in mind.

No. Crown Academy is an educational and wellness experience and is not psychotherapy or a substitute for mental health treatment. Participating in Crown Academy does not create a therapist-client relationship with Dr. DeCree.

Crown Academy generally considers midlife to be the season between about ages 40 and 60. We know every woman’s journey is different, so those ages are not meant to be rigid boundaries. More than anything, midlife is that stretch of life where identity, relationships, health, priorities, purpose, and what you want for yourself may begin to shift in new ways.

Each gathering includes a mix of guided reflection, conversation, culturally grounded learning, self-study exercises, wellness practices, and connection with other women in the collective.

Some sessions may also include Soul Stops, which are intentionally curated shared experiences designed to help women experience themselves, one another, culture, nature, creativity, rest, or joy in a different way.

The CRWND Method is the guided self-study framework used throughout Crown Academy:

Connection. Reclamation. Wellness. Nurture. Destiny.

Each part of the method invites women to look more closely at their lives, needs, patterns, relationships, wellness, desires, and the woman they are becoming.

Explore the CRWND Method

Soul Stops are shared experiences woven into Crown Academy.

They might include time in nature, cultural experiences, movement, tea, reflection, art, wellness practices, or other opportunities to step outside the ordinary routine and experience something with intention.

A Soul Stop is not simply an outing. It is part of the Crown Academy experience.

No. Crown Academy encourages reflection and meaningful conversation, but women decide what they feel comfortable sharing. Nobody should feel pressured to disclose personal information just because they are part of the collective.

Trust matters here.

Crown Academy is designed to be a respectful, private space where women can reflect, share, and participate without worrying that personal stories will be carried outside the room. Participants will be asked to honor a shared confidentiality agreement and to keep what other women share within the collective.

At the same time, Crown Academy is not psychotherapy, so the same legal and clinical confidentiality rules that apply in a therapist-client relationship do not apply in the same way. Dr. DeCree will set clear expectations for privacy, respect, and group trust at the beginning of the experience, and those expectations will be revisited as needed throughout the collective.

You are never required to share more than you are comfortable sharing. Listening, reflecting, and being present are also forms of participation.

Crown Academy Collectives are intentionally small, with approximately 8–10 women.

Keeping the group intimate allows women to get to know one another, build trust, and experience Crown Academy as an actual collective rather than a large workshop.

No. The Collectives are a closed six-session experience.

Women enroll in the full collective so the same women journey together from beginning to end. That consistency helps protect the trust, connection, and group experience.

We understand that life happens. Because Crown Academy is a small, closed collective, participants are encouraged to attend all six gatherings whenever possible. If you know you will miss multiple sessions, this may not be the best cohort for you.

Tuition is $300 for the full six-session experience.

A payment plan is available:

3 payments of $100.

Crown Academy tuition is $300 for the full six-session collective. If paying in full is not the best fit, a payment plan of three $100 payments is available.

The first $100 payment reserves your space in the collective, and the remaining two payments are due on the dates provided at registration. Because Crown Academy is a small, closed cohort, participants who choose the payment plan are still committing to the full $300 tuition, not paying session by session.

Your space is reserved once your registration and first payment are received. Because Crown Academy cohorts are intentionally small, spaces are limited.

Crown Academy is a small closed collective and each registration reserves a seat for the full six-session experience.

Full refund for cancellations made 8 or more days before the first session.

50% refund for cancellations made 3–7 days before the first session.

No refund for cancellations made within 48 hours of the first session or after the collective begins.

Missed sessions are not eligible for refunds or credits.

Participants using a payment plan remain responsible for the full tuition balance once the collective begins.

If Crown Academy cancels or postpones a cohort because minimum enrollment is not met, participants may choose a full refund or transfer their payment to a future Crown Academy collective.

Crown Academy gatherings will take place in the Columbus, Ohio area, with many experiences hosted at Soul Care Social. Select Soul Stops may take place at other locations. Specific details will be provided to registered participants.

Just bring yourself and come ready to be present.

Crown Academy will provide the journal and workbook you’ll use throughout the six-session experience, so you do not need to purchase or prepare any materials ahead of time. You may want to bring a favorite pen, a water bottle, or anything else that helps you feel comfortable.

Any special items needed for a particular Soul Stop or session will be shared with you in advance.

Not at all. You can come by yourself. Part of Crown Academy is creating space for new connections with women who may be navigating some of the same questions and experiences you are.

That is perfectly fine. Crown Academy and psychotherapy serve different purposes and can exist alongside one another.

Crown Academy is an educational, wellness, and guided self-study experience. It is not psychotherapy, counseling, or mental health treatment, and Dr. DeCree does not serve as a participant’s therapist through Crown Academy. Participation does not create a therapist-client relationship.

If something comes up during the experience that would be better addressed in therapy, participants are encouraged to process that with their own licensed mental health provider.

Crown Academy honors the whole woman, including spirituality and faith when those are meaningful parts of her life. The experience is not a church program, and women are not required to hold a particular religious belief to participate.

You don't have to have everything figured out before you come. Sometimes the first step is simply making room to pay attention to yourself.