CRNA · Mentor · Founder
Navigate with authority Never shrink
Strategy for Black women and women of color in healthcare who are done shrinking to fit the room. Built by a practicing CRNA who has lived it.
11K+
women following the movement on Instagram
200+
downloads of the Black Girl SRNA Starter Kit
DNP, CRNA
built by a practicing nurse anesthetist, not a guru
3 moves
one framework: Decode, Detach, Deliver
The reality
There is an unspoken rulebook. You did not write it. You are still measured by it
The world does not always see you as equal, so you operate in a way that protects your peace and your authority, inside a system that was not built with you in mind. Racism, double standards, microaggressions. In high-stakes clinical rooms you carry all of it and still have to perform.
This is the strategy for moving through it without code-switching and without shrinking yourself to be palatable.
The real toll of microaggressions is not what happens in the moment. It’s what happens when you start believing them.
My story
I became the Black woman I needed coming up
I almost stayed small. I only applied to the two CRNA schools in my hometown, until my grandmother told me to spread my wings. So I moved out of state, having never lived alone, and it became the hardest and best decision I have ever made.
I built my confidence on night shift in a Level 1 trauma center, in a specialty that was never designed with me in mind. It tested me in ways I had never been tested before, and it taught me how to hold my authority when the room decided to question it.
I stopped shrinking myself to make myself more digestible for others, and decided to let them choke on it.
Now my purpose is to be the mentor I wish I had, and to show other Black women that you can walk in your authority, stay professional, and never shrink or code-switch to be palatable.
Dr. DeVontee' Rayford, DNP, CRNA
The method
One framework. Three moves. Built in real operating rooms, not a seminar.
Decode
Read what is actually in the room, not the version being performed for you.
Detach
Set the emotion down before you decide what to do with it.
Deliver
Respond on your terms. If you respond at all.
Competence is the baseline. Composure is leverage.
In her words
We are not angry. We are aware. We are capable. And we are not asking for permission to take up space anymore.
Dr. DeVontee' Rayford, DNP, CRNA · Next Move with Dee
Who this is for
If you are the one they keep underestimating
You know where you are headed. You need someone who has walked it to tell you the truth and root for you at the same time.
The academics are only half of it. Learn to navigate the unspoken rules before they wear you down.
You earned the seat. Now hold it with composure when the room decides to test you.
If you are often the only Black woman in the space, this was built for exactly that.
Proof
Built by a practicing CRNATrusted by the next ones up
200+
Black women already started with the Black Girl SRNA Starter Kit.
In one conversation she mapped a realistic path from where I am to where I want to be, was honest about what is hard, and made me feel like I actually belong in this field.
“She empowers Black women to move with confidence, set boundaries, and navigate high-pressure environments with intention.”
“I learned how to authentically tell my story, refine my interview skills, and walk in feeling prepared and confident.”
The podcast
Next Move with Dee
Honest conversations on moving through healthcare as a Black woman. The unspoken rules, the strategy behind the composure, and the moves that protect your authority without shrinking who you are.
Latest episodes
All episodesWays to work together
Start free. Go as deep as you want
Free
The community
A room of Black women in healthcare. Mentorship, honest conversations, and CRNA guidance.
Go deeper
The course
Decode, Detach, and Deliver, put to work in a guided cohort with women who understand exactly what you mean.
Work with Dee
1:1 mentorship
Personalized mentorship and mock interviews for the CRNA path, tailored to where you are.
Free · The Navigation Style Assessment
What is your workplace navigation style?
Answer eight questions. See exactly where you are leaking authority, and the first move to take it back.
Takes about two minutes.
Questions
The honest answers
Will mentorship get me into CRNA school? +
No. Anyone who promises that is selling you something. What this gives you is a strategic, honest approach to prepare academically and mentally, and to navigate the process without burning out.
Does the framework work every single time? +
It is not a magic trick. Decode, Detach, Deliver gives you a new, strategic way to assess and respond instead of reacting. The point is composure and clarity, not a guarantee.
Is this only for nurses on the CRNA path? +
The CRNA and SRNA guidance is specific, but the workplace-navigation work is for Black women and women of color across healthcare.
What is inside the community? +
Mentorship, honest conversations about workplace dynamics, CRNA guidance, professional development, and practical tools you can use in real time.
Where do I start? +
Take the two-minute Navigation Style Assessment or grab a free guide. No pressure and no spam.
The Next Move Note
The next move, in your inbox
One note a week. Strategy you can use the same shift. No fluff
The community
A room where you do not have to navigate it alone
A community for Black women and women of color in healthcare who are tired of doing this solo. We decode the unspoken rules, talk honestly about workplace dynamics, and learn to move with authority without shrinking.
Join the community