DR. CRYSTALLEE
CRAIN
Creating Sustainable Change Through Intersectional Frameworks
Scholar. Advocate. Creator.
Dr. Crystallee Crain (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary public health scholar, human rights advocate, artist, and author. With over 15 years of national consulting experience and more than two decades in the nonprofit sector, she bridges the worlds of research, healing justice, and community capacity-building to create sustainable, people-centered change.
Dr. Crain facilitates trainings with an emphasis on addressing trauma, prevention science, and participatory capacity-building. She specializes in revealing layers of institutional inequality while supporting communities to shift ways of being and practice — improving life chances through transformative means, liberatory practices, and healing as a strategy for change.
She holds a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies, an M.A. in Social Sciences from Eastern Michigan University, and a B.S. in Political Science from Northern Michigan University. In 2013, she received executive training in Health and Human Rights from Harvard University's School of Public Health.
In October 2024, Dr. Crain was awarded the International Impact Book Award in the Multicultural Category for her Cultural Humility in Practice Workbook.
How We Can Work Together
Dr. Crain brings over 15 years of experience across consulting, coaching, research, and thought leadership — offering multiple pathways for engagement.
Organizational assessments, strategic planning, and training for nonprofits and social sector organizations. Dr. Crain partners with mission-driven organizations to align their values with their operations.
Prevention At The Intersections →Individual and group coaching for leaders, advocates, and changemakers navigating complex systems and seeking alignment with their deepest values. Walk away with clarity, tools, and renewed purpose.
View Coaching Prospectus →A collective of projects centering creativity and healing justice practices as tools for social change and liberation.
Visit Her Creative Justice →Dr. Crain is available to offer keynote addresses, workshops, panels, and other dynamic presentations for organizations, conferences, and academic institutions.
Inquire via Email →Books & Written Works
Dr. Crain's body of work spans memoir, textbooks, practitioner workbooks, and academic chapters — each rooted in a commitment to justice, healing, and transformative change.
A powerful memoir-meets-manifesto exploring resilience, identity, and the radical act of living with intention. Available as audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and ebook via Legacy Lane Publishing.
Visit superfluouspains.com →
A critical examination of U.S. history through the experiences of indigenous people, people of color, women, and others fighting for civil and human rights. Four sections: Consent, Dissent, People Power, and Systems.
Order via Kendall Hunt →A hands-on guide for rebuilding self-awareness and practicing cultural humility in professional and community settings. Winner of the 2024 International Impact Book Award, Multicultural Category.
Purchase on Amazon →Published in the Oxford Clinical Psychology series, this chapter examines the scope and impact of parental incarceration on children and the policies that contribute to the overrepresentation of children of color.
Read at Oxford Clinical Psychology →Free Tools & Upcoming Events
Practical tools and upcoming events to connect, engage, and deepen the work.
May 16, 2026 — West Bloomfield, MI
4th Annual Book Pop Up @ TiDa Publishing
5600 W Maple Rd · 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
June 18, 2026 — Flint, MI
Participatory Book Reading & Signing @ The Hive
140 E 2nd St · 6:00 – 7:30 PM
July 9, 2026 — Detroit, MI
Detroit Heals Detroit Book Signing
19510 Alcoy St · 5:30 – 7:00 PM
□ Protecting Your Nonprofit or Social Impact Organization
A free downloadable tool developed from Dr. Crain's 15+ years of social sector consulting — practical guidance to protect your mission and sustain your impact.
Download Free Tool
Read, Listen & Follow
Explore Dr. Crain's full body of work across platforms.
Podcast
Us with Dr. Crystallee Crain — Critical Conversations on the Challenges of Our Time. Listen on Spotify.
Medium
Long-form essays and commentary on social change, healing justice, and public health.
Substack
Subscribe for newsletters, dispatches, and original writing delivered to your inbox.
Superfluous Pains
Visit the dedicated site for Dr. Crain's latest book — available in all formats.
Her Creative Justice
A collective centering healing and creativity as tools for liberation and social change.
Patreon
Support Dr. Crain's work and access exclusive content and community.
All Books on Amazon
Browse Dr. Crain's full author page and collection of published titles.
Connect professionally and follow Dr. Crain's ongoing work and thought leadership.
Let's Connect
Whether you're looking for consulting, training, speaking, or coaching — reach out to start the conversation.