In November 2022, just seconds before Nicole Kenney ’06 took the stage for her first TEDx talk, an older Black woman leaned over to her and whispered, “Look at me if you need encouragement.” Even though the two didn’t know each other, Kenney did glance toward the woman several times during her talk, which was, fittingly, about the history and significance of “aunties” in the lives of Black women. Kenney calls the experience a “classic auntie moment.”

Fostering these kinds of unexpected yet deeply meaningful connections is what Hey Auntie!—a digital support platform for Black women—is all about.

Kenney, who founded Hey Auntie!, points to the historical legacy of aunties in Black culture, whose origins can be traced back to West Africa and the belief that all children deserve love and care. “When my ancestors were forced from their homeland and into slavery in America, family bonds were shattered,” Kenney says. “In one of our most painful moments, Black women stepped in without hesitation, and the children began calling them ‘aunties.’ This network of support has been a source of strength, hope, and encouragement for Black women in the United States for over 400 years.”

Kenney developed Hey Auntie! with the belief that women—particularly Black women—need to be able to share their true feelings in a supportive environment regardless of their age, status, or accomplishments, and should not feel pressured to keep up the pretense of being a “superwoman” 24/7. Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine has shown that though Black women tend to experience higher levels of stress and related mental health challenges, they are much less likely than white women to seek help. “Black women face a unique intersection of racial- and gender-based stress that has profound effects on our health, career progression, and overall quality of life,” Kenney explains.

According to data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, Black women are 7.5 years biologically “older” than white women, partially due to factors related to stress and poverty. Research indicates that Black women’s higher levels of chronic stress are linked to increased rates of hypertension, heart disease, pregnancy complications, and shorter life expectancy. “Recognizing these needs and their urgency, Hey Auntie! exists to ensure that Black women have spaces designed explicitly for their thriving,” Kenney says. “In recognizing these needs, we do not exclude—we simply prioritize [the experiences of Black women], as all effective solutions must”

Hey Auntie! provides multiple ways to connect, including the Kitchen, the Hey Auntie! Slack community where women can check in at their convenience, and Lela’s Corners, peer-to-peer support groups focused on specific issues. When the service launched, Kenney noted a surprising trend: Half of those signing up were women over 50—older than Kenney anticipated. Many were eager to share their wisdom with the next generation, but they were also empty nesters, widows, or aspiring entrepreneurs—women seeking support as they embarked on new life chapters.

Deborah Roebuck, Kenney’s biological aunt, is the founder and CEO of Going Thru the Change, a global women’s health company focused on menopause, and is on the board of advisers of Hey Auntie! “Nicky thought millennials needed somebody to talk to,” says Roebuck, who is in her 70s, “but what she found out is women across the spectrum of life needed aunties. My prayer partner is 90 years old. And when I can’t figure out things, I talk to her.”

While most Hey Auntie! members come from the United States, others are from the United Kingdom and Ireland and countries in Africa and Central America. Mutual reciprocity is at the heart of the Hey Auntie! community. Everyone is given the opportunity to give and receive support and wisdom. “I’ve learned in some seasons, you may be auntieing [providing care],” Kenney says, “but in other seasons you may need to be auntied [receiving care]—and many times you’ll be doing both at the same time.”

Hey Auntie! is a reflection of Kenney’s own journey. About 10 years ago, she had a dream job in Washington, D.C., at the NAACP—the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. “I was helping to manage communications for the organization and doing incredible advocacy work, but I was on the front lines rallying for justice for Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and Sandra Bland,” Kenney says. “The trauma of experiencing and witnessing so much pain in my community took a deep toll on me.”

She was crumbling both emotionally and physically but chalked it up to daily pressures and turning 30. She didn’t feel she had a right to complain. One thing Kenney now understands is that she was carrying the double burden shouldered by most Black women—the stress of being Black and being a woman. “It means constantly feeling like you must overperform with fewer resources, have your credibility and ability questioned, and work harder to get ahead,” she says. “And if you are overwhelmed or hurt, you must grin and bear it. You cannot ask for help.”

When her mother, father, and aunt came from Philadelphia to visit Kenney during this time, they noticed something was off. In true auntie style, Roebuck said something that resonated with Kenney and changed the trajectory of her life: “The last place you need to be when you’re in a low place is by yourself.”

With support from her family and community, Kenney returned home. “That was a very hard decision,” she says. “I worked hard to get where I was. I was 31, and I was in the United States Capitol watching President Obama deliver his State of the Union speech.” But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was not living her authentic life.

With the help of a mentor—Phoebe Haddon ’72, chancellor emerita and professor of law at Rutgers Law School—Kenney formulated a plan. She would return home and take a video-editing course, a skill she didn’t yet have but one that was becoming increasingly important in her field of communications. In 2016, as a class project, Kenney produced the video It Starts With Me!, which documents how her mother and aunties helped her through the struggle to sort out her life. She had no plans to show the video; it was a purely personal project. But, to her surprise, screenings at her church led to invitations from other local organizations, companies, and colleges. She even spoke at a 2017 mental health briefing on Capitol Hill on the topic “What Makes Black Girls Blue? Creating Mental Wellness Climates for Black Women and Girls.”

In 2020, Kenney entered It Starts With Me! in the Well City Challenge—sponsored by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and health insurance company Independence Blue Cross—which was looking for community-based solutions to improve mental health outcomes.

The video’s focus on the value of aunties and the benefit of sharing thoughts and feelings won Kenney spots in the incubator and accelerator programs, where she worked with a mentor to refine her ideas and create a business framework that ultimately became Hey Auntie! “It was a convergence of just everything,” she remembers. Suddenly her path was crystal clear: She wanted to improve the health and well-being of Black women and girls and underrepresented groups and communities. She submitted the idea for Hey Auntie! and, in 2021, was awarded the Well City Challenge’s Grand Prize.

Zabreya Okyere ’26 became interested in Hey Auntie! after learning that its founder is a Smith alum. When Okyere discovered the community, she was at a point in her life when she felt she needed some guidance. The thought of speaking to someone who may have walked a similar path was appealing, so she signed up for a one-on-one “Auntie x Auntee” session.

“My conversation with my ‘auntie’ covered a variety of topics,” Okyere says, “such as balancing school work and social life; seeking help and guidance in a chaotic world; and even practical matters, like getting a credit card at this stage of life.” They also discussed the pitfalls of being overcommitted and the importance of prioritizing self-care, especially during times of stress. “Knowing that I am supported by such a strong community through Hey Auntie! has been truly comforting,” Okyere says. “It’s not just about the advice, it’s knowing there’s a space where I can openly reflect, seek guidance, and feel heard.”

Ultimately, what makes the Hey Auntie! community so powerful is the ability to listen and share in a safe environment free from societal expectations of Black women. “What allows women to feel safe enough to share and receive experiences,” Kenney says, “is having this space where the only thing everyone has to agree on is that everyone is worthy of dignity, respect, kindness, and compassion.”

Hey Auntie! is free to join, with fees for select services. Kenney is focused on building strategic partnerships with businesses and nonprofits to defray costs and ensure full access for all Black women who want to participate.

In addition, Kenney has ideas for innovative and human-centered approaches to improve the health and well-being of other underrepresented communities. So she also started a social impact consultancy, It Starts With Me!, where she works with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to make their community-impact strategies and communications stronger and more compelling.

Currently, she is partnering with Philadelphia’s Department of Anti-Violence, where her team is providing strategic communications training and technical assistance to more than 120 grantee organizations working to reduce violence and build healthier, safer communities across the city. She is excited about eventually working to change health, education, and housing policies to benefit everyone.

“True fairness isn’t about forcing uniformity,” Kenney says, “but about ensuring that every group has the culturally competent care, resources, and spaces they need to thrive. In terms of Hey Auntie!, our mission is clear: By uplifting Black women, we contribute to a larger movement.”

Roebuck sees hope in the way her niece and her niece’s generation tackle tough issues head-on. “Nicky has made a contribution that will build a legacy for her generation,” Roebuck says. “As millennials, they are not going to sit in a corner and take whatever. They are saying, ‘We’re going to reach out to you whether you’re older or younger, so we can hold each other’s hand and walk this walk together’—that is the role of an auntie.”

Cheryl Dellecese is a senior editor at Smith.