School districts across the country are experiencing a mass exodus of teachers and administrators while those who stay struggle to maintain the level of productivity needed to lead our schools and ensure a high-quality education for our nation's students (DeMatthews et. al., 2021; Peters-Hawkins et.al., 2018; Superville, 2020). Black women, in particular, are leaving the field of K-12 educational leadership at rates higher than their counterparts (Brown, 2014; Wilkerson & Wilson, 2017). This has been an ongoing problem challenged even further by the COVID-19 pandemic (DeMatthews, 2021). Research on Black women school leaders investigates the ways the school environment perpetuates stressful conditions that impact career path and longevity as compared to their counterparts (Alston, 2005; Cyr et. al., 2021). However, while there is some research on the care practices of Black women principals (Dillard, 1995; Cabral & Horsford, 2021; Murtadha-Watts, 2000; Witherspoon & Arnold, 2010), very few studies investigate how Black women principals define and exercise self-care since the COVID-19 pandemic and the barriers to care that exist within the K-12 institutional context. Currently, there is only one published study on the coping strategies of Black women principals and two unpublished dissertations that explore the impact of gendered racism on self-care (Burton et. al., 2020; Pennicooke, 2020; Smith, 2021). Thus, this dissertation critically explores the way Black women principals define and engage in self-care as a leadership practice and the barriers to exercising care within their leadership context. Using a psychological approach to narrative inquiry (Arnold, 2016), this qualitative study chronicles the lived experiences of Black women principals in rural, suburban, and urban schools in Ohio, detailing the role that self-care plays in their leadership practice. The findings from this study build upon research that supports the need to consider the impact of identity on self-care epistemologies for Black women principals and builds upon a critical framework for the self-care of Black women serving in the principalship. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]