A QUEEN WAS BORN AGAIN

Becoming Whole After the Break

In 2021, I wrote a manuscript, determined to publish a book by my 50th birthday. When that didn’t happen, I set my sights on Veterans Day—but it still wasn’t done.

It wasn’t until 2024 that A Queen Was Born Again was finally ready. And without my planning, it was published on June 12, 2024—Women Veterans Day.

I didn’t choose that date—but looking back, it couldn’t have been more perfect. After hitting rock bottom, rebuilding, and living out the tools I now teach, I realized this timing placed a divine seal on my journey. It marked my calling, my niche, and my purpose to serve women Veterans and invite them into the Be Whole with Nekohl path.

Originally, I titled it A Queen Was Born. But somewhere between writing and publishing, I had to be born again. Somewhere between the silence of survival and the noise of performance, I lost her—the version of me who once believed she could be whole. I wore many crowns—soldier, mother, leader—but deep inside, I was shattered glass dressed as stained glass. Beautiful to others, but broken just beneath the light.

That’s when I realized: healing isn’t a destination—it’s a return. A return to the self you were before the trauma, the abandonment, the betrayal. Before the addiction to being needed. Behold, I saw her again. And that’s where my journey to wholeness began.

I am Nekohl Johnson. A veteran. A survivor. A storyteller. A sister in the mission of self-expression and healing. And this is how A Queen Was Born Again.

Through my memoir, I shared it all—the spiritual struggles, toxic relationships, religious trauma, and the moment I looked in the mirror and saw myself with love for the first time. But I knew my story wasn’t over. It couldn’t be. Not when so many women like me are still stuck in the in-between.

So I created Operation WHOLENESS, a 12-step program modeled after recovery frameworks but focused on helping women—especially Veterans—find safety, stability, and sovereignty in their lives. It weaves together tools from my life, scripture, trauma-informed practices, and a wellness wheel I developed through training and lived experience. It’s not therapy—it’s transformation.

But even with tools, I had to face one hard truth: we repeat what we don’t repair.

That’s why my next book, A Queen Was Born Again: Cycles, will explore seven repeating life cycles that keep us stuck—especially in relationships. Cycles of shame. Of silence. Of giving our power away. I’ll be sharing stories from my life—and maybe yours, too, if you see yourself in them.

Each chapter will be a mirror, a map, and a movement. And just like that first sip of Shero Coffee in the morning, this journey is a wake-up call—to break the cycles.

I am proud to be an Ambassador for Shero Coffee Club. I resonate deeply with the mission to keep the world caffeinated and keep women Veterans celebrated. From Coffee Chats to Theatre events, at home and abroad, I take Shero Coffee with me everywhere—because healing is better when it’s brewed in community.

To sip. To speak. To become whole.