A Message From RevD

Greetings! My name is Reverend Deborah L. Johnson. You can call me RevD. No matter your path—where you’ve been, who you are, or what you’re seeking—I am so glad you’re here.  Whether you came to one of my talks, read one of my books, or heard of me through a friend or social media; know that I want you to bring all of yourself to the conversation... and that I will do the same.

I am a public speaker, transformational agent, organizational & diversity consultant, educator, trainer, facilitator, organizer, strategist, author, lyricist, poet, spoken word artist, metaphysical Bible instructor, and lover of life.  I am known for bringing clarity, civility, and humor to complex, emotionally charged situations.

Perhaps the most profound offerings that I will make are the Spirit messages revealed to me most often in the form of an oral letter which I transcribe for reading, some of which are published by Sounds True.  You can read an excerpt of the Spirit letter “Maintaining a Vision” here, along with questions about the letter from the community. Pain pushes until Vision pulls. Perhaps you have some questions of your own.  

My spoken word alter ego Wilamena makes an appearance in my TEDxBerkeley talk: “Facts, Fiction, or Freedom.”  It’s the story of how I met an innocent man who served 26 years in prison and still somehow managed to… (take a deep breath) ….forgive. 



I have been in the ivory towers of academia, corporations, government institutions, and powerful nonprofits and I have been in the trenches of activism and organizing with two landmark civil rights cases in the law books . Everyone and everything has been my teacher - from mystics to scientists, influencers to incarcerated persons, nature to Nobel laureates. Our lives and fates are inextricably intertwined. 

People often wonder how I can be an out African-American lesbian, with an MBA from UCLA in economics and finance, who has successful corporate and social justice careers, who also 25 years ago as an ordained minister founded a church community of 2,000, with a wide array of economic backgrounds, family structures, and walks of life from inter-faith to atheists. How did a Jack & Jill, Links Debutante, 3rd generation USC legacy Delta Sigma Theta, raised in the Black Pentecostal Church of God in Christ in LA during the 60’s, become an acclaimed prophetic voice and influential public leader? I will be most happy to share my story as we go along.


As I get to know you as well, I inquire “Are there aspects of yourself that you are leaving behind, not integrating for fear of what other people will think?” Don’t put yourself in a box; bring all of yourself to the table. Your tests are your testimony; your entire beingness is a gift to the world. BE the gift that you are!!

~ RevD

P.S.  My next workshop "YES to Maintaining a Vision" is beginning on March 21st. If you'd like to get on the waiting list for the details for this workshop and others, sign up below. 


P.P.S. You can see my upcoming talks and events below. 


Book RevD!

Get in touch!

>