Bold Conversations Brewed for Real Transformation

Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson—known to many as Dr. J—is a nationally emerging scholar, speaker, and storyteller who brings faith, truth, analysis, and lived experience together to spark courageous conversations in higher education and beyond.

Her work blends academic rigor with cultural insight, poetic narrative with institutional reality, and research-backed frameworks with spiritual grounding. Whether she’s keynoting a national conference, leading a campus dialogue, or facilitating a leadership retreat, Dr. J creates spaces where people feel safe enough to be honest, brave enough to grow, and open enough to change.

This is where scholarship meets soul.
This is where belonging becomes a living practice.
This is where transformation begins.

Nationally emerging expert on Black student engagement

Creator of the Post-DEI Hollowing Phenomenon™

Scholar-practitioner with lived experience inside PWIs

Faith-rooted storyteller with deep emotional intelligence

Teacher, researcher, communicator, and healer

Sessions grounded in research from her doctoral work

Presentations delivered with clarity, courage, and grace

Dr. Johnson’s voice resonates because it is real.
Her sessions land because they tell the truth.
Her work transforms because it is lived.

Belonging & Sense of Belonging

Black Student Engagement

DEI Retrenchment & the Post-DEI Era

Leadership Development

Institutional Change

Campus Climate & Psychological Safety

Faith-Integrated Conversations

Student Affairs Excellence

Culturally Responsive Practices

Identity, Healing & Community

Keynote Presentations

Workshops & Campus Trainings

Leadership Retreats

Faculty/Staff Development

Student Success Dialogues & Affinity Conversations

For upcoming conferences, keynotes, and retreats, visit the Where I’ll Be Brewing page.