The best way to introduce Dion Johnson, aka ‘The Womanologist’, is to congratulate her on
her recent win in the Bristol Writer’s Workshop 2018 competition with her book, ‘’Unmasking Womanity’’, securing a contract with the internationally renowned Hay House Publishing UK.
Dion supports women in senior leadership roles around the world, across a wide range of
business, charity, government and public sectors; ‘‘be more influential in their leadership
roles” while not losing sight of themselves as an authentic woman.’’ Getting behind ‘the
mask’ that women feel they need to wear in order to be taken seriously professionally,
challenging this fallacy with her philosophy; ‘‘women do not have to abandon themselves in
order to achieve success in the marketplace’’
Dion was born with a facial disfigurement and wears no mask on either a physical or personal level, elegantly leading by example. Dion is from a line of patriotic, inspirational women in nursing who came to the UK as immigrants from Jamaica in the 1960’s to work in the NHS, settling in Bristol where her parents met and married. She was raised by another woman of influence, her matriarchal grandmother after her parents divorced and recalls vivid stories of the black and white struggles with diversity and inclusion. Being proud of the brave, community activists for equality that she had around her and appreciating the legacy that she had inherited, all inspired her, ‘‘to be an influential changemaker in my own right.’’
Dion read her first book at 14 years old which was, ‘Wuthering Heights’ and began to think deeper on what; ‘‘makes a woman a woman.’’ She left school with 10 O’levels to fulfill the vision she had when she was a 12 year old girl, where she saw herself studying at King’s College in London to become a nurse. In 1984, at 17 years old her first role was as a nurse auxiliary at the old Bristol Royal Infirmary, where she recalls the ward sister; ‘‘Sister Kathy was a beautiful, lean, tall and elegant woman, liked things ‘ship shape and Bristol fashion’, especially for inspections, the stuff that Matron’s were made of.’’
Dion describes herself as; ‘‘Prophetic and intuitive’’ and used to worry about not being academic enough, but went on to be a Community Midwifery. Team Leader and head of specialist projects. A pivotal role model for Dion is Bristol’s own Carmen Beckford, another ‘successful migrant from the Caribbean who inspired Dion as a child – “She [Carmen] was the first black woman outside of my family that inspired me to leadership. She expected me to succeed BECAUSE I am black – she taught me that black womanity is magnificent and worthy to be celebrated – I’ll never forget her.”
Dion, says ‘‘Princesses are born but Queens are raised. I’m in the business of raising
queens of industry because there’s never been a more urgent need for the emerging, of
power-filled women who are ready for the work of their lives, humanity needs a woman’s
voice.’’
Article by Marcia Walker, Community Reporter for Bristol Women’s Voice.
