Shaunie Henderson has maintained that her memoir, Undefeated, is her truth and not a tell-all on Shaquille O’Neal. Yet, their seven-year-long marriage has stolen the focus. She, however, reiterates that it was not only that period in her life but her journey leading up to it, through it, and after it that is important to her. There were moments when this book wouldn’t have reached its end but she found the will to continue writing. Even though a good chunk of Shaq’s fans are fixated on Shaunie saying she never loved him, she is proud of her book and the process of creating it. Something that was reflected while Henderson spoke to xoNecole.

“It was a bit therapeutic for me,” Henderson about the process of writing her memoir. “I think just being able to write down things that I never actually talked about made me more comfortable.”

She proceeded to give a brief timeline of writing the book and it took longer than we thought. “I started the journey of writing this book, probably around 2018 and I stopped out of fear. I picked it back up on and off. And finally just decided to knock it out and see how I feel about it.” Given this timeline, she would’ve met Pastor Keion Henderson after she started writing the book. They were engaged in 2022 and got married on May 28, 2022. The book dropped ahead of their second wedding anniversary and she mentions him in the book significantly.

She stopped by Tamron Hall’s show during her press tour where she revealed other trials while writing. Her editor told her she wasn’t honest enough in her writing. So Shaunie had to throw out reservations and be more honest about her relationships. She broke down her parents’ long but turbulent marriage that shaped her opinions. The 49-year-old also shared how her parents’ influenced her marriage and divorce with Shaq. She also delved into the period she swore off relationships before finally being open to Keion Henderson. Putting all of that in black and white was the therapeutic part for Shaunie.

Shaunie hopes her mistakes with Shaquille O’Neal won’t be repeated

According to her memoir, Shaunie’s marriage to Shaquille O’Neal was similar to her parents’ marriage. Shaunie however contrasted her mother and divorced her husband. She also forgave Shaq for his infidelity, unlike her mother who didn’t forgive her husband.

About those life lessons, she told xoNecole, “I just felt good writing about everything, finally. I think that as I wrote it, I realized I wished somebody had told me some of these things a little earlier in life. Maybe, I would have done better and made smarter decisions. I know I needed to go through my journey so that I could end up exactly where I am right now, but I also think that with a little guidance, your journey can be a little easier.”

Regardless, Shaunie doesn’t regret her past. She only hopes anyone in her situation can draw from this book and find some guidance. Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.