How many of us have spent our entire lives feeling like we’re just vessels waiting for someone else to tell us who we are? We’ve been told to be "good" employees, "respectable" community members, and "resilient" survivors. But there’s an African Proverb that flips that entire script on its head: "We Are Not Vases To Be Filled Rather to Be Lit."

Stop and think about that for a second. A vase is passive. It sits on a shelf and waits for someone to pour water into it, maybe stick some flowers in it, and eventually, it just collects dust. But a lamp? A flame? That’s active. That’s energy. That’s something that can change the temperature of an entire room.

This is the heartbeat of Share the Flame LLC, a powerhouse of justice-rooted coaching and consulting led by the incomparable Dr. Debra (Debi) Jenkins. If you’ve been looking for a reason to stop playing small and start burning bright, you’re in the right place. We’re diving deep into the story of a woman who isn't just teaching us how to survive, she’s teaching us how to dismantle the very systems that tried to put our lights out in the first place.

The Woman Behind the Flame: Who is Dr. Debi?

We often see "experts" and "consultants" who come with a lot of fancy degrees but zero lived experience in the trenches. That is not Dr. Debi. Known affectionately by her clients as "Dr. Debi," she brings over three decades of educational, developmental, and equity-centered practice to the table. With a PhD in Psychology, she’s got the "book smarts," sure, but more importantly, she’s got the "spirit smarts."

Dr. Debi didn't just wake up one day and decide to start a coaching business. Her journey is rooted in her own experiences with betrayal and injustice, in the workplace, in relationships, and in society at large. She’s felt the weight of being "the only one" in the room, the exhaustion of navigating systems not built for her, and the trauma of being betrayed by institutions that promised to protect.

She founded Share the Flame LLC to be the resource she, and so many of us, needed. Since 2000, she has been working as a Social Justice Trauma Coach, and since 2017, she has led the Daring to Dismantle Institute™. Her life's purpose is simple but revolutionary: to insight, ignite, and inspire you to be justice-rooted in your living and leadership.

Insight: Seeing Through the Fog of Oppression

You can't fix what you can't see. Most of us are walking around with "systemic cataracts." We know something is wrong, we feel the burnout, the anxiety, the "racial battle fatigue", but we’ve been gaslit into thinking it’s a us problem. We think we just need better time management or a more expensive yoga mat.

Dr. Debi’s first pillar is Insight. This isn't just "aha" moments for your journal. It’s about truth-telling. It’s about recognizing that the harm we experience is often personal, historical, relational, and cultural.

Through her work, we begin to understand Betrayal Trauma. When the person, the job, or the country you trust violates that trust, it’s not just a "bad day." It’s a traumatic event that lives in your nervous system. By gaining insight, we stop blaming ourselves for the scars left by a system designed to wound us. We start to see the layers of oppression that need healing, one by one.

Are you ready to see the truth? Or are you comfortable living in the dark?

Ignite: Turning Awareness into Action

Once you see the truth, you can’t unsee it. And once you see it, you have a responsibility. That’s where Ignite comes in.

Insight without action is just a headache. Dr. Debi’s coaching and workshops are designed to turn that internal spark into a controlled burn that clears out the dead weight in your life and career. This is what she calls Justice-Rooted Living™.

What does that actually look like? It looks like:

• Justice-Rooted Coaching: Collaborative goal-setting that doesn't ignore your identity. It’s coaching through a justice-rooted embodied lens.
• Mentoring: Having someone who has walked the path guide you through your personal and professional growth.
• Facilitation: Creating spaces (minimum of 3 months) where groups can move through challenges without reproducing the same old harms.

We often talk about "dismantling the system," but how often do we talk about dismantling the parts of the system we’ve internalized? Dr. Debi challenges us to "dismantle oppression one layer in need of healing at a time™." It’s work. It’s messy. It’s sparks flying. But it’s the only way to build something that actually lasts.

Inspire: The Ripple Effect of Healed Leadership

The final piece of the motto is Inspire. This isn't the "inspirational quote on a sunset" kind of vibe. This is about collective care.

Dr. Debi says, "Hurt people hurt people. But healed people, heal people too." Here’s the controversial truth she drops on us, though: You don't have to be the one who heals.

Read that again. Sometimes, your role in "inspiring" isn't to fix everyone else. Sometimes, the most inspirational thing you can do is reclaim your own peace. It’s about stepping back. It’s about self-preservation. When we show up as whole, healed versions of ourselves, we give everyone around us permission to do the same. That is how we build "stronger relationships and healthier systems."

When you work with Share the Flame, the goal isn't just to "get better" at your job. The goal is to embody justice in a way that creates a ripple effect throughout your entire community. Whether you’re an educator, a tech founder, or a creative, your leadership is never neutral. You are either reproducing harm or you are interrupting it. Which one are you choosing today?

Healing as an Act of Justice

We need to talk about the "S" word: Somatic.

Dr. Debi incorporates somatic abolitionism. This is the recognition that oppression doesn't just live in your head, it lives in your muscles, your gut, and your nervous system. You can’t "think" your way out of systemic trauma. You have to heal your way out of it.

Her work on Race and Caste as Developmental Betrayal Trauma is essential reading for anyone, especially those working with our children. We are carrying ancestral wisdom, yes, but we are also carrying ancestral wounds. Share the Flame LLC provides the "tools and insight desperately needed for unpacking and supporting the processing and healing" of these wounds.

If you are a Black, Brown, or Indigenous person who has felt overlooked, misunderstood, or unchosen, know this: your restoration matters first. You are not a bridge for everyone else to walk over until you collapse. Even bridges deserve rest.

Why Support Black-Owned Agencies Like Share the Flame?

At Support Black Owned, we don't just list businesses; we curate legacies. When you support a business like Share the Flame LLC, you aren't just buying a service. You are investing in a framework that seeks to liberate our entire community.

We’ve all seen the corporate "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI) trainings that feel like a checkbox. They don't want change; they want compliance. But when we invest in our own experts: people like Dr. Debi Jenkins: we get truth. We get justice. We get a flame that won't go out when the news cycle moves on.

Whether you need executive coaching to navigate a toxic workplace, or your organization needs a total audit to become truly equitable, you need someone who understands the "moral and economic costs to racism." You can find more transformational businesses like this in our business directory.

Light Your Flame Today

The world is dark enough. We don't need more "vases" sitting around waiting to be filled with someone else’s ideas. We need you to be lit.

Are you ready to insight the truth, ignite your power, and inspire your community? Dr. Debi and the team at Share the Flame LLC are ready to partner with you. Don't let your light flicker out in a system that doesn't value your glow.

Take the next step:

1. Visit the Website: Head over to Shareflame.com to learn more about their services.
2. Ignite Your Success: Book a consultation via their Calendly to see how justice-rooted coaching can transform your life.
3. Stay Connected: Join her email list to be the first to know about the launch of the Justice Rooted Living Podcast™.

Remember the proverb. You are not a vase. You are a flame. It’s time to start sharing it.