Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanity Jenkins
Hi Vanity, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in New Jersey as the oldest daughter of a Black family with roots in the South. From an early age, my parents instilled a sense of pride in me for being Black, and knowing our history was a must. We celebrated Kwanzaa, and by the time I was five, my favorite movie was Malcolm X– so I guess in some ways, I’ve always been aligned with the kind of work I’m doing now.
It was during my undergraduate experience at Rutgers University that I decided to become an educator. I’ll never forget taking my first African American studies classes and being struck by learning about the correlation between the test scores of third grade Black and Latino boys and their likelihood of ending up in jail. It moved me to want to become a third grade teacher, and at the time, I thought it was the perfect way for me to make an intervention in a system that’s designed for, and waiting for, Black kids to fail. I ended up majoring in Africana and women’s and gender studies, and was excited to get out in the world and make a difference as an educator– but I was yet to fully experience how insidiously the world was so deeply committed to racism and anti-Blackness.
I taught middle school in Marks, Mississippi which is the birthplace of Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign. And at the time that I taught there, it was still the poorest county in the country. While it taught me that poverty and trauma can be generational experiences, I also learned about the joy Black folks have that no one can ever take away.
But while this was happening, my own joy was becoming more and more challenging to hold onto as the weight of working under a racist and anti-Black education system became too much to bear. I thought that advancing up the ranks of education by becoming a principal and eventually opening a charter school would give me the fulfillment and security I was searching for, but it only frustrated me further.
I came to realize how little power principals actually have in making organizational shifts, and later saw how a charter school I was opening was a setup– a situation that professional Black women too often find ourselves in, where we’re tasked with doing the impossible (for instance, I was given a $9,000 budget to furnish an entire school…was I supposed to order the children folding chairs and make their desks out of paper mache?). Once I became fed up enough with the mistreatment, racism, misogyny, and lack of support I was receiving, I decided to step out on faith and go into business full-time for myself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The work itself has probably been the least challenging part of my entrepreneurship journey– it’s the mental, emotional, and spiritual sides of it that have been my biggest hurdles.
I’m a single mom to a beautiful little girl and I don’t have a safety net or parents that I can fall back on. Those two things alone kept me stuck in toxic and abusive working environments for much longer than I should have, because at the time, I didn’t have the faith to believe that I could do this on my own. After the charter school I was founding went bust, I remember trying to negotiate with God to give me a full-time job with benefits, and only then would I start to build my business. Clearly, things didn’t go that way, and I’m grateful that it didn’t. Entrepreneurship can be hard and scary work, but years later, I’m still thriving– and free of the pain that I experienced too much of while working in education.
It also hasn’t been easy being a DEI consultant in this political climate. Many people believe that DEI is going away or isn’t needed anymore, and while the performative and inauthentic parts should definitely die off, what we’re experiencing is something that’s as American as apple pie: White lash. Whenever there’s even a whiff of Black folks making progress, White folks will do everything in their power and then some to not just stifle it, but to punish us for it, undo it, and make sure that progress never happens again. We’re living in another iteration of Jim Crow, and with this incoming administration, it’s not fear mongering to expect for that to grow– it’s reality. What keeps me going is knowing that I’m not alone in this work, and the opportunity for transformative change is always possible for those willing to put in the work to see it through.
Another struggle I’ve been facing that’s also a result of this political climate is how much companies are divesting from professional development support for women of color. I’m the co-founder of the Authentically Me Fellowship along with my friend and colleague Rachel Vicente, and we’ve been seeing a trend of companies expecting women of color to come out of their own pockets to get the professional support they deserve. It’s one of our core values for women of color to be provided with the tools and skills they need to build the careers and lives they desire, and while it’s been a challenge to make that happen in this climate, we’re encouraged by the companies and organizations that still see the value in uplifting women of color.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ShiftED Consulting?
As the eldest daughter, I’ve been a strategic planner since I was about 10 years old. Working with my brother and sister, we would create the vision we wanted for how to spend the holidays or what we wanted to do for summer vacation. I would then think about what lever would most effectively get our parents to agree to what we wanted. Sometimes, that meant prepping my brother to talk to my mom; sometimes, it meant building a case for a couple of days and asking for what we wanted. We often had to develop smaller goals or benchmarks along the way, like keeping our rooms clean, helping around the house, etc., before we made our big ask.
As I entered my professional career, I learned that these skills were highly sought after, and I was able to refine my natural orientation for visioning and planning to become an excellent strategic planner. About half of my time in my business is spent supporting organizations by developing comprehensive 3-5-year strategic plans. Because of my background in DEI work, I also help organizations infuse practical equity goals into their strategic plans. As a trained human-centered design expert and executive coach, I also support and guide organizations looking to become more equitable through professional development and coaching.
As an executive coach, my clients are primarily women of color looking for new roles, navigating toxic work environments, wanting to move into entrepreneurship, and managers who wish to become more equitable leaders. Through skill building, accountability, and personalized support, I help people develop the competence and confidence they need to excel.
I also have the honor of co-founding the Authentically Me Fellowship for Women of Color with Rachel Vicente. This 6-week virtual fellowship focuses on supporting WOC looking to define their authentic self in their career and explore how both white supremacy culture and internalized racial oppression impact their competence and confidence at work.
Most recently, I have also started supporting the eldest and only daughters of color to lift the weight of family expectations and to experience a profound sense of ease and joy as they move toward a more fulfilling life.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I read a ton of romance novels to keep my sanity. The work of DEI and eradicating racism and anti-Blackness can be draining, so a cute love story gives me the mental break I need after a long day or week. Alendaria House is my favorite author right now; her books remind me that Black women are worthy of love, romance, affection, and devotion.
Some of my other favorite books include Parable of the Sower and Faces at the Bottom of the Well. Both authors use allegory and historical context to comment on race in America. And when I’m in the mood for a nonfiction book, I look to reading work from classic Black writers like White Tears, Brown Scars, Dreamkeepers, All About Love, and more.
Apps like Headspace also keep me grounded. Practicing mediation and other mindfulness practices help me to decompress and manage the stresses and anxieties that come with being an entrepreneur, single mom, and just overall adulting.
Pricing:
- Coaching Intensive for Job seekers (3 hours) start at $450
- Strategy Sessions 3 hours start at $450
- Authentically Me start at $1299
- Executive Coaching 3 month Packages start at 2400
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shiftedconsulting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiftedconsulting/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094016089971
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanity-y-jenkins/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vanityjenkins3500
Image Credits
Zoë Jenkins & K. Marie Photography
