Walking By Faith with Shani Glasby of Order My Steps
Shani Glasby at the Cookies and Cocoa Event, December 2019. Photo by Jaquetta Bazier.
Shani Glasby is a teacher turned coach and founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Order My Steps - a christian-based organization in Cypress, TX, that inspires, empowers, and motivates children in grades 3-8 through the art of stepping.
I had the pleasure of meeting Shani to learn more about her and this amazing organization. Shani warned me that I will cry after hearing her story because I was not prepared for the faith-filled journey that I was about to hear. Needless to say, she was right.
Ask for Change, and You Shall Receive
Lovingly known as Coach G to her students and team members, Shani’s road to Order My Steps is not clear cut. She moved from her hometown of Atlanta to Houston after rededicating her life back to God in 2012, while on a cruise.
“I wasn’t happy with my life. I had a big crying moment on the cruise. I said, ‘I’m leaving everything out on this ocean. I’m changing my life when I get back.”
Well, she had no idea how much of a change her life would have just when she returned from her cruise. As the guy in the State Farm commercial said, “Oh, it’s happening sweetheart.”
God’s Plan
Shani was on the dance team for two years at Berea College in Kentucky. During her second year, she became co-captain and also started a step team that showcased the dance and step organizations on campus. “It still exists today,” she said surprisingly. Talk about legacy.
“Afterwards, I went back to Atlanta and started teaching.” When I asked what made her want to be a teacher, Shani quickly proclaimed, “Since second grade, I knew I would be a teacher.
I asked, “So, what was the overall goal for you as a teacher?” Without hesitation, Shani replied:
“I wanted to be the principal of my own school. I always wanted to have something of my own and I always wanted to be with kids. But at the same time, I wanted to have the arts in there too because that’s my love - the arts.”
Unfortunately for Shani, being a school teacher was not God’s plan.
The Uproot to Meet the Needs of Children
In July 2013, God uprooted Shani from Atlanta and sent her to plant seeds in Houston to grow. Upon moving to the area, she began working as a teacher at Sheridan Elementary in Cy-Fair. After being there for a year, Shani began to realize the kids didn’t have extracurricular activities.
“Was it because of the school?” I asked. Shani replied, “It’s a Title I school and I think people just weren’t into it. I’ve never grown up without having extracurricular activities. So, it was brand new for me.”
Shani continued, “I talked to my assistant principal and said, ‘I have an idea. Can I start a step team?’ And she said, ‘Let’s try it.’” As a result, in September 2014, Shani creates the step team at Sheridan Elementary. But little did she know, her journey was just beginning.
Photo courtesy of Order My Steps.
There’s Favor in Faith Walking
I’m enjoying my latte while chatting with Shani about her newfound step team when she proceeds tells me a story.
“A year later, on October 27, 2015, I got a mysterious phone call. That alone was all God because it happened in step practice. And, I’m never near my phone when I’m coaching because I’m always working with the kids.”
“Interesting,” I said while leaning in.
“But that day, I was standing by my phone. The phone was on vibrate and I just so happened to look down to see it ringing. It was a number I did not know. Now, I don’t usually answer those. But this time, I said let me just answer and see who’s calling me.”
Me being curious, I raised my eyebrows and said, “So, who was it?”
Shani explains, “I answered, ‘Hello.’ You know, in my professional voice. Then, all I heard was something, something, Ellen DeGeneres Show. I just screamed and ran out of the room.“
“All I heard was Ellen and ran.”
We laughed so hard that we almost fell out of our chairs.
She excitingly described more of the phone call and asked, “Hold on, who did you say you are? What’s happening?” Shani and I were still laughing crying when she continued, “And, I will never forget when the lady said, ‘Your voice changed.’ My coach at the time ran out and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I yelled, it’s somebody at Ellen.’ Watch the kids!”
So, Ellen found out about you and you were featured on the Ellen Show. Talk about favor. Are you a fan of Ellen?
Ellen Day? Oh Yeah, It’s a Real Thing
“Yes,” said Shani. “That’s my girl and I always watch her show. I’m a true fan. October 27, 2015, the day of the phone call, changed my life forever. So now, October 27th is Ellen Day. I celebrate it every year.
I asked, “What do you do to celebrate Ellen Day?”
Shani responded, “One year, my kids and I made cards for Ellen and sent them to her. Sometimes, I take myself out or just look in the mirror and be like, ‘Shani, you did that girl,’ and put my Ellen shirt on. This celebration is a full thing for me.”
“Because of this day, my life is forever changed.”
Shani informed me that she has two days of celebration. She said, “Each year, I celebrate the day of the phone call, October 27th. Then, I celebrate the day my step team and I went on the show, November 5, 2015, which was the day it aired. So, I celebrate both of those. And, actually, that’s how the nonprofit got started.”
Photo courtesy of Order My Steps.
Be The Change You Seek
Shani’s step team became a nonprofit organization after the Ellen Show. “I stayed with the school one more year and said, ‘I’m going to use this year to build my program.’ So, I left the school in 2017 and officially started my nonprofit, Order My Steps.”
“Wow,” I said. What led to this?
Shani said, “God told me, ‘I want you to quit and do this full time.’ I said, ‘But it doesn’t have an income. What do you mean?’ He said, ‘Do it.’ So I did. Now, it’s my full time job.”
“It’s what God put me on this Earth to do. It’s what I was called to do and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“It’s crazy how it all connects,” I said. “The arts, dance, and starting a step team in college.” Shani said, “I never knew I would continue this for the rest of my life. That was just a college thing. l wasn’t thinking about doing anything further with that.”
Although Shani’s no longer a teacher and did not become a principal, her life has been changed for the better, and she’s making a change in the lives of others in our community. She’s still doing those things that she loves wrapped in one -- dancing, teaching, and loving kids. “And that’s the thing I love most about it. I get it all in one. All in one.”
I told Shani, “You’re still kind of a principal, just a coach.” Right,” she said. “ It’s my program. So, it’s still something I own where I still get to make the rules.”
Photo courtesy of Order My Steps.
Give a Child the Gift of Stepping With a Purpose
Claim your Kin + Dignity magazine subscription to see Shani’s feature in the inaugural issue, Change Agents.
To donate to Order my Steps and learn more about their Community classes at the Weekley Community Center in Cypress, visit the website or call 832-529-2195.
Photo by Jaquetta Bazier.