Our Founder

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In 2020, Stephanie Dawkins was exhausted. As a working mother balancing the demands of family, career, and everyday life, she found herself overwhelmed and disconnected from the things that once brought her joy. Then she returned to something she had loved since childhood: nature.

Growing up spending time on her grandparents’ farm, Stephanie developed an early connection to the outdoors. During one of the most challenging seasons of her life, hiking became more than physical activity. Nature gave her space to breathe, reflect, reconnect with herself, and experience peace. That experience became the beginning of something much bigger.

Stephanie founded Black Girls Hike Too as a bold declaration that Black women belong outdoors. She created opportunities for Black women to hike, camp, swim, kayak, canoe, fish, explore, and simply take up space in nature. What began as a personal passion grew into a community centered on wellness, connection, empowerment, and the belief that access to nature can be transformative. Public profiles of Stephanie's early work describe this mission as challenging the idea that outdoor spaces are not places where Black women belong.

As the vision grew, so did the organization. Today, Stephanie is the Founder of Be The Light Global, Inc., an organization dedicated to empowering individuals and strengthening communities through mental wellness, personal growth, outdoor experiences, leadership development, community engagement, and service.

Through Be The Light Global, Stephanie creates spaces where people can pause, reconnect, learn, grow, and discover their potential. Her work brings together wellness education, outdoor experiences, speaking engagements, workshops, trainings, community events, and transformative experiences designed to help people build resilience, develop healthy coping skills, strengthen relationships, and lead from a place of greater wholeness.

Stephanie's work has earned recognition throughout Delaware. She was named a 2023 Delaware Business Times DBT40 honoree for her leadership, entrepreneurship, and community impact. She is also a recipient of the YWCA Delaware's 2014 Genevieve Gore Young Women's Leadership Award and a member of the YWCA Women’s Hall of Fame.

Her voice has also expanded beyond the trail. Stephanie has been invited to speak on topics including wellness, self-love, personal growth, women’s empowerment, connection, and professional development. She has appeared as a speaker at the Reawakened Mom Summit and continues to facilitate workshops and trainings that encourage women and communities to prioritize themselves, strengthen their confidence, and recognize the power they already carry.

In 2026, Stephanie's work continues to evolve. Be The Light Global represents the next chapter of the vision she began with Black Girls Hike Too: creating spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, connect with others, experience the healing and restorative power of nature, and discover what becomes possible when they choose to step fully into their own light.

Her message is simple, but powerful:

Rise. Shine. Connect.

Stephanie is not simply creating opportunities for people to get outside. She is creating opportunities for people to come back to themselves, find their voice, build meaningful connections, and carry their light into their families, organizations, and communities.

Women hiking | Hiking Trips | Black Women Outdoors