A Successful Jamaican Woman Who Reshaped Her Reality
April 24, 2016 Keisha Brissette
Patrice's Instagram and Facebook accounts combined describe her as a wife, a mom, an educator, an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker, a bar/cocktail/spirit consultant and a lifestyle and fitness coach.
She's not lying.
There are pictures, various articles, and print & television interviews to support every claim.
Yet, as I scrolled through a timeline which revealed aspects of her life, I felt a certain disconnect. Everything was too — arranged. Too perfect. Too fairytale-esque. The pictures begged me to see Patrice as a superwoman who had it all together — which only made me want to bypass the well put together public persona.
I decided to do some digging and scoured through articles online to see what I could find. That didn't help. Everything was light. Airy. A lot of fluff. A whole lot of puffery. Now, mind you, I was sure she was deserving of all the accolades and praise. It was just that my spirit wouldn't stop nagging. It wouldn't stop telling me there was sup'm much deeper behind Patrice's smile. Something that made her go after every goal with great urgency, firm conviction and relentless passion. But what the hell was it? I called a mutual friend.
"JJ, I asked," who is Patrice? How would you describe her?"
"She's real. "That's how JJ started before she went on to expound on just how real Patrice was. She said: "I didn't know Patrice when I reached out to her to get some help with a webinar. I expected her to be standoffish or even a bit hype, but I was amazed at how open, friendly and helpful she was."
JJ, went on to highlight more positive traits inclusive of the fact that Patrice was dedicated to family and she had an astounding work ethic. She said:
"I remember one time she called me to discuss sup'm for a presentation that would take a normal person two or so weeks, but she put the ideas together and was ready to present in two days. I really admire that. She doesn't just talk — her life is action".
All this was enlightening, but I hadn't learned anything new. So I reached out to the one person who could tell me what I needed to know. "Patrice," I said, "Who are you when you strip away these titles? Who is Patrice when no one is watching?"
And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. I figured the wait meant that she was thinking about her answer or it meant I wasn't going to get an answer. Either way I was determined not to write another airy story. I was trusting my gut. I wanted to meet the woman who could transform from this:
via Sleek Jamaica
A week later, I couldn't wait any longer. I gave her a gentle nudge; a friendly reminder. "The questions," I said. "Have you thought about my questions?"
And then I waited — and waited — and waited a tad bit more. I was about to give up when she said: "If you strip away what I have now — who I am — you will find a broken individual."
"Start there," I told her. "Let's start right there."
Eleven year old Patrice lived in an inner-city where gun shots rang like school bells. Around her, everyone by age 18 had two or three kids. She slid under the radar hoping to do well in school and one day flee. But, she lived in a community where pretty girls couldn't just slide under the radar. She lived in a community where a don could rape you repeatedly and you'd have to hide it because who can you tell? Surely not a mother who constantly reminded you that an abortion would have been better than her damaged liver. And definitely not the police —not if you wanted to be a long – liver.
The teenager Patrice refused to be broken. Adamant that she wouldn't become a statistic, she went to school. Embarrassed by torn clothes and worn shoes, she went to school. With limited family support, moving from one friend's house to the other, she went to school.
Seventeen year old Patrice got her first job working at McDonalds in Constant Spring. She said: "I'm the person you'd hear saying 'Welcome to McDonalds' when you enter the Drive-Thru and the one you'd sometimes see with a big yellow mop cleaning the floor when you enter the door."
Patrice the young adult was still driven to create a better life for herself. She applied for a position as bank teller at one of Jamaica's leading financial institutions but was turned down for the job. Her interviewer had something to say to her before she left. She said: "Moving forward, review your information. Never put your address on your job application."
Grown woman Patrice went back to school — bartending school. She learned the art, studied the craft and at twenty-four years old became Jamaica's first master mixologist.
Full article in the Wall Street Journal.
She has created every job for herself ever since. And last year, in true Patrice form, she changed her lifestyle from fat to fit, lost 59 lbs and naturally decided to make a career out of it.
Meet Patrice J. White, lifestyle and transformational coach.
A broken woman? Hell nah. This is a woman who has played every single card dealt. A woman who turned her mess into a message. Her test into a testimony and decided circumstances would not define her destiny.
Single-handedly, she reshaped and changed her reality. Her entire life is her qualification, her accomplishments speak to her dedication and now she wants to be your inspiration — well, actually, she wants to help you with your transformation. She can. But, don't just take my word for it. Read how she transformed Belinda's life here.
via jamaica-gleaner.com
Be sure to tune in to her Webinar : Dynamic Lifestyle Transformation Through Action on Saturday, May 7, 2016, 11: 00 AM – 12:00 PM COT
Registration Code: www.bit.Ly/dynamiclifestyle
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