Patrice D’Evans (www.patricedevans.com) is an evangelist, Heyoka empath, minister, and professional SAG-AFTRA actress, dancer, producer, and author. She uses her signature Caribbean Fusion belly dancing style to reach people and help them bring out their joy. She has been featured in various films, commercials, T.V. shows, and theatrical productions. Patrice is a YouTube Content Creator and Influencer with over 10,000 subscribers. On her show J.O.Y. Party T.V. (on her YouTube channel “Patrice D’Evans”), Patrice helps women “Unlock Their Joy” body, mind, and spirit through dance, Bible study, prayer, and healing. She offers a J.O.Y. Seekers club on her website: PatriceDEvansJoy.com.
Fancy: How would you describe your SwagHer? What makes Patrice, Patrice?
Patrice: Well, I am an evangelist and Christian Heyoka Empath. I have been called “Billy Graham with an afro” and “the minister of J.O.Y.” I’m a God-fearing, free-spirited, wise, fun-loving, and strong-willed woman who finds her joy in being obedient to Jesus and connecting with Him and those who also love Jesus, have joy, or seek joy. Privately, dancing, stretching, and meditating on His word and songs in prayer is how I release stress and connect with Jesus. I love that peace, and it fills my soul and uplifts my Spirit in order to bless and heal others so they can have their breakthroughs from my anointings. Performing (belly dancing, acting, and singing), writing, being creative and speaking, teaching and coaching others to be their best in their relationships, and overcoming strongholds to unlock their joy (and keep it) fulfills me the most.
I am an evangelist, so the breakthrough always starts with sharing the Gospel of Jesus and helping people receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior so they can live forever in heaven and have a special joy that only comes from heaven while they live on earth.
Fancy: Your show J.O.Y. Party T.V. and channel are doing well on YouTube. Congratulations! To what do you contribute your success?
Patrice: Thank you. Of course, I give God all of the glory for my success. I have been obedient to what God has asked me to do all throughout my journey on YouTube ever since the start in 2014. And different audiences have followed me for the different things I shared on my channel throughout the years. I believe that even though I have gone from Saka® dance fitness videos and extremely popular Caribbean whine belly dancing videos to sharing my natural hair journey and making my own natural hair products line, Ayurveda Curls, I realize that firstly, I’ve always talked the same and kept Jesus at the center of all I did. And I encouraged my audience, my Lovelies, to do the same. But secondly, everything I’ve done was always serving women to unlock their (what I have been led to coin) J.O.Y. (Jesus Overcame for You). So, the channel has always had that same theme, and now God has led me to make that the main thing on the channel – my J.O.Y. Party T.V. women’s ministry.
Fancy: Tell us about your book, Resilient Joy. What inspired it?
Patrice: My book, Resilient Joy, is about my life. I’ve been told my life is like a movie, and at my age, I now say it’s like four movies. I’ve lived an unusual life as a Heyoka Empath that was raised in a home where there was abuse. My autobiography is about how I managed to overcome the narcissistic abuse, spiritual abuse, jealousy, and extreme gaslighting to be able to be here today with full joy from Jesus and helping others do what I do. My book takes you from my childhood, including my teenage years, my college years, to my married life with my children until my ministry today. Because of severe gaslighting, especially from my family, I have not been able to have my story heard and respected. I first started to share my story because after the last attempt of trying to get my family to hear me and love me, one of my Lovelies, my amazing YouTube subscribers, happened to ask me about my testimony. (She wanted to know how I was so wise and deep in the Lord and so full of joy.) I figured they love me and wanted to hear my story, and that’s when I started to share it on my YouTube channel. Then I did a one-woman show about my life, and I knew I’d write about my life most of my life, so I wrote my book, Resilient Joy.
Fancy: What was your writing process like?
Patrice: That is an excellent question, and I’m grateful you asked because it was not easy. It was cathartic. I thought it would be easier since I had finally shared my story already on my YouTube channel, and I had done the one-woman show, Patrice D’Evans’ Resilient Joy, also on my YouTube channel. So, I was able to start the book ok because I had already written a lot and gone through the pain while writing the one-woman show. So, I thought I was home free. It turned out that I had to stop and move to lighter sections that I could handle while writing throughout that year because I couldn’t stay in the more upsetting and abusive sections too long. When it was time to go back and re-read sections, it was very hard because usually, you don’t keep going back to times that were most painful in your life over and over again. In writing my book, Resilient Joy, I realized that there was a period in my life that I hadn’t really fully dealt with on a deep level, and after completion of the book, I finally had. It, for me, as a Heyoka Empath, was the best counseling I could have had. However, I understand that I was in a stage in life where so much work had been done and that I was healthy enough mentally and spiritually to finally write my book. I’m not sure if I could have written my autobiography any earlier than I did. God’s timing is perfect timing.
So, the process for me is that I needed to stop for weeks or so and then come back to it here and there. I had to pray and journal and heal a lot throughout the process. I couldn’t believe how healed I felt once I was done. I was able to read it without feeling pain. That’s just a miracle for me to overcome writing my autobiography while writing about overcoming. God is great!
Fancy: At what point did you realize it was narcissism?
Patrice: I learned about abuse, particularly verbal and emotional abuse, when I was married. I explain that in the book. But I started to look more into the term narcissism when my daughter asked me about it as it related to a man I was married to, and we didn’t understand his issue. I knew it was abuse, but it wasn’t exactly the same as all of the other abusers I had encountered. So, we wanted to know what it was exactly? Once I studied the term narcissism, I was already an expert on what abusers were like, the traits and effects, etc. Now I knew the different types of abusers and the clinical terms, which was narcissism (or being sociopathic and psychopathic). The knowledge I gained about the different types of narcissists helped me see and understand specifically why each abuser abused me differently. And it revealed more of the abusers in my life that I didn’t realize were narcissists but knew they were hurtful towards me.
Fancy: Without giving too much away, how did you escape your abuser?
Patrice: I believe I was born to do so as a Heyoka Empath, and I did it because of the Holy Spirit. God healed me and allowed me to overcome and have victory over the severe narcissistic abuse and gaslighting in my life.
Fancy: What does it mean to be a Heyoka Empath?
Patrice: A Heyoka Empath is the rarest and most powerful empath. We are very spiritual and wise. We are natural psychologists and healers. I am a Christian (saved by Jesus’ grace) Heyoka Empath, and it allows me to be filled with the Holy Spirit and use my gifts to heal and bless others even more. It also allows me to be balanced and wise as I do so. Many Heyoka Empaths suffer from the pain of feeling so much of others’ pains and their energy, ether evil or good. They sense it. When a Heyoka Empath evolves and develops into their highest state, they do not experience the pain most empaths experience. They become wise enough to protect themselves. Heyoka Empaths are truth seers and speakers. They will heal you by showing you who you really are and what you need to do to change things to achieve your goals in life. We, however do this in what has been said to be a backwards way. This backwards way of healing people is called the “sacred clown” in the culture of Sioux (Lakota and Dekota people). So, the photo on the front cover of my book, Resilient Joy, is a great example of how I use, what appears to be, a “backwards way” to share the gospel of Jesus Christ as a Caribbean Fusion Belly dance evangelist. God has led me to do it this way for women. Heyoka Empaths are a blessing to whoever allows us to be.
Fancy: Why are empaths associated with narcissism?
Patrice: Since narcissists have very little empathy, are insecure, entitled, and constantly need and seeking validation and supply, and empaths are extremely empathetic, constantly giving support and don’t need validation but need to feel like they helped someone else realize their goals, narcissist love to be with empaths because it is an endless supply for them. In fact, narcissists are highly attracted to empaths. They have been known to say that they seek to conquer empaths and make them co-dependent. Some empaths who know their self-worth and have learned how to set healthy boundaries can overcome a narcissist. However, an evolved Heyoka Empath has been known to be the kind of empath that can be the answer to, resist, and victory over narcissists.
Fancy: How do you balance the many hats you wear?
Patrice: I’m in an obedient state with Jesus. So, I do a lot of praying and listening to whatever God is telling me to do. This is what Christians call walking in the Spirit. You see, all of what I do is done in an effort to do what God has told me to do. My job has been to make sense of it and organize how and when He is expecting me to do with each thing; He leads me to do. Once I’m clear on what, how, and when God wants me to do something, I obey and begin to do it. I let God take care of the outcome. So, I’m not really doing it all in my own might. I’m only organizing it in my daily, monthly, and yearly schedule. I work hard to make sure I’m even listening to the timelines as much as I can. It’s always a work in progress, and I’m learning and growing with each project I complete.
Fancy: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you Care to share?
Patrice: Yes. I am in pre-production for my T.V. series based on the book. To keep up with how that is going, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel, Patrice D’Evans, and go to my website, PatriceDEvans.com, or my Instagrams @PaticeDEvansofficial and @BodyMindandSpiritProductions.
I am also a relationship coach. I offer wisdom, advice, and healing (using meditation, belly dance, and messages) to help women overcome narcissistic abuse and have healing and breakthrough in their lives on my J.O.Y. Seeker’s Club on my website PatriceDEVansJoy.com.
