Resilience & Identity: I Didn’t Know What My Name Meant—So I Built a Life That Would Give It Meaning

How one woman’s journey through burnout, identity, and belonging became a business rooted in resilience.

Let me tell you a story—not just about a business, but about a return.

You see, Reyou means coming back to yourself. It’s the quiet homecoming after years of doing and pushing and proving—through degrees, parenting, marriage, careers, interpersonal relationships. It’s the peeling away of everything that was expected of me, so I could finally ask: Who am I really? Who was I before the pressures of the world turned me inside out?

Names, Resilience, and Identity

I didn’t always have this clarity. In fact, I didn’t even always feel comfortable with my name. Patlee is unusual. Not quite Jamaican, not quite familiar. It is often misspelled, mispronounced, and misunderstood. And if there was ever a story behind it, no one told me. But names, like people, gather meaning over time. They carry the weight of how they’re used, where they’ve been, and who speaks them aloud.

I used to have a complicated relationship with my name, but since completing my PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2018, I’ve come to love the way my name encapsulates all of me: the military officer and administrator I was, the academic I became, and the woman I’m still discovering.

Professionally, I go by Dr. Patlee Creary. But my friends and community? They call me Patlee. If we ever meet, I might start with the title—just until I know you’ll speak my name with the care (and correct pronunciation) it deserves.

I was born in Jamaica, served as a military officer in the Jamaica Defence Force, and moved to Canada with my husband and daughter in 2010. My early career was built in human resources, policy development, occupational health and safety, and administration. I earned my Bachelor of Science in International Relations and Public Administration from the University of the West Indies, then completed a Master’s in Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. But even with those accomplishments, I didn’t yet know how to name what I was feeling inside.

That knowing came later when everything I thought I knew about myself began to unravel.

In 2011, with an 18-month-old daughter in tow, I returned to university for my PhD. The following year, I gave birth to my second daughter and took time away from academia. And in that pause—between the doing and the being—I began to truly listen. I noticed the overwhelm, the anxiety, the creeping depression. I questioned who I was allowed to be in this new life. Was I a skilled professional? A mother? A Jamaican? A Canadian? A Black woman trying to belong in spaces never designed for her?

Eventually, the answer came: I am human.

From Academic to Entrepreneur

My doctoral research explored storytelling, trauma, conflict, and lived experience. I interviewed Jamaican and Canadian soldiers and led a microstudy on highly educated immigrant women in Winnipeg. Through these stories—my own included—I began to see how identity, mental health, and narrative are deeply entangled. We are shaped not only by what happens to us, but by the stories we tell to survive it.

From immigrant women, I learned how isolating and emotionally taxing resettlement in a new country can be. From soldiers, I learned how stories can reframe pain, reshape conflict, and become tools for peace. And from within myself, I began to discover something deeper: our stories, when tended with care, can bring us home.

That was the seed of Reyou.

In 2018, I began developing frameworks and tools for helping others use mindfulness and narrative to navigate trauma, transition, and chronic stress. I trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mental Health First Aid, the Art of Hosting, and Holding Space. I didn’t want to just tell people to meditate or “think positive.” I wanted to create spaces where people—especially those carrying invisible burdens—could be seen, heard, and gently guided back to their own inner strength.

By 2019, I was sharing these tools in small groups and one-on-one sessions. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I knew that what I’d been building was needed more than ever. That’s when Reyou Mindfulness Collective (formerly Untold Stories Studio) came to life.

Today, Reyou offers a range of trauma-sensitive, culturally grounded services including:

• Wellness retreats and workshops

• Corporate and nonprofit training in stress, burnout, and emotional resilience

• Consulting for teams seeking inclusive, story-based leadership tools

• Online courses, toolkits, and community-based offerings

• Coaching for those in transition—professionally, personally, or spiritually

  
  

Reclaiming Names and Narratives through Story

But underneath all of that, Reyou is still what it started as: a place to return to yourself. A space where you get to quiet the noise, challenge the narratives that no longer serve you, and reclaim the parts of you that got buried under all the doing—the degrees, the caregiving, the pushing through. It’s where you remember that you were always resilient. You just forgot. It's the space where people who know what it's like to be on this journey are ready to listen, offer comfort, hold space, and offer guidance to help you remember just how amazing you are.

Now, in 2025, I’m working on my first non-academic book—a memoir titled Confessions of a Recovering Academic. It’s a patchwork of stories about identity, belonging, perfectionism, and rediscovery. Writing it has reminded me how much courage it takes to rewrite your life in your own voice.

That’s what I offer through Reyou. Not quick fixes or polished performances—but real space to be human again.

So, what’s your story?

I’d love to hear it.

If you’re navigating a turning point or seeking tools to manage stress, find clarity, or lead with intention, reach out. Reyou is ready to walk with you, so you can return to yourself.

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About the Author

Dr. Patlee Creary is a trauma-informed mindfulness facilitator, resilience coach, and founder of Reyou Mindfulness Collective. With a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies and over 15 years of experience in leadership, education, and wellness, she helps individuals and organizations navigate stress, burnout, and identity transitions with compassion and clarity.

Born in Jamaica and based in Manitoba, Patlee blends mindfulness, narrative practice, and cultural humility to support mental and emotional well-being, especially for Black, immigrant, and equity-seeking communities. She is currently writing her first non-academic book, Confessions of a Recovering Academic (forthcoming, Friesen Press), a patchwork memoir of insight, identity, and resilience.