Part of the Voice I Almost Lost – Blog #12
by Alana Pierre Curry
Before I became a leader, I was an individual contributor.
I spent my days assisting people with applying for benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF. It wasn’t uncommon for me to see 15 to 20 neighbors in a single day. By the time I arrived in the morning, the sign-in sheet was already full—and the lobby was packed with faces filled with hope. Hope that I could help. Hope that today would be the day something turned around.
And I wanted so badly to honor that hope.
I would move nonstop, checking names off the list, trying to bring relief as quickly as possible. But around 3PM, the first wave of lightheadedness would hit. My stomach would growl, and I would suddenly feel a little loopy. That’s when it would dawn on me:
I hadn’t eaten a single thing all day.
Not a bite.
Not a sip of water.
The Disservice of Self-Neglect
I hadn’t meal prepped. I hadn’t brought a snack. I didn’t even have a water bottle on my desk. The thought of walking through that full lobby to go get lunch? It felt impossible. How could I stroll past people who had been waiting patiently for hours just so I could grab a sandwich?
So I pushed through. I powered on.
Thinking I was doing the right thing by helping as many people as I could, as fast as I could.
But here’s what I have come to realize: I wasn’t doing anyone any favors.
Yes, I was showing up.
Yes, I was present.
But by 3PM, I wasn’t my best self. My thinking was foggy. My energy was low. And for anyone who saw me between 3PM and 5PM… I may have shown up physically, but mentally? I was scraping the bottom of my tank.
And eventually, my body couldn’t take it.
I ended up hospitalized.
I Should Have Known Better
I had anemia. I knew it. I had lived with it. And I should have known better.
But here’s the thing about people like me:
We’re great at telling other people how to take care of themselves.
We are excellent at encouraging others to get rest, take breaks, see a doctor, stay hydrated.
But when it comes to ourselves?
We hustle. We grind. We deplete.
We tell ourselves it’s noble—because we are serving the people.
But what good are we to “the people” if we’re burnt out, sick, or unable to show up at all?
This Lesson Became My Leadership
When I did become a leader, this story became one I shared often.
I encouraged breaks. I reminded my team to eat and to keep snacks on hand. Because no one should end up in a hospital for doing their job. No one should normalize exhaustion as part of being “committed.” That’s not commitment. That’s self-neglect dressed up as service.
I used to think I couldn’t stop because people needed me.
Now I know: I have to stop—because people need me.
And they don’t need the rundown, foggy, undernourished version of me.
They need the one who thinks clearly. Who’s grounded. Who’s whole.
Take Care of the People—By Taking Care of You
If you work in service—if you sit across from people all day trying to help them meet their basic needs—please hear me:
Don’t sacrifice your own.
You can’t run on empty.
You can’t lead on fumes.
You can’t think clearly when your body is in survival mode.
Take care of yourself. Pack the snack. Take the break. Drink the water. Step away when you need to. Your work matters—but so does your health.
Because when you take care of you,
You take better care of everyone else too.