THERE’S a thin line between dedication and detriment. Oftentimes entrepreneurs put their health and well-being on the back burner in order to realise their business goals. Those observing their progress may commend them for making such sacrifices, unaware of the true cost of it all. However, as a woman in business, Marketing Wiz and founder of DRT Communications Danielle Terrelonge is reminding entrepreneurs that self-care is a crucial part of effective leadership.

Terrelonge is no stranger to hard work. Some fourteen years ago she started her own marketing communications agency and later on set up the Caribbean’s first media monitoring service, which launched her into an industry that’s always on the go. Unfortunately, Terrelonge is also no stranger to tough times. Though she may not show it, she has experienced a lifetime’s worth of unfortunate circumstances — from the cards she was dealt to the consequences of her oversight.

Today she navigates life as a new person, not primarily because of her physical appearance but because she decided to change the part of her that would alter everything: her mindset. She now views entrepreneurship and leadership as aspirations which must exist in balance with health and well-being.

“You cannot be a good leader if you do not take care of yourself. You cannot transform your business into the best that it can be or recruit a good team if you have an unhealthy mindset, if you are in an unhealthy body, and if you have an unhealthy spirit — and I’m not talking about religion, I’m talking about your spirit, who you are,” Terrelonge shared as she addressed a group of entrepreneurs attending RevUP Caribbean’s cohort two founders’ retreat in early December.

The event was attended by renowned business moguls such as former chief marketing officer at Facebook and current board member at Etsy, Gary Briggs, and senior partner at McKinsey and Co Ramiero Raballos, and it was geared towards creating opportunities for founders to learn from the best in business. While it is expected that the attendees received sound business and financial advice, Terrelonge chose to shift her focus to the internal issues that have the potential to take down even the greatest of leaders and the most ambitious of entrepreneurs.

Running on critically low battery

She spoke openly about her years of struggle with low self-esteem, obesity and other health challenges. Over the last 14 years Terrelonge has also endured some of the most challenging experiences such as tragic losses, persistently high anxiety levels, and depression. Several of these challenges occurred simultaneously with her experiencing notable success in her career. Terrelonge shared, “It’s pretty ironic that I was going through so much at that point in my life but I was also experiencing success. This is what I believe can be misleading to some entrepreneurs, the fact that there can be a reward at the end of consistently putting themselves last or failing to invest in their well-being. But the truth is you can only run a critically low battery for so long and no more.”

Changing her life & business

Though she had tried time and again to make the necessary changes in her life, none of her efforts stuck. Terrelonge’s wake-up call came in 2018 when she weighed 222 lbs at 5″2. She found herself being tired a lot, always at the doctor for one reason or another, and her self-esteem was at an all-time low. Aspects of her personal life affected her professional life and her ability to be her best for her team. Then it all came crashing down when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes without a family history of the disease. In her deepest despair she realised that she needed to act immediately and intentionally if she wanted to save her life and her business.

A healthy leader is a good leader & vice versa

“I changed my life there and then by changing my mindset, by accepting my reality for what it was and the responsibility I had to take back control of my life. There are so many entrepreneurs out there who are at their lowest and, in some cases, nobody even realises this. You need to deal with all the factors that affect your life — the wellness of your mind, body, and spirit — before you can be effective anywhere else. My advice to entrepreneurs is to take care of you so that you can be good leaders to your team and so that your business can thrive the way it was meant to,” Terrelonge encouraged.

Today Terrelonge is proud to have built a resilient team at DRT Communications which benefits from her openness and guidance and, in turn, emulates the same spirit among their peers — positive ripple effects from even the worst of circumstances.