When Jim Curtis constitute out he had lesions on his spinal cord, at age 22, he wanted to dice. "It was unknown how they started, but I very speedily became ill and presently had trouble walking," the former president and electric current board director for Remedy Health Media recalls. While doctors couldn't diagnose Curtis'due south exact illness, he had all the symptoms of a spinal cord injury, including pain, headaches, muscle spasticity, and paralysis, in addition to a chronic limp.

Jim Curtis [Photo: courtesy of Remedy Health]

But he didn't dice. Instead, Curtis rehabilitated every bit best he could, pushing himself to finish college and eventually snagging a job as a trader on Wall Street. After two years on the floor of the American Stock Exchange, he switched gears and moved through several roles in digital health media, including at WebMD, before joining Remedy Health. All the while he was helping build Remedy Health'due south business into a platform whose content now reaches over 200 million users a yr, Curtis hid his chronic illness from everyone he worked with every single day. Until one series of conversations inverse everything.

Fast Company recently caught up with Curtis to hear about those experiences. Here's what he'southward learned most coping with chronic affliction while building a career. His account has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

"Most of the fourth dimension I was lying"

My illness was telling me something about the perception of who I was, [which to me] was this macho guy; I was an athlete and I had a plan to work on Wall Street, so I did information technology. It couldn't take been a worse choice. I had to stand up in a crowd all mean solar day. It was super loftier-stress, which is inflammatory and devastating for a condition similar mine. It increased symptoms of fatigue and hurting, and it brought on new ones like IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and other things I couldn't command.

Often I would never broach it because I was walking with a limp and I didn't want to get into the 'why.' So for well-nigh of the time I lied. I made upwards a story because I wasn't vulnerable enough to tell this story. And so I said I'd been in an accident–often it was motorbike accident–because that fit perfectly, that'south kinda absurd and that'south tough enough.

Subsequently two years, when I realized that the Wall Street task just wasn't for me, I went to work for a company called OnHealth. I can remember walking/limping into this commencement interview thinking, "I wonder how is this going to become over." It was and so dissimilar–a loft with orangish walls in SoHo. There was a resting room with beanbag chairs. I had my own desk to sit at, and it was quiet–wow! Wall Street comes with a lot of macho ego, like "I am fighting my way through and succeeding," and so when I got to a much more gentle environment I fought it a little. I [thought], this isn't tough or absurd, only I rapidly realized information technology was ameliorate for me.

Still, I hid my status and information technology was really difficult for me. Upwardly until 10 years agone, I had IBS, and accidents happened a lot. Every bit a salesperson on the road a lot, I would have to walk through major airports literally for a couple miles; I didn't desire to wait for a wheelchair and trip and fall and be so sweaty. I was doing that and not talking about it and pushing through. When something terrible happened–which it did–I would get into disaster fashion or get dwelling and accept care of it and become dorsum to work for another day. I was definitely depressed. You don't realize what a toll that takes. [Since] I was in sales, I was entertaining [and consumed] a lot of bad food and alcohol and was hands 50 pounds overweight.

I was more charming than I am now [laughs]. "Charming" became a discussion I hated because it is so faux. I learned quickly [to exist] charming to manipulate people into not asking what was wrong with me, and because I was happy–seemingly–and the all-time at what I was doing, no i actually questioned me. I don't recollect I ever let an opening happen for someone to say, "Hey, what'south wrong? Can I help you?" Fifty-fifty at these wellness companies, they treated me like anybody else, which is what I wanted. I don't think the civilization was wrong. If I [had] reached out for more support, I could have gotten it.

"Run across the man side of everything, including yourself"

Information technology wasn't until I got to Remedy Health [that things started to change]. The CEO, Mike Cunnion, was the first to offset to scissure me as a human dealing with bug. I had worked with him at WebMD and we were friends. He recruited me and he would always ask me, "How are yous feeling? How'southward your health?" He even went as far as to get into the mental attribute. He said to me, "You're doing great and you're an amazing person. Why do y'all hate yourself?" He was relentless with that.

He always supported my best attributes. He had a real kindness, and he likes to develop people. He fix me up with my get-go big speaking engagement, which allowed me to share the truth of my struggle to 700 people in the manufacture, many [of whom] I worked with. That was six years ago.

Everything changed after that. We started new products that told stories well-nigh patients, a series of video documentaries virtually people who overcame and triumphed despite their bug. Everyone understood what I was going through, and they shared what they were going through. It could be powerful. I would assistance salespeople feel comfortable plenty and vulnerable plenty to do information technology, too. I told them, "We can't sell stories nearly arduousness if no ane'due south willing to talk about their own adversity. If you are non willing to connect and run across the man side of everything, including yourself in that fashion, and then nosotros can't be accurate in what we are doing and selling."

I don't retrieve there is one thing yous can practise to become people to open up and be vulnerable. You have to create an environment of credence and openness and no pressure. It'southward a real environs of support. If someone has mental health issues and they don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about information technology. We support them anyhow. It's more of a "Tell us what y'all need" and less of "What'south happening to you?"–non pushy similar, "We will get you the all-time therapist." It's a non-judgmental kindness that is fostering basic man qualities, and not, "This is the manner you deal with something." [At Remedy Health,] we go through training for building emotional IQ.

If you share something and people don't accept you for information technology, information technology's not the right identify for yous. Judgment doesn't bother you lot when you feel adequate. It's when you are non loving yourself that you lot are not your ain all-time support, and you end up sympathizing with the person who judged yous.