After 10 years of professional rugby and 6 years building my agency from home, here’s what nobody tells you about work-life balance: it’s not about perfect time management or superhuman productivity. It’s about the moments when you realise your mental wellness isn’t a luxury—it’s the foundation everything else is built on.
If you’re a remote working parent—whether you’re freelancing, running a small business, or building your solopreneurial dream—feeling like you’re constantly running on empty, juggling client calls with school pickups, or finding yourself checking emails during family dinner, this one’s for you.
When “The Greatest Wealth Is Health” Finally Made Sense
For years, I treated this as just another motivational quote. Until I found myself at 2 AM, frantically responding to client emails while my family slept, my left shoulder aching from an old rugby injury and my mind racing with tomorrow’s impossible to-do list.
That’s when Virgil’s words hit differently. Mental wellness isn’t something you get to when everything else is sorted. It’s what makes everything else possible.
Solopreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners often fall into the trap of believing that their worth is measured by their availability. I see this constantly—and I’ve been there myself while building my agency. When your health—mental and physical—starts to crumble, so does your ability to serve your clients and show up for your family.
Why I Stopped Waiting for Work-Life Balance to Happen
This quote changed everything for me during lockdown. There I was, homeschooling my son Shaw while trying to manage client expectations, feeling like I was failing at both. I kept waiting for the “right time” to establish work-life boundaries, for things to settle down so I could find balance.
But Kingsford’s words made me realise I was approaching it backwards. Balance isn’t discovered—it’s deliberately constructed, one small decision at a time.
For remote working professionals—whether you’re freelancing, running a small business, or working solo—this means actively designing your days rather than letting them happen to you. It means saying no to that 9 PM client call because family movie night is sacred. It means creating physical and temporal boundaries in a world that expects you to be always available.
Why I Stopped Chasing the “Perfect Time” for Self-Care
This quote hit me hard because I’ve spent years waiting for the “right time” to prioritise my mental health. After my car accident in 1999, I told myself I’d focus on wellness once I was physically healed and “back to normal.” Then in business, it became “once this client project is finished” or “once I get through this busy period.”
I was always chasing some future moment when everything would be calm enough to focus on myself. But that moment never came. There was always another challenge, another deadline, another reason to postpone taking care of my mental wellbeing.
That’s when Shpancer’s words made sense: mental health isn’t a destination you reach once everything else is sorted. It’s a daily process that needs attention regardless of what chaos is happening around you. The work is never finished, the clients will always have demands, the kids will always need something. Your mental wellness can’t wait for permission from your circumstances.
But mental wellness for working parents isn’t about reaching some perfect state where stress disappears. It’s about building systems that help you navigate the inevitable chaos with more resilience and presence.
The process includes those days when your toddler interrupts your most important client call, when deadlines collide with school holidays, when you feel like you’re letting everyone down. It’s about having tools and practices that help you respond rather than just react.
Small Practices, Transformative Results
Here’s where the rugby player in me wants to talk about systems over willpower. You don’t win games hoping for perfect conditions—you win by building practices that work even when everything goes wrong.
Start with one 5-minute practice: Whether it’s meditation, deep breathing, or simply stepping outside without your phone, consistency beats intensity every time. I’ve seen too many small business owners burn out trying to implement massive wellness overhauls overnight.
The 5-minute morning practice I mentioned? It’s not about becoming a meditation guru. It’s about creating a buffer between sleep and the day’s demands, a moment where you set the tone rather than letting emails and notifications hijack your mental state.
Quotes That Keep Me Grounded
This one lives on a note by my computer. On days when client demands feel overwhelming, when I’m tempted to work through lunch or skip my evening walk, this reminds me that protecting my energy isn’t selfish—it’s strategic.
Perfect for freelancers, small business owners, and remote workers who worry that setting boundaries means losing clients. Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out; they’re about creating sustainable ways to let the right things in at the right times.
The Ripple Effect of Your Wellness
When you prioritise your mental health as a working parent, something remarkable happens. Your kids see a model of what healthy work looks like. Your spouse gets a partner who’s present, not just physically there but mentally available.
Your clients get better work because you’re showing up as your best self, not a depleted version running on fumes and caffeine.
But here’s what changed everything for me: I stopped apologising for having boundaries. Instead of saying, “Sorry, I can’t take calls after 7 PM,” I started saying, “I’m available until 7 PM and first thing tomorrow morning.” Same boundary, different energy.
Your Next Small Step
Which of these quotes resonates most with your current situation? More importantly, what’s one small practice you could implement this week to honor your wellness while building your business?
Remote working parents—whether you’re freelancing, running a small business, or building your solo venture—don’t need another productivity hack. You need permission to prioritise the foundation that makes everything else possible: your mental and physical wellbeing.
The greatest wealth really is health. But unlike other forms of wealth, this one grows when you invest in it daily, in small, consistent ways that honor both your ambitions and your humanity.
What wellness quote keeps you grounded? Share it below—I’d love to hear what words guide your journey toward sustainable success.
