The Day I Stopped Being “Just a Mother”

The Day I Stopped Being “Just a Mother”

In a few of my blogs, I’ve touched on this idea before — but today, I want to say it louder:

Mothers make the best employees.

Mothers make the best entrepreneurs.

Mothers make the best leaders.

Yes, women in general are hardworking, multitasking forces of nature. But mothers?

Mothers have superpowers.

We learn endurance.

We learn patience.

We manage time down to the minute.

We don’t give up — because we don’t have the luxury of giving up.

People always ask me how I juggle everything — business, writing, film, speaking, life.

And every day, my answer is the same: because I’m a mother.

The other night, I was at an event where my production company, Wattle Tree, was nominated for an award — which we ended up winning.

As we were mingling afterwards, a woman said to me:

“I saw your profile. I noticed you have five kids. So I assumed wrongly that you would be… just a mum"

Those words hit me harder than she probably ever intended.

Just a mother — as if motherhood cancels out talent, ambition, intellect or achievement.

As if nurturing human beings, raising the next generation, building emotional intelligence and resilience in our children somehow places us in a lower category.

It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard it.

And it won’t be the last.

But I’m no longer shocked — I’m motivated.

Because every time someone uses the word “just”, what they really mean is:

You shouldn’t be doing this

You’re not supposed to be successful

You’re meant to stay small

Stay in your lane

Next month, I’ll be in New York for two major events —, storytelling on a global scale, sitting at tables I once could only pray for.

And even now, the questions come:

“How does a mum like you get invited to things like that?”

“How do you manage with kids?”

“Don’t you feel guilty?”

People see the children first.

They don’t see the late nights.

The personal development.

The storytelling.

The learning and unlearning.

The years of building, brick by brick, sacrifice by sacrifice.

They don’t see the woman behind the motherhood.

to every mother reading this

Slow and steady wins the race.

You are not behind.

You are not invisible.

You are not “just” anything.

Motherhood didn’t end your story — it gave you more chapters to write.

You are:

An asset to the workforce

A force in business

A powerhouse of resilience

The backbone of your family

A leader in disguise

And whether you stay home, work, study, build a company, write a book, or raise babies — you are doing something of substance.

You are building the next generation.

Never shrink yourself because someone can’t see past the word “mother.”

Never dim your dreams because the world says your place is small.

And most importantly:

Never listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do something.

Send this to a mother who is struggling — remind her she is not “just a mother.”

She is everything.