Emma Husband on Starting Again at 35, Motherhood & Feeling “Behind” With Money

“Is this it? And is this really how I want the rest of my life to feel?”

It’s not a dramatic question.
It doesn’t arrive all at once, or in a moment that feels easy to pinpoint.

It tends to build over time - in small thoughts, in passing feelings, in the spaces in between everything else.

The kind of question you can ignore for a while.
Until eventually, you can’t anymore.

The life that looked fine

This episode of Notes from The Not There Yet Project introduces Emma Husband - Financial Planner, business owner, mum - and, in her own way, proof that it’s never too late to change direction.

Emma left school at 18 and went straight into work, building a stable career in corporate health insurance - doing what many of us do without really questioning it at the time.

Working hard during the week.
Living for the weekends.
Telling herself she’d figure things out later.

And for a long time, that was enough.

Nothing was necessarily wrong.

But at the same time, something didn’t feel quite right either - and that feeling never really went away.

When life forces the question

The shift didn’t come from ambition, or a sudden desire to do something bigger.

It came from life changing.

In her mid-30s, during maternity leave, everything slowed down just enough for Emma to sit with how she actually felt - without the usual distractions of routine and work.

At the same time, she was watching her own mum navigate serious ill health - without the financial support or understanding that might have made things easier.

And suddenly, the question she’d been avoiding became harder to push aside.

“Is this it?”

Because when life shifts like that, perspective tends to shift with it.

Motherhood didn’t just add responsibility.
It added clarity.

Knowing something needs to change

What Emma describes next is something a lot of people experience - but don’t always have the language for.

That in-between space where you know something isn’t working anymore…
…but you don’t yet know what would.

She didn’t have a clear plan.
She didn’t have a mapped-out next step.

Just a growing awareness that the life she had built no longer felt like it fit in the way it once did.

And that’s often the hardest part - not the change itself, but the uncertainty that comes before it.

The beginning of something new

What changed for Emma wasn’t certainty.

It was curiosity.

Through conversations, she found herself drawn towards finance - not because she had always planned to work in that space, but because something about it made sense.

And sometimes, that’s enough to begin.

From there, the decision wasn’t perfectly planned - and it definitely wasn’t risk-free.

But it was a step in a different direction.

Starting again (when life is already full)

Emma chose to retrain as a financial advisor - returning to education nearly 20 years after leaving it.

Going back into education after time away isn’t just a practical decision - it’s an emotional one.

You’re no longer the version of yourself who found it easy.
You’re older. Your life is fuller. Your responsibilities are heavier.

She was studying while navigating motherhood, grief, and the realities of starting something new without guaranteed income.

There were moments of doubt - wondering if she’d left it too late, if she was capable, if she could hold everything at once.

It wasn’t a clean transition.
It was layered, stretched, and, at times, uncertain.

But she kept going.

Not because it was easy - but because something in her knew it was right.

“It was a brave, messy and very human leap.”

The part we don’t often talk about

We don’t talk enough about this part.

The part where you’re learning something new while everything else in your life is still moving.
The late nights. The second-guessing. The voice asking if you’re doing the right thing.

The part where growth doesn’t look inspiring - it looks like juggling, stretching, and figuring things out in real time.

Because change, in reality, rarely arrives with clarity.
It arrives with doubt. With responsibility. With moments where stopping would feel easier.

But this is what it actually looks like to build something different.

Not a clean break.
Not a perfect plan.

Just small, steady decisions - made alongside everything else life asks of you.

 

Why so many women feel behind with money

Today, Emma works as a Financial Planner - but the way she talks about her work is what makes it different.

Because what she sees, time and time again, is people - women - feeling overwhelmed, under-informed and anxious about money 

“Not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because no one has ever actually taught them how finance actually works.”

And that changes the conversation entirely. Because the problem isn’t capability.

It’s access.
It’s language.
It’s understanding.

Reframing what money actually is

One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is how Emma reframes money.

“This conversation isn’t about becoming wealthy overnight. It’s about understanding money as a tool for safety, for autonomy, and for choice.”

Not something complicated.
Not something reserved for experts.

Something human.
Something practical.
Something that shapes how we live.

And maybe that’s why so many people avoid it.

Because when you don’t understand something, it’s easier to leave it alone - even when you know, deep down, you probably shouldn’t.

The permission to change direction

At its core, this conversation isn’t really about finance.

It’s about permission.

“And it’s about giving yourself permission to change direction, even when it feels terrifying or too late.”

Permission to change your mind.
To start again.
To admit something isn’t working.
To choose differently.

Even when it feels late.
Even when it feels uncomfortable.
Even when you’re not entirely sure what comes next.

Redefining success

When Emma talks about where she is now, success doesn’t sound like a title or a milestone.

It sounds quieter than that.

Doing work she’s proud of.
Building something that matters to her.
Creating a life that actually fits.

Not just one that looks right from the outside.

Still figuring it out

At the end of every episode, guests are asked:

“Right now I’m not there yet… but I’m working on…”

Emma’s answer is simple.

“I’m working on my business… I’m working on being the best advisor I can be.”

No big statement.
No perfect ending.

Just someone - like the rest of us - still figuring things out as they go.

A final thought

There’s a line that sits underneath this entire conversation.

That feeling of being “behind.”

Of thinking you should have figured things out by now.
Of assuming everyone else knows something you don’t.

But what Emma’s story shows - in a very real, very human way - is that most people are just figuring things out in different areas, at different times.

Some people understand their careers.
Some people understand relationships.
Some people understand money.

Very few people understand all of it at once.

And maybe nothing has gone wrong.

Maybe you’re just in the middle of things.

Still learning.
Still adjusting.
Still working it out in your own way.

Which, when you really think about it, is exactly where most of us are.

Listen to the full conversation

This blog only scratches the surface of Emma’s story.

In the full episode of Notes from The Not There Yet Project, Emma shares more about:

• Starting again in your 30s
• Motherhood and identity shifts
• Building a business from scratch
• Tackling grief in the face of adversity
• Navigating financial anxiety
• Redefining success on your own terms

Listen to the full episode of Notes from The Not There Yet Project with Emma Husband.