I Chose Remote Work Before It Was Cool - Here’s Why and What I’ve Learned Since 2016

I didn’t choose remote work because it was cool or part of some grand career plan.

I became a remote worker by accident and later by design.

Back in 2016, I was working in a corporate role where I was responsible for one centre. It was meant to be a fun job, but due to internal restructures, that role quickly expanded into managing business development and sales across 11 centres. It was intense, high-pressure, client-facing work that required being "on" on phone calls, "happy" whilst running events, and driving around cold-calling.

At the same time, I also fell pregnant with my first child.

Anyone who has experienced a first pregnancy, especially the first trimester, knows the kind of bone-deep fatigue I’m talking about. I was exhausted beyond anything I’d known before. I remember catching myself falling asleep at the wheel, having to pull over just to nap so I could safely keep driving.

The pressure mounted quickly.

People were frustrated (at me).

Expectations were high (I was not really equipped)

My stress levels escalated fast (especially since my pregnancy was still hidden).

And here’s the honest truth: If I hadn’t been pregnant, I probably would have pushed through. I would have framed it as a leadership opportunity, a chance to build resilience, a season to endure.

But I was pregnant, and suddenly, my priority wasn’t proving my capability.

It was protecting my unborn child.

So I walked away.

With no job to go to.

That decision was terrifying.

The Facebook Post That Changed Everything

Not long after, I put up a simple Facebook post:“I’m available for work and I'm pregnant.”

An old manager, someone I’d stayed connected with, saw it. She had just started her own business and needed support. That’s how I began doing vocational consulting work, from home.

That moment marked the beginning of two things I never planned:

• Becoming self-employed

• Becoming a remote worker

This was well before COVID. Remote work wasn’t normalised. I still met clients in cafés, libraries, and service offices. I loved the flexibility, the autonomy, the sense of building something on my own terms.

I worked right up until the days before giving birth because when you’re self-employed, you don’t get paid if you don’t work.

I remember my midwife gently suggesting, “Sometimes babies don’t come until you're ready … maybe it’s time to stop.”

So I decided that Friday would be my last working day.

I went into labour on Monday.

Coincidence or not, it was my first real lesson in something I’ve seen play out repeatedly since: The body is always listening.

Remote Work Wasn’t About Freedom, It Was About Alignment

Remote work didn’t give me freedom, it asked me to design it.

Over the years, I continued consulting with different organisations. When my firstborn was still a baby, I enrolled in further training to become a certified health and wellness coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Why?

Because through my work in occupational rehabilitation, particularly with clients experiencing psychological injury, I kept seeing the same pattern:

People were being pushed back to work before their nervous systems, identities, or lives had actually recovered.

The system was designed for return-to-work outcomes. Not whole-person wellbeing.

That insight shaped the next chapter of my career. I built my own coaching business and remained self-employed for 7 years.

Later, when I was approached to work as an employee again, remote work was non-negotiable. It gave me the mental space to continue studying, coaching, and parenting in a way that felt sustainable.

What’s important to say here is this:

I didn’t choose remote work because it was easier.

I chose it because my children were my priority.

Remote work allowed me to:

• Be present for milestones

• Practise attachment parenting

• Breastfeed for as long as it felt right for us

• Ensure there was always a parent available

My eldest is nearly 9 now. And even today, if I’m away in a meeting, his dad is there. That continuity matters deeply to us. It was a conscious design choice, not a convenience.

The Part People Don’t Talk About

Remote work is often romanticised.

But here’s what I’ve learned since 2016:

Every career choice comes with trade-offs.

Working from home doesn’t magically remove pressure. It simply changes where and how it shows up.

I’ve had to learn how to:

• Integrate work and family without blurring myself out of existence

• Switch between roles: mum, professional, home manager and sometimes within minutes

• Create structure where none exists

• Develop boundaries without the physical separation of a noise-cancelling soundproof office

These are skills. And they don’t come automatically.

During COVID, many people were thrust into remote work without choice, preparation, or support. It’s no coincidence that mental health declined during that time. (Nordenmark, M., & Vinberg, S, 2024) Working from home without boundaries, autonomy, or alignment isn’t wellbeing ... it’s survival.

What I Know Now

Looking back, remote work was never the goal.

Alignment was.

Remote work simply became the container that allowed me to live out my values: family, health, meaningful work without abandoning my professional identity.

But it only works when it’s intentionally designed.

Working from home can be supportive or depleting.

Flexible or chaotic.

Liberating or isolating.

It depends on:

• Why you chose it

• What season of life you’re in

• Whether you’ve built the skills to sustain it

Remote work isn’t a solution.

It’s a context.

And like any context, it has pros and cons.

Feeling burnt out or overwhelmed?

If something in this article resonated, you don’t have to figure out the next step alone.

I offer a Free 5-Day Burnout Reset, a gentle, 1:1 supported reset designed to help you slow down, reduce overwhelm, and gain clarity around work and wellbeing.

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—

Merly Hartnett, Burout & Career Wellbeing Coach - Helping working mums recover from burnout and create sustainable careers

References:

Nordenmark, M., & Vinberg, S. (2024). Working from home, work/life conflict and mental wellbeing in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work (Reading, Mass.), 78(2), 295–304. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-230271