I had just returned from the United States after travelling 33 hours to Bentonville for my first in-person meeting with Walmart. It was a milestone I had dreamed about for years, yet every achievement came with the same uncomfortable truth: pursuing it meant being away from my daughter. I can now run most of my company from my phone, which means I can work almost anywhere, but it also means work can follow me everywhere. Olivia has started repeating phrases she hears from me, such as “in two minutes,” while Andrew recently heard his daughter say, “Papa’s busy,” even though he was sitting right beside her. Those small moments can cut deeper than any criticism. We work because we want to give our children security, opportunity and a better future, yet sometimes the very work we do for them takes us away from the childhood unfolding in front of us.
In this episode, Andrew and I speak honestly about working-parent guilt, the impossible arithmetic of school holidays and annual leave, the pressure to provide, and the fear that succeeding professionally means falling short at home. I do not believe being a good father requires abandoning ambition or being physically present every minute. Children also need parents who are fulfilled, emotionally healthy and honest about who they are. But they need our attention when we are with them. They need us to put down the phone, communicate, play, say “I love you” and occasionally see the world through their eyes. We will never achieve perfect balance, and many of the pressures parents face are systemic rather than personal failures. What we can do is keep returning to what matters: being present, being patient and allowing ourselves to become a little more childlike again.
Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.
🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
🅾️ @askdrvincent @coachandrewv
📺 Full video episodes every Saturday
