Jennifer Garner’s fame did not protect her from a fear familiar to many single parents: wondering whether she could support herself and her children.

During an appearance on the “Aspire with Emma Grede” podcast, the actress revealed that she “panicked” after her marriage to Ben Affleck ended. After stepping back from her career to raise their three children, Garner suddenly felt pressure to rebuild her earning power while remaining present for her family.

“I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work,” Garner said.

The “Alias” star also understood that Hollywood careers—especially for women—do not always become more secure or lucrative with age.

“Suddenly I realized I don’t know how long I’ll be able to work,” she said. “I was suddenly like, ‘Wait a minute, I have to take care of myself, I have to take care of these kids. So what is it going to be?’”

Garner and Affleck married in 2005 after appearing together in “Daredevil.” They announced their separation in 2015 and later finalized their divorce.

Returning to work came with difficult choices for Garner. She loved filming on location, but spending months away was no longer practical while raising her children in Los Angeles.

“I can’t leave these kids for six months at a time,” she explained. “I would love to. I love going on location, but it’s not this time in my career.”

Garner said she remains grateful that she once had the freedom to work less and devote more time to motherhood.

“I got to kind of have the best of both worlds, so I can’t really look back and complain about any of it,” she said.

Still, the divorce forced her to think differently about money. Garner said being famous does not automatically guarantee lasting financial security.

“It’s not like you can just unfamous yourself,” she said. “Life is expensive, and you still have to figure out how you’re going to live.”

That realization pushed Garner to become more intentional about earning an income. Along with continuing her acting career, she became a co-founder of Once Upon a Farm, an organic children’s food company.

The actress also learned to release the expectation that she could perfectly balance her career and motherhood. Her advice to other working parents is to show themselves grace when life does not go according to plan.

“There’s no such thing as balance. There’s no such thing as doing it right,” she said. “You have to raise yourself at the same time. And just be so radically kind to yourself about how imperfect it is.”

Garner acknowledged that parenting across two households brings both sacrifice and growth. She said each parent must fill a wider range of roles when the other is not there.

“There’s a little bit of loss in that, but there’s also something gained in that,” she said.