Sometimes changing your life doesn't mean putting in extra effort, but taking extra risks. If you have a family and a mortgage taking those risks might not be palatable.
You can still find risks that are palatable. The person described in this article mentions a desire to work for a Silicon Valley startup. That's not possible, but why not look for local startups? Or ones that offer remote positions? I did just that.
Because startups are inherently risky to work at, and when you have a big mortgage and credit card bills and you're not saving anything (as with many Americans in suburbs), you can't afford the risk of a temporary loss of work.
Also, startups are infamous for demanding very long hours, in exchange for the vague promise of your stock becoming valuable. Parents don't have that much extra time.