When he isn’t working with the DASHA® team tending to the needs of his clients, or out running miles in the double digits before most of the world wakes up, Dr. Darren Pollack is busy playing dad to his two children with DASHA®’s Lifestyle Director, Shannon Russo-Pollack. Always ready with a welcoming smile, Dr. Pollack sat down with us to reflect on fatherhood. (And if you haven’t checked out the wonderful Father’s Day Packages DASHA® is offering, please click HERE to read all about them.)
DASHA®: What is your ideal way to spend Father’s Day?
DR. POLLACK: I’d like to wake up early and go for a long run, maybe 20 miles, and then come home and workout in my backyard before spending the rest of the day with my family making a barbecue, swimming in the pool and enjoying the (hopefully) great weather outside.
DASHA®: How do you balance work and running a business with making quality time to spend with your kids?
DR. POLLACK: Shannon and I take the kids to school in the morning. We have breakfast together as a family every day, and this allows me to get to know the friends and teachers of my kids as well as the parents and caregivers of the other kids. This happens naturally as everyone engages during our own yet similar morning routines. Running a business you need to be devoted and present for it to function properly and keep moving forward. This makes it challenging to separate it out. A very big important factor is I try to leave my work at work.
DASHA®: How do you also make quality time to be a good husband, in addition to work and being a father?
DR. POLLACK: We try to have a date night, keep work at work as best we can, and respect and support each other’s passions. Before Sha, I never ate sushi or went to get manicures or pedicures. Theses are things we share together and truly enjoy.
DASHA®: How do you see your role as a father differently with your son and with your daughter? What is it like to raise a modern boy/man and a modern girl/woman in today’s world?
DR. POLLACK: The key is to allow a kid be a kid. Let them be happy and enjoy doing things they love. Of course safety is of paramount importance no matter what, and they both need to have limits and boundaries set. Our son Cooper is all about being a jock. Sweat pants, t-shirt or jersey. He practically sleeps with a basketball. Summer is all girlie, but if she weren’t that would be okay, too. As it is, she takes after her mother. She loves dresses, makeup, jewelry, dolls and puppies. She is a budding actress who loves to sing and dance.
DASHA®: What is the most satisfying part of being a father?
DR. POLLACK: Knowing that part of me is inside of my children. Sometimes when they act a certain way, I feel like I’m watching myself!
DASHA®: What types of things do you make a concentrated effort to teach your children?
DR. POLLACK: Always be honest. No matter what and hard it may be, you have to tell the truth. You also have to work hard.
DASHA®: Does working at and running DASHA® with Shannon make you a better father?
DR. POLLACK: Yes, it does. We both push each other to work harder and create this unique concept at DASHA®. The harder we work at it, the more it grows. The harder we work at DASHA®, the more quality time we want to spend with Cooper and Summer. We spend quality family weekend and vacation time at our getaway out east in the Hamptons. Kids are small only once, and time flies by quicker than a New York minute. We like to kick back, savor the moment, and create memories that last a lifetime.
DASHA® wellness & spa is a luxury lifestyle brand and New York City-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. To learn more, visit dashawellness.com.
