How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? My oldest Julia is 8 and my little one Annika is 3. We moved to Westport from NYC 3.5 years ago and have absolutely loved it!
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? I really need my uninterrupted sleep (who doesn’t?), so the toughest periods for me and my wife have been when one kid or the other isn’t sleeping through the night. My oldest had on and off sleep issues well past the time she was five (ugh). My youngest was really brutal as an infant but then settled down. The only things that got me through those periods were my wife (she’s a doctor and a lot better able to handle all-nighters), lots of coffee, and, when things got desperate, a night nurse.
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? Friday night dinners at Compo Beach have become a summer tradition for us. We will meet another family or two, and will always end up running into a few others. It’s one of the places that make Westport truly special.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why? We had a great trip to Southern California a couple of summers ago (although the flight out to San Diego with a screaming two year-old Annika was one of the worst experiences of my life). We visited the San Diego Zoo, hit the beach at Coronado Island (one of the best), saw dolphins and whales in the ocean (not at Sea World), and made our way up the coast to Disneyland (my favorite of the Disney Parks).
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? My wife thought it was a good idea to start the whole “elf on a shelf” thing when we moved to Westport, and we have to make up about five stories per Christmas season about why “Cupcake” didn’t move overnight. This year we used the excuse that she was afraid of our new puppy. Anyone got any good ones for this year?
What is your proudest daddy moment? Potty training our oldest daughter by faking the West Indian accent of our nanny, the only person she would use the toilet for. True story I swear. She would laugh so hard she would pee in the potty.
What’s your can’t live without fitness product? My running shoes. If you live in the Old Hill neighborhood you’ll see me pounding the pavement. Running is my refuge. Yoga mat comes second.
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family dinner? A night out with friends? For a night out with friends it’s Kawa Ni. I could eat Asian food every night. With the kids I’d go with Shake Shack. They act like perfect little French kids when they have a milkshake in their hands. Plus it’s fast and easy to escape when things go south!
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? Those who have seen me on television might be surprised to know that being on the air is not my real job at NBC Sports. (Or maybe if I was having a bad day when they saw me they wouldn’t be surprised.) I’m an executive and VC investor, but every once in a while I get to put on make-up and get in front of the camera. I’m lucky to get to do both.
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted – what would you do? Spend the day skiing with my girls, and then hit the hot tub with my wife.
What is your most marked characteristic? A belief that there is good in everyone, but that very little is accomplished by just believing.
What do you most value in your friends? Positivity. It’s contagious (and so is its opposite).
What is your greatest regret? I should have worked to try to play baseball longer than I did. I’m small but with more commitment I think I could have played a bit past college. I truly love the game.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other dads? Try to put down the phone for the first hour you’re home every night to really be present with your family. The emails will still be there after the kids go to sleep. Someday the kids won’t be.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? It’s a long, twisting story involving a college internship (they’re really important), a law degree I don’t really use, a love of sports and a hatred of big law firms. If someone had told me I would do everything I’ve done, I never would have believed them. I can’t wait for what the next chapter brings. I feel a strong desire to give back and serve others, and Westport is a great place to do it.
