Sales executive and father of two Dominic Hithon opens up about the real challenges of modern fatherhood - from managing technology with kids of different ages to co-parenting after separation. He shares honest insights about setting boundaries at work, the importance of being vulnerable with your children, and how to maintain strong relationships while building a career that requires constant travel.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[00:01:20] - Family Structure and Challenges
- Dominic shares his family dynamic: 17-year-old daughter pursuing forensic science, 8-year-old son on the spectrum, managing separation and two households
- Key quote: "It's just kind of balancing that relationship of being in the home. We were together 10 years in our relationship and then now managing it as two separate households."
[00:02:17] - Modern Parenting Anxieties
- Discussion of daily challenges including school safety, social media influence, and protecting children from desensitization
- Key quote: "In America, we had 48 school shootings last year. There's bullying and me in the world that I work in corporate America, I just know some of the unconscious bias that my children will face out there in this world."
[00:04:32] - Technology Generation Gap
- Comparing how his daughter grew up with limited tech versus his son who had devices from birth
- Key quote: "My son, he had tablet and the phone pretty much out of the womb. The first thing is they're pressing buttons and it's to the point where he'll tell me stuff, he'll be like, I want to go to Ikea. And I'll be like, what makes you go to Ikea? He's like, because I saw an ad for it."
[00:08:50] - Work Travel and Family Balance
- Managing a demanding sales career that requires frequent travel while maintaining family connections
- Key quote: "I try to let them know the best thing about it is you'll get to start seeing the world... But I said, that's the part of life that you'll have to balance because you'll be doing something and then you'll have a partner or anybody else."
[00:17:56] - Transitioning Between Work and Dad Mode
- Strategies for switching from executive problem-solver to empathetic father
- Key quote: "In business, I'm there to fix it, find the problem, do it. As a father, I'm there to understand it and speak to it, but I'm not always there to fix it because if I fix everything, they'll never feel as if they can do it themselves."
[00:21:14] - Creating Boundaries with Leadership
- Setting work-life boundaries, even with demanding executives
- Key quote: "Sometimes I'll even tell my CEO, I'll just be like, Hey, I'm in dad time, so I'm not going to answer you texting me right now."
[00:30:46] - Co-Parenting Challenges and Solutions
- Navigating different household rules and maintaining family unity after separation
- Key quote: "You had a relationship with this person, but you are out of the relationship with this person... So it's very much where I just try to make sure that they feel that time when I do have them, it doesn't change the dynamic as far as how I feel and care about them."
[00:34:29] - Vulnerability and Growth as a Father
- The importance of showing children that parents are also learning and growing
- Key quote: "I think it is okay to sometimes just say, I'm learning as I'm teaching you at the same time... Sometimes I didn't know everything, so I want them to understand that I'm learning and growing at the same time just at different speeds."
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Join me on March 12 for a free, 60-minute live workshop, Winning at Work Without Losing at Home, where you’ll identify your “Default Dad” moments and learn practical tools to become more intentional and present, building the first pillar of a Fatherhood Philosophy that helps you lead at home with the same clarity you bring to work. Register here: https://www.ambitiousdads.com/registration-page
