Aquil Abdullah, OLY is a trailblazing athlete and accomplished professional in the tech industry. As a member of the United States Rowing Team from 1999 to 2004, Aquil made history as the first African-American male to qualify for the Summer Olympics in rowing, competing in the 2004 Athens Games. His journey to the Olympics was marked by dedication and resilience, overcoming setbacks, including narrowly missing qualification in his first attempt by just 33/100 seconds.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Aquil is currently a Principal Software Engineer at
Hydrow, Inc. (think Peloton but for rowing). As a featured athlete at Hydrow, he advocates for those on the fringes of sports, inspiring the next generation to pursue their dreams.
Aquil is also a musician, a surfer, a deep thinker, a big personality and husband and father. In this episode we discuss
- The courage and self-trust it takes to leave a path when it doesn’t feel like hard work and tenacity can save the day
- Strategies and benefits of maintaining connection and empathy as a leader in high-pressure environments
- The untraining he had to pursue to be the best version of himself
- The challenges of identity shifts when transitioning between careers.
- The rich personal growth and self-trust that can evolve out of our deep disappointments if we are open to it
- Encouragement to view setbacks as part of a larger "masterpiece" in one's life journey
Connect with Aquil on LinkedIn.Aquil's
Medium article that Whitney referenced in the episode
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