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 discussThe courage and self-trust it takes to leave a path when it doesn’t feel like hard work and tenacity can save the dayStrategies and benefits of maintaining connection and empathy as a leader in high-pressure environmentsThe untraining he had to pursue to be the best version of himselfThe 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 itEncouragement 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 If you love the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review!Also, follow us on LinkedIn at The Untrained Podcast.

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