Amal Murad is the beacon of a new generation of Emirati trailblazers. She is the first Emirati woman in the UAE’s Parkour scene, a very male dominated industry if there ever was one! Despite being the only woman in her classes, Amal persisted and now wears a metaphorical crown – with coaching classes at Gravity Gym in Al Quoz, an avid social media following, and a starring role in a new regional campaign by the global icon, Nike. We are proud the count Amal as one of our #gamechangers!
What do you consider the main achievements in your life?
As cheesy as this sounds, I’d have to say that my main achievement is finally getting the courage to quit a job I didn’t enjoy and decide to pursue my passion. It sounds so much easier than it truly is because going from a stable income to sometimes having no income at all is not fun. However, you realize that when you love what you do, you don’t complain about the hours and you work that much harder to make it work.
What drives you to be at the Top of your Game?
Firstly, I look to the strong women in the society and remind myself that they, too, are working hard to achieve their goals. I also try to always remind myself why I started in the first place.
What are your success strategies?
It’s very easy to lose sight of what your real goal is when you’re too busy trying to make a living. Sometimes you have to compromise and do things you don’t necessarily want to in order to sustain yourself but that’s okay because it’s temporary and it’s helping you achieve a much bigger dream.
Have you dealt with failure?
I recently broke both bones on my left forearm which meant I could not train for almost 7 months. For an athlete whose progress suddenly came to a halt, this destroyed me. I was even told by medical professionals that I might never be able to get back what I had ever again due to the trauma. My sport relied on my ability to use my hands and when that was taken away from me, that was when my true strength was tested.
How did you overcome it and resurge when all the chips were down?
I would say that the only way to overcome any hurdle in life is perseverance. You have to push through and that’s what I did. I decided that this wasn’t the end but rather another beginning.
Finally, it is important for us to recognise the power of men in supporting women. Is there a man who has played an instrumental role in your personal growth and success? Who are they and how did they influence you?
I would have to firstly give all the credit to my father. If it wasn’t for his support and understanding, I would have never even been an athlete as a child but he has always been the one to push us outside our comfort zones. He only has two daughters but he made sure my sister and I were able to hold our own and not rely on anyone except ourselves. I don’t think I’d be half the person I am today if it weren’t for him.
Secondly, I’d have to thank my husband. Since I’ve started my journey, I’ve always been a little insecure about myself because since we were little girls, we’ve been programmed to believe that you have to be and act a certain way to get married. My husband, however, chose me for who I was and showed me that you don’t need to change anything about yourself to be accepted. He reminded me that the right people will come along, whether be it spouse or friends, only when you are being true to yourself.