This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn't suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it's what they should be doing.  

 

This week my guest is professional triathlete, Max Fennell.  Max is a professional triathlete living in sunny central California.  He was born and raised in Pennsylvania but moved out to California to work with his coach.  Becoming a professional triathlete was an amazing accomplishment by Max, however, the when Max became a professional triathlete who was the FIRST African American professional triathlete.  This came with its own set of challenges.  Max faced some backlash from people in the sport that made being a professional triathlete even more challenging.  Working as a pro early on it was difficult to pay bills, find housing and many other things that most early pro triathletes face.  Max how to do this all while receiving threating messages, notes and hate.  

 

Max used these experiences to channel the negative and turn it into a positive.  He will not be representing a country in hopes to show kids that they too can pursue a dream just as he did.  Max was very open and honest about how these things impacted him and I thank him for sharing not only this part of his story but his whole story with me on The Do It For Yourself podcast.  

 

I hope you enjoy this weeks episode with Max Fennell.

 

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