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S7E7 - Cillian Mullen: “There's Always Gonna’ Be a Way”
In 2021, then high school junior Cillian Mullen was at a pivotal moment — navigating his identity, the college recruitment process, and transgender athlete policies. Five years later, his journey has taken him to the U19 and U23 national teams, twice each, and the University of Washington. We catch up with Cillian to explore what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how he’s continuing to carve out his place in rowing.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
03:08 - Welcome and rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 7 (2k test and then a cold)
05:07 - The Huddle
05:52 - The Hot Seat
08:41 - Rowing origin story: Mom was a former college rower who said “go try it.”
10:14 - Getting back into the college recruiting pool senior year
12:08 - Knowing he belonged
13:41 - High school to college transition: learning to take care of his body, rowing at UW/Seattle aka Rowtown USA
17:53 - Strong in his identity, following the NCAA transgender rules, and fitting into women’s programs
20:16 - Tough conversations with – and the support of – coaches and teammates
24:56 - Leaving a legacy at UW: not just the first trans rower, but a boathouse community builder
27:08 - What the public conversation gets wrong about trans athletes
34:32 - Learning that to “really fill his cup” life can’t be 24/7 rowing
38:31 - Advice for young trans rowers
40:44 - Next up: trialing for the US U23 1x again this summer
41:46 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To see photos of Cillian, and get links to the people, policies, programs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
View all episodes
By Steady State Network
5
1313 ratings
In 2021, then high school junior Cillian Mullen was at a pivotal moment — navigating his identity, the college recruitment process, and transgender athlete policies. Five years later, his journey has taken him to the U19 and U23 national teams, twice each, and the University of Washington. We catch up with Cillian to explore what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how he’s continuing to carve out his place in rowing.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
03:08 - Welcome and rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 7 (2k test and then a cold)
05:07 - The Huddle
05:52 - The Hot Seat
08:41 - Rowing origin story: Mom was a former college rower who said “go try it.”
10:14 - Getting back into the college recruiting pool senior year
12:08 - Knowing he belonged
13:41 - High school to college transition: learning to take care of his body, rowing at UW/Seattle aka Rowtown USA
17:53 - Strong in his identity, following the NCAA transgender rules, and fitting into women’s programs
20:16 - Tough conversations with – and the support of – coaches and teammates
24:56 - Leaving a legacy at UW: not just the first trans rower, but a boathouse community builder
27:08 - What the public conversation gets wrong about trans athletes
34:32 - Learning that to “really fill his cup” life can’t be 24/7 rowing
38:31 - Advice for young trans rowers
40:44 - Next up: trialing for the US U23 1x again this summer
41:46 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To see photos of Cillian, and get links to the people, policies, programs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
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