Today we’d like to introduce you to Abdul M. Omari.
Hi Abdul M., can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am from South Minneapolis, Minnesota, born to immigrant parents from Kenya and Jordan. I grew up in a mixed religious household with many siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone is family. Even if they’re not. I, along with my family, have always navigated multiple identities and identifiers. Some are visible and physical, while others are not.
We come from humble beginnings with our biggest physical asset being the house we lived in for the first 25 years of my life. While our house was the largest physical asset – even bigger than that was love. When food ran low and birthday gifts were scarce or paid for with credit cards, the love never dimmed. My family is like no other. You will never meet a family as dope as mine.
Growing up, I did not know what career I wanted to pursue, but after my sister telling me I should be a lawyer I settled on that. Little did I know I would not come close to law school or practicing law. Instead, I earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies, which led to me to pursue a master’s degree in public policy. At the time, I knew I wanted to get a PhD and become a faculty member at a research 1 institution.
As the recession was in full effect two years into my doctorate, I realized that becoming a professor might not be realistic given my academic performance and desires for the future. In year two of my doctorate, I started teaching a leadership course. This inspired me to create leadership seminars and take to the market.
In 2013, I started AMO Enterprise, LLC while still in school. In the beginning, it was something to make extra money while I worked two jobs on campus and bartending at night. But in 2015, as I faced graduation, I decided to pursue the business full time. In 2022, AMO Enterprise is going stronger than ever offering consulting services for multiple industries in the realm of leadership development and the inseparable ties to equity, equality, inclusion, diversity, and social justice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In some ways it has been smooth and in other ways it hasn’t.
Challenges
– Navigating multiple identities in predominantly white spaces
– Imposter syndrome
– Academic challenges
– Discrimination/alienation because of race, age, name
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I consider myself to be in the business of human connection. As noted, AMO Enterprise focuses on leadership development and the inseparable ties to equity, inclusion, diversity, and social justice. We encourage self-reflection as the first step in connecting with other humans.
We consult with organizations from all industries to help develop their people into inclusive and equitable leaders. We provide qualitative research services and individual/group advising for organizations.
We have nine fully developed seminars that are regularly delivered in workshop and keynote format.
What’s next?
No big changes. I plan to continue running the business and moving the work forward. We continue to expand year-over-year and hope to continue that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abdulmomari.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abdulmomari/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/abdulmomari
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCube8pvExRql5CUSezXL8lw
