Dance with the current
"The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams."
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Dropping into heavy barrels or taking on an ever-changing line-up would shake even the world's most seasoned surfers. But then there's Molly Picklum.
Mol. Pickles. 22 years old, and now a 2025 World Champion, bringing home the title for the first time since her hero - and fellow Mojo legend! - Steph Gilmore in 2022.
We couldn't be prouder. Not simply for her victory on the world stage this week, but because of the journey we've had the privilege of witnessing. The courageous work that happens beneath the surface, far from cameras and crowds.
Life is so like the ocean, after all; beautiful, fierce and unpredictable. Some of the most challenging swells we'll ever encounter are within ourselves. The moments where we face our biggest fears, doubts and desires, as Molly knows first-hand.
There's nothing quite like bringing your wildest dream to life.
But we love that this victory was building long before finals day. Not because any kind of result or outcome was guaranteed. Far from it! But because winning also takes place in the humble, challenging and messy moments along the way. When an athlete gets brave enough to look in the mirror and ask the hard questions.
So as the world celebrates Molly's incredible performance in Fiji, we want to take you back to where the tide turned.
Not to perfect scores or flawless technique, but to the moment when Molly paddled out into the unknown... In more ways than one.
It's December 2024. Molly has just finished building what looks like the perfect plan for her 2025 world title campaign. There's no stone left unturned. Team, process, diet, fitness, skillset, mindset - every detail mapped out with championship precision.
But when she paddled out in Hawaii to kick off the year, something just wasn't clicking. She was going through a tough time, and finding acceptance was even tougher. Acceptance for the things she couldn't control, for herself, and where she was at.
She's not alone in this struggle.
Sometimes when we grapple with acceptance, there are things we're not admitting. Great athletes have an appetite for the truth, a willingness to ask themselves: What am I in denial of here?
Well, Molly's appetite was about to change everything.
She sat down and got brutally honest about what she was feeling, and became the first athlete we've seen develop a 'Just Admit It' list. On that list were two big acknowledgements:
Yep, I'm scared.
I want to be a World Champion.
Oof, now we're talking!
These two factors, acknowledged with courage and vulnerability, were where Molly could really start to unlock the power of acceptance. Because now she wasn't trying to reach for expectations or impossible, stifling standards. She was learning to accept the real Molly, fears, dreams and all.
This honesty unlocked Molly's acceptance, and her acceptance unlocked a new level of performance.
She went on to an incredible couple of weeks in Hawaii, and then at the Wave Park, finding more confidence in her skills and acceptance of things that were outside of her control.
Two important pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. But there was still something missing.
The Ultimate Wave
That one thing? Belief.
Now, this wasn't belief in her surfing ability - this kind of Performance Confidence was something she'd been honing for years, and her talent was undeniable.
This was something deeper. Something that would transform not just how she surfed, but how she related to her own potential. A wonderful reminder that we can cultivate all the skills in the world, but it's the foundation of self-confidence - that powerful mix of self-acceptance and self-belief - that really makes all the difference.
Molly began developing two beliefs:
Firstly, a new sense of self-belief. Discovering that she was already worthy, just as she is, no matter what happens out in the water (or in life, for that matter).
And secondly, the belief in her potential, trusting that she can find a way through, and continue to grow and learn in the process.
And with these two factors locked in, something beautiful happened.
Her relationship with uncertainty shifted from one of anxiety to excitement. Suddenly, the unknown wasn't something to survive or endure. It was something to explore. The pressure wasn't something to manage; it was energy to channel into play and potential.
Fast forward to Fiji, September 2. The WSL Finals.
Molly's been battling what feels like COVID for a week. Bedridden, feverish, unable to taste food. Just getting in the water is a victory, and it's safe to say that the conditions are far from ideal.
She loses her first heat against defending champion Caroline Marks. This is the moment where Self and Performance Confidence are really going to be put to the test.
"They asked if I wanted to get out, but I was good," Molly recalls. "I didn't want to be wasting energy chasing boats around and what not, I just wanted to stay in the water, stay connected with her a bit more, and then go out and dance a little bit more again."
Dance.
Not fight, force or survive. Dance a little bit more.
This is what winning looks like, in our books. When you believe you're worthy, regardless of the outcome. When you can shift expectation into appreciation, or adversity into possibility, and trust that you'll find a way forward.
Two heats later, threading barrels with the precision of someone who's not just surfing to win, but surfing to discover what she's made of, Molly Picklum brings home the WSL Fiji Finals and her maiden World Championship 🏆
"There was so much doubt. I feel like it's what raises a champion and you get to step up and rise above that," Molly reflected at her victory presentation.
"I just kept true to trusting in the unknown. I went out there and honoured my beliefs and went after it."
It doesn't get much better than that. Trusting in the unknown, honouring your beliefs. Dancing with challenge.
Molly's journey reminds us all that it's not what happens in life that matters, it's how we respond. And that anything's possible when we can find excitement or possibility in uncertainty.
Sometimes the biggest transformations happen when we stop trying to control the waves, and start discovering new ways to ride them…
Well done Pickles, we love to watch you play.
Ready for more?
Dive into our latest program Building Self-Confidence to discover the ultimate perspective shift: I am enough. Here, you’ll learn to embrace who you are and overcome your inner critic, unlocking the courage to live a life true to yourself.
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