Take the plunge
"I used to think I needed a world championship title to finally be proud of myself but I'm starting to believe that who you are when everything falls apart... Matters even more."
Molly Carlson
There’s a moment before every dive when the world goes still. Standing on the edge, adrenaline pumping. Water shimmering down below.
For Molly Carlson — professional high diver and 29-time world medalist — that moment has always been a leap of faith. A balancing act of fear, anxiety, courage, and joy, as she pushes her body to new heights. Quite literally.
Twisting and flipping from a platform of 20+ metres is Molly’s bread and butter. But in extreme sports, just as in life, things don’t always go to plan. Conditions change from one day to the next. And so do we, forever keeping us on our toes.
The unexpected moment arrived for Molly in June at a practice dive in Polignano a Mare, Italy. Attempting one of the world’s toughest dives, she unexpectedly lost her footing on takeoff and slipped from the 22-metre platform into the ocean below.
While she landed safely, the fall left her shaken, navigating an ankle injury and a whole new wave of fear and doubt.
No stranger to struggle, Molly had come up against many crucible moments before. Anxiety and pressure once plagued her Olympic dreams, until a supportive community helped her rediscover the joy of diving… and a deeper sense of purpose.
Inspired to help others wrestling with body image and mental health, she launched BraveGang — an online platform for people to share vulnerable experiences, find strength in community, and inspire one another to overcome challenges.
Now Molly was facing one of her biggest tests yet.
“I had a lot of nightmares about that dive,” she shared. “Now I'm going to have to revisit it to be able to do the next competition and get over that fear.”
Sometimes you’ve got to name it to tame it. And that’s exactly where Molly and her coach began — working on her physical skill and her mindset around re-attempting the dive. These are the essential building blocks of Performance Confidence.
But of course, there’s another part of the equation: Self-Confidence.
The powerful combination of self-acceptance and self-belief, where we learn to shift our perspective from “I’m not enough” to “I am enough.”
A Deeper Dive
Having put in the work and been cleared to compete, Molly set off to Singapore for the World Championship Finals. One month on from her near-death experience, the fear was still present… but so too was the connection to her core value: Courage.
Molly climbed the familiar ladder. Same height. Same dive. Same risk.
This time, she landed each round safely, executing her dives with extraordinary strength and bravery.
The positioning of her arms on the last dive meant Molly didn’t reach the podium as hoped… but this moment ran so much deeper than a medal. She’d redefined success for herself, finding a new sense of self-confidence and resilience in the process:
“It's difficult when you put so much love and effort into the sport and then in the moments that it matters you don't pull through. But at the end of the day, this event was so much more than finishing on the podium or whatever it may be. It's way more than results.
For me it was getting back out there. I did the dive. I did the scary dive multiple times here... and I'm super proud of that. Unfortunately I put my arms up at the end there… [but] it was so sweet. Even when I missed, so many people stayed to come hug me."
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Medals, titles, or promotions are undoubtedly special in any competitive venture. But there’s nothing quite like redefining success on your own terms - learning to celebrate yourself via an internal scoreboard, above all else.
Molly’s comeback reminds us that self-confidence isn’t about flawless execution. It’s about practising self-acceptance and working on our self-belief. Trusting that we have the ability to grow and learn. And that we’re not defined by our struggles or setbacks.
Your own plunge might not come from a 22-metre platform. But it’s by no means less scary or impressive.
It might look like initiating a crucial conversation with a loved one. Sharing an idea before it feels “ready.” Or stepping into a brand new role — as a human being or a human doing.
Just remember, self-confidence is something that comes with practice, patience, and compassion. It’s an ever-evolving thing that doesn’t rely solely on results. It’s messy, vulnerable, and all the more meaningful for it.
As Molly would say:
“You are brave. You are not alone. And you are enough, even when it doesn't feel like it. I used to think I needed a world championship title to finally be proud of myself. But I'm starting to believe that who you are when everything falls apart... matters even more."
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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