Molly Bloom is the bestselling author of Molly’s Game, a book based on her life that was made into an Oscar-nominated movie directed by Aaron Sorkin. Also an inspirational keynote speaker and entrepreneur, Molly has been featured on Ellen, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, and in the LA Times.
Listen in as she shares her amazing journey from serving high-rollers at poker games and running high-caliber games herself to being arrested at gunpoint and convicted of running an illegal gambling operation—only to push past it all to get to where she is today. Her story is a great example of a strong and powerful woman who overcame incredible obstacles and who refuses to let the past define her.
Listen to the Full Episode:
What You’ll Learn:
What it was like for Molly growing up.
How she went from serving drinks at poker games to running poker games.
How she took what many would see as an obstacle and turned it into an advantage.
The most money that Molly saw someone lose in one night.
What Molly’s downfall eventually was.
Why she decided not to take a federal plea deal.
What her life purpose is and why she is speaking out on infertility.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“When it was over, I didn’t know who I was or why I mattered.” - Molly Bloom
“I learned that this type of superhero operates the exact same as everybody else in the world.” - Molly Bloom
“If you want to gain a friend, lend an ear.” - Molly Bloom
Resources:
Molly's Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World by Molly Bloom
Molly’s Game (directed by Aaron Sorkin)
EPISODE 11
MOLLY BLLOM
TRANSCRIPT:
*Please note that transcripts are auto-transcribed, they are for reference only and may contain typos*
Molly Dare 0:06
Hello and welcome to On Air with Molly Dare. I'm your host Molly Dare, founder of hillenBRAND Media lifelong entrepreneur, single mom of two girls and passionate about sharing stories of perseverance and inspiration to hopefully inspire you to push through your own limiting beliefs and pursue your dreams and inspirations. Today we have Molly Bloom, the best selling author of Molly's Game, which was adapted into the award winning film of the same name by Aaron Sorkin. Molly is currently an inspirational keynote speaker and entrepreneur, whom you've seen on Ellen, LA Times, NPR, among many others, and has been asked to speak at fortunes most powerful women. Welcome Molly, thank you so much for joining me today.
Molly Bloom 0:47
Thanks, Molly.
Molly Dare 0:49
So Molly, besides loving your name, I was blown away by your book and movie detailing your time as an accidental entrepreneur running one of the most exclusive high stakes underground poker games in the world. But before we discuss that incredibly interesting time of your life, you had another incredible movie worthy childhood, as you were an incredible skier making the US ski team, and at 21 years old, ranked number three in North America until an unfortunate accident occurred during your Olympic trials, which ended your skiing career in a single moment. So I would love to start there with your childhood. What was it like growing up with a pretty demanding lifestyle and expectations?
Molly Bloom 1:34
Yeah, so you know, in some ways, it was all I knew. So if there wasn't, there was kind of no down, no downside to it. And it and because the sport that I was involved in was so fun, you know, where I would get to go outside and then ski fast and hang with my family. It was really rewarding. I guess it wasn't until sort of college that I realized how different I had grown up. But it was always made to be fun. You know?
Molly Dare 2:04
Yeah, you know, it's, it's interesting. I have some other friends that are professional athletes. And I asked them, you know, kind of that same question like, what, what kind of pressure? Were you under under it at such a young age? And how did you handle it? And it's all I knew, and I loved what I did, it was a sport that I loved, loved doing, you do discuss your relationship with your father, and it was intense. He was he was a therapist and demanded excellence. How was that? That seems to be a common feature also of you know, these athletes that that excel at a young age, they did have kind of a demanding parents.
Molly Bloom 2:39
Yeah, it's bad enough when your dad's a shrink growing up, and then you add on, then you add on a drill so drill sergeant, and you know, like, you know, my dad pushed us really hard. And he constantly drove these concepts into us, you know, things like, you have to get used to being uncomfortable in the world, it's important to not stay on the sidelines and to walk through fear. Don't be a victim, there's no such thing as cold weather, you just don't have warm enough clothes. total lie. Now he realizes it because he's older, and he actually gets cold, constructive suffering, all these things that as a kid with, with sort of this, I want to go Just have fun, that that was a difficult way to be socialized, but as it and I booked it, you know, I really resented any type of authority, which later got me in a lot of trouble in my life, but, but I complied because that was the system that I knew. And so, growing up, we butt heads a lot. And growing up, I resented him a lot. But you know, I joke with him now I'm like, you could have sort of exacted that philosophy without being so psychotic. Making us be the first people on the lifts and 20 below zero, you know, like, there's a, there's maybe a middle ground. All in all, I'm really happy about that. And, and later in life, my dad and I really repaired our relationship. And, you know, he's my, I talk to him more than I talked to almost anyone and so I have that relationship now that, that I always wanted, but didn't know how to achieve when I was younger.
Molly Dare 4:23
That's amazing. I think a lot of us would have done things differently, right? Looking back. So after this accident, and realizing the Olympic dream is probably no longer in sight, you set your eyes on another dream to become a lawyer, but decided first to take a year off and go to LA which you know, I had the same dream when I was younger too. So I get that. Why did you want to take that year off?
Molly Bloom 4:46
So you know that my journey in skiing was such an emotional one. And you know, we kind of didn't cover this but when I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with really severe scoliosis. And I had Have this operation. And at that point, you know, the operation was severe. And it, it didn't bode well for a future in mogul skiing. And so my coaches and my parents and even, you know, other people on the team really said, skiing, not on the table for you anymore. And that kind of lit this fire in me at 12 years old to sort of prove the world wrong, you know. And so, there was so much built up into this dream, it was the Olympics, it was my father's approval, but it was also like, this, this testament that like I can do, the things that I'm not supposed to be able to do, you know, so it was, and I had placed all almost all my emphasis on this dream happening. And so when it was over, I didn't know who I was, or how to matter, you know, and, and I was so completely heartbroken and lost. And so I had gotten good grades, and I just taken the LSATs, and done very well. And, you know, I just kind of had this moment of like, just brokenness where I was like, I can't I don't have the energy and bandwidth to do this right now. So I just want to take a year off, I just needed a breather to kind of, you know, maybe go somewhere completely different than mogul skiing. And so I went to LA. And honestly, I didn't really think through that decision. Other than I just want to be warm, you know?
Molly Dare 6:34
Listen to someone who moved to Florida, I get it.
Molly Bloom 6:37
You get it. Like, you know, winters are long in Colorado and New York. And I just the idea of like 365 days of sunshine and warm weather was revolution. To me. So
Molly Dare 6:50
Absolutely. And therapeutic, right?
Molly Bloom 6:52
Therapeutic. Yes. Yeah, that's that that was why I went to LA.
Molly Dare 6:57
So once you got to LA, you had various jobs to pay for your life there, because your parents weren't exactly pleased with this decision. And one of them being an office assistant to this man whom you met at one of the nightclubs, who was not the nicest to you quite the asshole, actually, but asked you to help run his weekly poker games. And this is where the story gets interesting. When he gave you, you know, he kind of said, offhanded, okay, I want you to come, but you don't run these weekly poker games, when he gave you that list of incredibly powerful names, what was running through your mind?
Molly Bloom 7:32
I just didn't even know how to conceptualize that. You know, look, I was, I think 23 or 23 or 24. So, like, wow, this is exciting, also terrifying. I, you know, just kind of showed up. And I recount that moment where these people started to walk through the door. And it wasn't, you know, it wasn't just celebrities. It was also people who own huge investment banks and politicians and people in the tech world that are like, so revered. And, and it was completely surreal. And of course, I felt like, you know, instantly a bit insecure. And like, please don't spill drinks on these people like, no. Or like, maybe don't even say anything.
Molly Dare 8:20
You mentioned that you spent a lot of time researching not only the poker game itself, but also going down to the details of like, what do poker players like to listen to? What do poker players like to eat? Out of curiosity? What do poker players like to listen to?
Molly Bloom 8:36
Alright, well, before I knew them, like, what, what the internet said is, you know, like, I was like, The Gambler, and stuff like that. I mean, as I got into the game, and got like, Frank Sinatra,
Molly Dare 8:50
Hmm, okay
Molly Bloom 8:51
You know, I had to elevate the playlist a little bit.
Molly Dare 8:57
Not only the games, but you are also studying the people too. And I thought that was an interesting site, because there is a psychology to the games and betting, you know, with the people who who are more likely to fall into kind of the addiction of gambling and betting. And I just thought that was so interesting that, you know, throughout your story, how much you became almost like a counselor to some of some of these men?
Molly Bloom 9:22
Yeah. Well, I think because I, I really early on, you know, I realized I wanted to stay in those rooms. And then like, at some point, I realized, I want to own my own games, like, I want to own this, this business that puts on these games for some of the world's you know, most powerful and prolific people. And the chasm between, you know, serving drinks at that game and owning that game was incredibly huge. And so I think what I focused on is what I know to do, which is cultivate meaningful work. relationships, and, you know, get to know people, I've always been inherently extremely curious about people, you know, like love to just sit in a room and observe human behavior. And it's fascinating, maybe that's, you know, being the byproduct of being raised by a psychologist, Father, but for whatever reason, I find it just endlessly fascinating. And so, you know, what I found in those rooms over those months is that this type of superhero operates the exact same as everybody else in the world, you know, they want to feel seen, heard, and remember, they want to feel special, they, their tastes, were a bit elevated. So you can't cut corners with the, you know, the brand of the sparkling water and, and, and stuff like that. But still, like, you know, everybody wants good food, good drink good conversation to, you know, to feel connected. And that that was kind of the formula in the beginning. And then, yeah, I mean, if you want to, in my experience, what I found is if you want to gain a friend, lend an ear.
Molly Dare 11:11
Yeah, absolutely.
Molly Bloom 11:14
Get people talking about themselves. And you know, that, that doesn't happen so often in our lives, where somebody is just like, curious and wanting to know about you, and it, you know, sort of like non transactional way.
Molly Dare 11:29
Absolutely. So let's go to that point where you started, what was Molly Bloom event planning, your boss came to you, and said he was going to stop paying you as an assistant because he felt you were making enough money in the tips that you were given in these games. And that that was kind of the big turning point where you as you know, the entrepreneurial mind started buzzing. And you put that genius plan into place that, hey, I can do this on my own. It's so you know, Molly Bloom event planning was born, which as a fellow entrepreneur, I thought was genius. So So what inevitably happened, right, so you ran these games, you did an incredible job, you raised it up a notch, the best hotel rooms and all the best food, and ambiance. And they all came over to you. And what inevitably happens is egos takeover. And some men, some men felt they were getting more attention than others. And they ended up taking the game away. Instead of folding in the towel. At that point, you decided to take what you knew how to do and you made it bigger and better yet again, heading to where else but New York City, you had a larger buy in then. And correct me if I'm wrong. $250,000 ahead to buy in.
Molly Bloom 12:42
Yeah, yeah.
Molly Dare 12:43
And with within two months, you already had 10 players? How did you find them? How did that happen?
Molly Bloom 12:50
So the first thing I did is I studied the market kind of, and I and I looked at the way that things were being done. In New York you're super saturated with game runners and games, and it's kind of the same people that have been running games for, you know, decades. And so like, you could look at that and see, oh, well, that's a huge problem. And there's huge barrier to entry. Or you could look at that and say, Well, I bet there's a way to improve the process, you know, because it's been like the sort of status quo for so long. And these people probably have gotten comfortable. And that's what I found, I found a couple things, I found that a lot of these game runners would only pay out if they got paid. So people were going to these games, risking a lot of money and ultimately getting stiffed. And so, you know, I figured out, I figured, like if I could figure out how to guarantee the game, that would be a huge advantage to people. And then to sort of and then also to brand it and to stage it in the same way that I had it in LA. Again, a lot of these game runners are poker players themselves, if they've had a great week, maybe they'll cater from Il Mulino, but if they haven't, it's pizza. And so like just being willing to you know, not completely care about the bottom line but care about the experience and curate curate this like extremely elevated experience was also super effective and and then when I kind of figured out my way in, then it was just like network like your life depends on it, you know, and get creative. I tried to think about people that had continual access to high net worth individuals, and who might be in that sort of vein of Gamblers. So I hired socialites to recruit for me at the clubs and like high end parties. I did deals with the concierge at the high end hotels, the maitre D's at the fancy restaurant, high rolling casino hosts at in Atlantic City and Vegas and just, you know, just kind of left no stone unturned until I was able to get to these people and kind of in LA same thing, you know, like, first night provide this experience in which, you know, ideally they feel like James Bond for a night.
Molly Dare 15:14
Yeah. And who doesn't want to feel like that?
Molly Bloom 15:17
I know.
Molly Dare 15:18
As someone who worked out on wall street that that is the appeal. What was the largest amount you saw someone lose in one night?
Molly Bloom 15:28
100 million
Molly Dare 15:29
100 million?
Molly Bloom 15:31
Yep. 100 million dollars.
Molly Dare 15:33
Oh, my God, that's incredible. And they were probably able to pay it right.
Molly Bloom 15:37
They were able to pay it. I know. And it was just, it had just gotten so big and so wild that you kind of started to lose touch with reality,
Molly Dare 15:49
I'm sure. And speaking of it probably seemed to everyone who was watching you that you are living this incredible, exciting lifestyle, but you are dealing with some pretty heavy stuff behind the scenes, including at one point being violently robbed by gunpoint, where you were so seriously injured, and you couldn't even go to the hospital because you were too scared that they would call the police. I can't even imagine what those few weeks were like, as you were recovering from that alone.
Molly Bloom 16:17
Yeah, New York got really dark and really dangerous. And, and more than anything, I changed in New York. And I think what had been, you know, I knew that there's this was, this was a fine line. And I knew that this wasn't necessarily saving the world, which is something that, you know, I wanted to do as a young girl. But always the plan had been get in, make your money. Because, you know, I mean, I was making four and $5 million a year like, and I just didn't know, I couldn't pass up on an opportunity like that in my early 20s. So but the plan was get in, build the network, make the money, and then go back to school or parlay it into something that's more legitimate. And, you know, I kind of had that vision. And I also, I also made my choices with a sort of moral compass, you know, with my line in the sand. And what happened is in in New York, you know, this is seven years in, I lost, I sort of let go of the vision. And and I started taking these small incremental steps to the left and to the right of my line. And, and then, you know, things started to get really dangerous, and really dark. And then, you know, ultimately, even though this point of doing it legally, you know, I was consumed with greed. And I had no end in sight. So I started taking a rake, which put me in violation. And I knew this, I knew exactly what this action meant. But I did it anyway. And I started taking a rake.
Molly Dare 18:02
So you ran this successfully until the middle of the night, when you were arrested by the FBI for running an illegal gambling operation. At what point were they tipped off with what was happening,
Molly Bloom 18:15
There were a couple guys playing in my bigger game that had connections and ties to the Russian mob. And they were actually running even though these guys, you know, were super sophisticated, could talk the talk, blend with, you know, the the legitimate people in the room. They were running one of the biggest insurance fraud schemes in New York City history, and the feds were already on to them. So they got onto this game. And the feds were also clocking and tracking other things that were going on in the gambling world. And then they they sent a confidential informant into my games. So when I started taking a rake, they observed that, and then the first thing that happened was in 2011, they seized all my assets, they took all my money, and basically said, if you want to come in and go on record, about what you've been doing, you know, and to have that conversation, like we can talk about your money. And I didn't so I moved home with my mom totally broke, addicted to pills and alcohol at this time, just life felt like it was burned to the ground.
Molly Dare 19:22
And you were offered a lot of money to hand over the hard drives. But you were more worried about ruining the lives of these men, then collecting money and helping your own life, which shows tremendous character on your part, because I don't know how many people would say no to that, to that level of money. so impressed by that. And I said that and I think that says so much about you. You said you felt so guilty for their choices. Why did you feel guilty for them and the choices that they made?
Molly Bloom 19:54
Well, I mean, it was a complicated situation because you know, I guess So I had felt the sort of weight and the reckoning of living my life without a moral compass I spent, you know, I would say three years of my time just completely, you know, like untethered to, to who I was what I cared about, and I got really sick. And when I got sober, and I looked at this whole mess, I realized, like, integrity is everything, it's more important than money, it's more important than, than success, like, it's everything. And like, I have to like myself, at the end of the day, or all the money in the world isn't going to matter. And I tested that out, you know. And so when the prosecutors when i when i got arrested in 2014, and the prosecutors wanted me to be a confidential informant, and, you know, gave me that deal where they were willing to give my money back and, and save me from jail. You know, I had to revisit that that acknowledgement that I had made, which is this is completely my fault. These are all my choices. And it's not like I had a Harvey Weinstein or a Jeffrey Epstein in the game that I was protecting. I knew people that were maybe doing something slightly shady on the side that I didn't really think, was my business to talk about. And especially because I believed that this was my fault. And these people who had supported my game, like I put them in a bad position by taking a rake, and people lost things, you know. And so I knew I had to stand on my own two feet for these choices that I've made. And to be honest, it was about them. And it was about loyalty. But it was more about me. It was more about like, in my gut, this is the I know that this is the right move for me. So I have to honor that.
Molly Dare 21:54
So you ended up pleading guilty and were sentenced to 200 hours of community service a $200,000 fine and one year probation. You mentioned a an interesting dialogue between you and your father at one point where you were when you were deep into your addictions. And he said to you, your addiction was actually having power over powerful men. Did you agree with that?
Molly Bloom 22:15
Well, that's an Aaron Sorkin line in the movie.
Molly Dare 22:18
Okay.
Molly Bloom 22:20
A very good one and a very astute one. Because I think that I was, I felt powerless for so many years and sort of small. And so then when I had this opportunity to have power over powerful men, yeah, I really like reveled in that position. For sure.
Molly Dare 22:39
It is. And I think a lot of people would admit to that, you know that it is addicting to have power over powerful. Anybody for sure. And I love that you bring up this point that that was an Aaron Sorkin line because that brings me to, you know, I think one of the most powerful tools you can use to help others is by sharing your story, which is why it's so amazing. The story was made into a movie by the incredible Aaron Sorkin. How did this come about? And how close was the movie to your book and the real story.
Molly Bloom 23:11
So when I was sentenced to federal court, I didn't have to go to jail but but here I was 35 years old, millions of dollars in debt, reputation destroyed tabloids telling the story about this, like, Girl in a tight skirt, serving drinks in a poker game and like, like what I did don't like what I did, but I certainly built a business. And I certainly obtained a skill set from that. And so that, you know, having to exist on that story being told, was not doing me any favors. So I decided like, like what you just said, Alright, well, you know, the monetizable asset or the sort of unique proposition that might be able to pull me out of this gutter is the story. So I kind of figured out how to write a book. And then I knew the next step was to have this book adapted into a movie to create a big platform, hopefully. And Aaron Sorkin was my favorite writer. You know, he, I've been an Aaron Sorkin fan forever. And so I thought, why not Aaron? And you know, like, I was really hard to get a meeting with him. He's not imagine like people. But finally like my I hired this entertainment lawyer who's been such an awesome human being and such a champion of the story and of me, and he was like, well, Aaron is a personal friend, I can ask him for a favor. And I you know, I didn't think anything was gonna come of it. But I flew to LA and I got to sit down with Aaron Sorkin and tell him my story. And you know, it resonated with him. And he decided he was so passionate about making it that he decided to not only write it and drop his current project, but to make it his directorial debut because he just knew how he wanted the story to be told. And he didn't want to sacrifice and anything getting in the way of that vision
Molly Dare 25:07
And an incredibly made a film one of my top three all time favorites. And for anyone who hasn't watched it, please watch it today because it is so good. Just the way the story unfolds and is told I thought was exceptional. I thought the acting was exceptional, how it was written everything. Jessica Chastain played you. And I thought she did an incredible job. How involved were you with the actual production? Were you on set? Did they interview you a bunch of times? How did that work? How does that work?
Molly Bloom 25:42
So I worked with Aaron almost every day for eight months. Wow. Okay. And so when I sat down to see that movie, so I worked with him in the construction of the story. And then they went to film it in Toronto, and I was on probation. But, you know, I couldn't leave the country so and I decided not to see the movie until the premiere. Which, in retrospect, was a very stupid idea. Because
Molly Dare 26:11
That's an interesting feeling that you had that you didn't want to see it till the premiere. Why was that?
Molly Bloom 26:15
I honestly didn't feel like I would survive sitting in a room alone and dissecting that movie by myself. I just, I needed to like jump into this. You know, it's, there's no way to stop it. Now. It's being made, like it's already been made. And everyone and there's 2000 people in the room, so you can't die. I just I literally did not think I could handle the other way. So but you know, this movie for two hours and 12 minutes was my life. This was not listen. Yeah, he inflated my LSAT score for sure. He missed all that, then we are like, it's, you know, there's that there's that Hollywood into it. But all these stories that he told all these scenes that these actors are playing, like, this is my life, you know, and it was such an incredible experience to be there with my family, and 2000 other strangers who are cheering at parts of the movie and laughing and crying and like, I mean, it was just, it was like almost too much to process. And it's just such a cathartic. Two hours and 12 minutes,
Molly Dare 27:21
I can't even imagine and most of us will never realize what that feels like to have your your life story meeting to a feature film at the end of the movie, it has you asking the question, What do I do now. And when I look at you now, at everything you are doing, and about, I see how you turn your pain into purpose, by shining a light on women who are looking to be empowered or struggling with mental health, and most recently in fertility as well. What do you feel is your life's purpose right now,
Molly Bloom 27:52
You know, I've been able to, to reinvent, to and to sort of shift and, and, you know, get out of really bad situations. And I think a lot of that has to do with my sports upbringing. And then a lot of it has to do with kind of being someone who is constantly like throwing yourself like down mountains, both theoretically, and, you know, both metaphorically and in actuality. And so I feel really passionate about creating resources for people who want to change their life who maybe don't have, like an AA community like I had when I wanted to stop drinking or haven't had like a Larry Bloom, who kind of teaches you about discomfort training. And so, you know, I've been I do that sort of in one on one scenarios, mentoring women and developing communities, but I really want to do it at Internet scale. And so we're creating this like experience studio, it's like sort of a hybrid of gaming and apps to create these experiences for people on which we're cracking the motivation that, you know, like, what do we do to help people stay in these, this, this changing of habits is creation of new habits long enough for the magic to happen? And sounds incredible what we're doing now? Yeah, it's really fun to build. It's really like, again, you know, you feel like you're stumbling around in the dark for months. And then you're like, and then you see the light and you see it start to happen. But yeah, but that's, that's how I feel, you know, like, speaking is great writing is great, but like, I really want to create something that has all these strategies, all the science, all these protocols, but makes it like this fun experience. You know, that's gamified and that can really help people walk that walk.
Molly Dare 29:44
Let me know when that launches. For sure sounds like something right up my alley. Today you're using your platform to raise awareness on infertility and resources and information for those who are who are struggling which is so many. What has been your own journey with infertility.
Molly Bloom 30:02
So yeah, I think this is such an important conversation because a lot of us are getting duped, this technology of freezing eggs is being oversold. And that's what happened to me. I froze my eggs at 37. And I was very fertile at the time and thought I, you know, had sort of stopped the clock on fertility, that's what the doctors said, you know, they're like, this is a great amount of eggs that you froze, I had 11. And what we're seeing now is that you, you should freeze a lot more than 11. And that it's not, you have to really pay close attention to the lab that that these doctors are using, because some of them are just not equipped to deal with this kind of technology. So anyway, so I froze my eggs, got married, and at 41 went to use those eggs, and none of them worked. And then I went to another clinic, did two rounds of IVF both failed. And basically the doctor was like, this is a near impossibility for you. Let's talk about donor eggs. And so I said, you know, before I do that, I'm gonna really do some research here. And, you know, that's when I started researching about the labs. And when I started looking at different factors that can increase fertility, and I just kind of threw the kitchen sink at it was like, I found the best labs in the country, which is I found our at ccrm The doctor is Dr. schoolcraft, who's kind of like the Godfather a fertility, and for IVF or whatever, you know, that, that that realm of fertility. And then I changed my diet I, you know, took all inflammatory foods out, and I found all these supplements to take and did acupuncture and Chinese herbs and and, you know, meditation and all the things. And then, you know, started the process again, and we started to have very different results. Still an uphill battle. I've still done to date eight rounds of IVF
Molly Dare 32:03
Wow
Molly Bloom 32:03
Yeah, it's a freaking miracle. I'm still married.
Molly Dare 32:08
They don't - IVF is so invasive and intense. And, you know, my heart goes out to you. Because I know. So unfortunately, I know so many people in this struggle, and thankfully it is people like you are bringing a platform to an awareness. And I'm so appreciative of that. And so, you know, keep on doing it, because it really is there's just an incredible amount that are that are dealing with it. And Molly, for those who are so inspired by your story and your platform today, where can they find you? And how can they reach you to continue following your journey?
Molly Bloom 32:44
Yeah, absolutely. Um, I'm on Twitter, and it's @imMollyBloom. I am Molly Bloom. And then I'm that's also Instagram. You know, I'm not, I'm not super active on these platforms. But I am one when I have something to share, you know, solution, or I have a new book that I'm writing right now kind of about different protocols I've used in my life to reinvent
Molly Dare 33:11
Amazing, because you are the number one inventor. I mean, you It's really incredible. I mean, any entrepreneurial person like myself has watched you and your journey have been like, wow, it's not easy to do what you did you make it look easy, but I know it's not and you have incredible people and networking skills that that are so integral to being a good entrepreneur and to being successful in business. So very much looking forward to that book. And speaking of social media, Instagram, you wrote a really amazing post on New Year's last year, which summed up the past decade of your life pretty amazingly of all that I've seen. I would love for you to read that for us because I found it incredibly powerful and inspirational.
Molly Bloom 33:58
Okay, I have to bring it up because I
Take your time.
Okay, so this, this was when everyone was doing the decade and review. So a decade and review in 2010, I made more money than I could ever dream of. And in 2011 the Fed seized all of it every last cent. I went to rehab and moved back in with my mom. In 2012. I wrote a book proposal and I got rejected by every single publisher. In 2013. I got a book deal at HarperCollins and then I got arrested at gunpoint by 17 FBI agents and I was facing years in prison. In 2014, I became a convicted felon and among other things, I can never vote again. In 2015. I pitched my story to the great Aaron Sorkin in 2016. I did 200 hours of community service and worked with Aaron on the movie in 2017. I went to rehab for the second time, and this time I got really sober. In 2018 Molly's Game premiered and was nominated for an Oscar. I started my speaking career. I got to give CSU commencement and travel the world sharing him message of hope and redemption. In 2019 I lost my sweet gram and the love of my life. my soulmate my Lucy, she was my dog. But then in September, I married my human soulmate. Here's what I learned from this decade. We keep going, no matter what we keep going, when it seems impossible, unthinkable and hopeless. I learned to own my life to take full fearless responsibility for it all. I learned that a sincere sorry goes a long way. I learned to meditate. Because a disciplined healthy mind can transcend almost any circumstance. I learned to not be so selfish and solitary living organisms need to relate to their environment. We relate or we die inside. I learned to ask for help. I did none of this on my own. I was lifted up by heroes and angels. I learned to forgive fully. And I learned that I am so much more powerful than I ever imagined. And I learned so are you here. So the great adventure of life into a slightly less eventful decade.
Molly Dare 35:55
Wow. That is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. Molly, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your incredible story which is still unfolding and I love watching amazing strong women like you take their past struggles and turn them into incredible lessons of inspiration to share with others who are struggling and give them hope that there is always another chapter ahead and your past does not define you. And thank you to everyone for listening today and look forward to sharing with you next week. Another story of inspiration.
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of On Air with Molly Dare. Your support means everything to me and to the guests who are sharing their personal stories. The best way to support this podcast series is with a five star rating on iTunes. Writing a quick written review, give me all the feels and I read every single one and it means so much. If you screenshot your review and send it to us, you will be entered into our monthly giveaway and who doesn't love free stuff. The best way for this podcast to grow is by word of mouth and I would love for you to tell a friend share on social media. tag me in your stories if there's an episode or guests that really hits home for you. If you are interested in learning more about what I do or one receive my Mondays with Molly video series with insights on each episode and my personal takeaways, head to mollydare.com and you can sign up there. See you next episode and in the meanwhile, do something during this week.
