Cliff Diving
The Raw Reality of Cliff Diving: A Leap Into Bravery Part 1
She's one of the best cliff divers in the world, but Molly Carlson isn’t just diving off cliffs. She’s diving into fear, failure, and everything in between.
Part of this story
This is Part 1 of a 2-Part series from an interview with Canadian Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series diver Molly Carlson.
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Cliff diving isn’t just a sport, it’s a daring dance with fear itself.
With athletes standing some 20 metres above the water below, every dive demands more than just skill. It demands courage, resilience, and a willingness to face the unknown head-on.
As Molly Carlson puts it, “It’s just a whole different animal once you get up to that platform,” where wind, rain, and waves become unpredictable forces the divers must confront with nothing but their own grit.
Flashback to August 25th, 2024. The crowd in Montreal had been roaring all day, but when Molly stepped onto the 21-metre platform, something shifted. You could feel it in the air. The collective breath held by thousands of fans witnessing one of their own about to fly. Moments later, she launched into a dive that scored a perfect 10.
It was the first perfect score of the season. It was in Canada. And for Carlson, it was more than a win. She’s stood on podiums all over the world, but this moment raised a deeper question: What does it look like to stop chasing and start owning your space at the top?
The feeling after winning on home soil
© Dean Treml / Red Bull Content Pool
Cliff diving may look like a flawless spectacle to those watching from the outside, with athletes soaring like robots and perfectly executing dives without a hint of hesitation. But behind the scenes lies an intense battle against anxiety and vulnerability that few dare to admit. “We are shitting ourselves, but no one knows it,” Molly clarified with a laugh.
That raw honesty is what makes her story so relatable and inspiring.
Every dive is a choice to stare down fear. It’s about embracing the messy, terrifying process of growth and knowing that every stumble, every misstep, and every painful splash is part of the journey toward greatness.
Molly’s journey reminds us all that bravery isn’t just about being fearless; it’s about being afraid and doing it anyway. Because in a world like cliff diving, Molly’s courage teaches us that true strength lies in showing up, embracing vulnerability, and owning every moment.
This is the story of a person and a sport where every dive is a leap into bravery, and every moment spent on the edge is a lesson in living fearlessly and authentically.
01
The Canadian Moment
Molly Carlson has become one of Canada’s most exciting athletes, which isn’t necessarily a shock considering the sport of cliff diving is thrilling in itself. But her win in Montreal during the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series wasn’t just another result, it was a homecoming.
For the first time, Canada was hosting a stop on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, and Carlson, raised in Thunder Bay, was front and centre on home soil. But Montreal is also where Molly lives and trains throughout the year, so it was a double homecoming.
Double the emotion.
That feeling of winning in front of a hometown crowd
© Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
“When I heard that Red Bull Cliff Diving was coming to Montreal, I was like, there's no way. Canada has never hosted one of these events. I was freaking out,” she said. “It was more overwhelming than exciting at first… but then people started showing up. And I realized that this is lovely. I can just enjoy it.”
That shift – letting go of pressure and leaning into presence – made all the difference. “As soon as I took off that pressure, I dove my heart out,” she recalled. “It was almost like all the therapy I’ve done to perform in the moment had finally come to life.”
Standing on the platform in front of 50,000 fans, she felt the crowd go electric. “I felt the vibrations on the platform,” she said, “and I was just sobbing. Happy tears. I was like, ‘This is such a dream.’ I want to dive for them.”
I felt the vibrations on the platform and I was just sobbing. Happy tears.
When she hit the water, cheers erupted like a volcano. She’d just landed a perfect 10 and claimed her first victory on Canadian soil. “It wasn’t like [Rhiannan] missed her dive,” she said. “We both did amazing dives. We battled it out. And I think that feels even better.”
More than just a win, it was a deeply personal triumph for Molly. “My family can’t always travel with me, so having them close and seeing my mom clap for anything just gave me this sense of confidence. Like, no matter what happens, you’re loved.”
Re-live the moments from Montreal where Molly secured the win on home soil:
02
Challenging the Culture of Perfection in Sport
Carlson’s community, the Brave Gang, who are known for wearing light pink to events, were out in full force in Montreal. “I looked out and the amount of pink in the crowd just made me cry,” she said. “We’re not just bringing this sport to Canada. We’re also bringing the conversation around mental health to more eyes. And people accepted me crying on the platform. I was like, ‘Let me let it out… and then I’ll get a 10, don’t worry,’” she said with a hearty laugh.
Montreal wasn’t just a career highlight. It was, as she says, “the biggest moment of my life.”
Despite standing on towering platforms above the water, Molly embraces her vulnerability. It’s, in many ways, the foundation of what Brave Gang stands for. And even though she doesn’t view herself as a celebrity, her status and reach are going far beyond what she could have imagined.
Feeling full of that Canadian and Brave Gang pride
© Dean Treml / Red Bull Content Pool
She’s just Molly being Molly, yet reality can have a way of reminding her otherwise. Like the time a 40-year-old man stopped her at the grocery store, proudly shouting “Brave Gang!” as she picked up grapes. “I thought I was only connecting with 13-year-old girls,” she says. “But it’s way bigger than I ever imagined.”
That realization hit even harder in Montreal. Not just because of the win itself, but because it brought together a community that had been growing online for years.
Meeting someone who also has anxiety can make their whole year... That motivates me more than anything to get up on that platform and give it everything I've got.
The Brave Gang: a movement rooted in vulnerability, self-love, and mental health advocacy had come to life. “I just started crying,” she admits. “My people were finally all meeting each other and I got to meet them.” After every dive, fans lined up for hugs and photos, not because she was a cliff diving star, but because she made them feel seen.
“Meeting someone who also has anxiety can make their whole year,” she says. “They're sobbing, saying, ‘You changed my life. I never thought I'd get in a swimsuit, but I did because of you.’ That motivates me more than anything to get up on that platform and give it everything I’ve got.”
For Carlson, this is what fuels her. Not the pressure to win, but the purpose of showing up fully and honestly so others can do the same.
When you can't wait to celebrate with your crew
© Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
03
A Community Rooted in Being Brave
Elite athletes are often expected to project an image of flawless strength, but Molly stands out for her unapologetic honesty about the challenges beneath the surface.
“When I was a regular diver, the Olympians all pretended life was perfect,” she reflects. “And I really didn’t have someone to look up to. I was terrified. I struggled with people-pleasing, fear of failure, perfectionism. But no one talked about that.”
For young athletes watching from the sidelines, this silence around mental and emotional struggles can feel isolating and lonely. Determined to break that cycle, Molly made a powerful choice: if no one else was willing to share the truth, she would be the one to do it.
From that conviction, the Brave Gang was born and it wasn’t just a fan club, but a movement. It’s a community where it’s okay to not be okay, where fear and doubt are shared openly, and where bravery means showing up authentically even when you’re scared.
The impact of this movement goes far beyond cliff diving. Molly’s voice reaches teenage girls wrestling with self-doubt, but it also connects deeply with young men – some who have never seen an athlete so openly embrace vulnerability before.
She laughs as she recalls groups of guys at competitions who come up just to meet her. “They’re like, ‘One second, I just need to meet the Molly girl.’ And I love it. I’m like, bring the whole crew, let’s take the picture!” These moments remind her that bravery and openness can break down barriers and inspire a wide audience to embrace their own fears and imperfections.
It can be all too common to equate success with stoic toughness in sport, which is why the Brave Gang offers a refreshing, and necessary, reminder that strength comes from authenticity and the courage to share your real story.
Listen to Molly's interview on the Mind, Set, Win Podcast:
04
Diving on Her Own Terms
The atmosphere on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series circuit is intensely competitive. For most, it’s all about one goal: winning. But for Molly, that mindset simply doesn’t work and it never has. “Everyone goes into interviews saying, ‘I want to win this event.’ And I’m like, I want to survive and make a difference,” she says with a smile, half-joking but fully serious.
Always looking for the positives
© Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
It’s not that she doesn’t want to succeed. She’s a world-class athlete with the talent and tenacity to win any given day. But for her, winning isn’t the motivator. In fact, it’s the pressure to win that can throw her off her game.
“As soon as someone says, ‘You can win this,’ I’m like, ‘I’m losing 100%.’” She’s experienced firsthand how quickly performance anxiety can take hold and how fast self-doubt can unravel a dive before her toes even leave the platform.
What she’s come to understand is that her fuel doesn’t come from external expectations or podium talk, it comes from connection and presence. “Now, before I dive, I just ask my coach for a hug. That’s it,” she explains. “I look down, he gives me a little heart with his hands, and I’m like, thank you. That’s all I need. Love and support, not pressure.”
Montreal taught me that no matter what, you're changing lives. And that is the coolest thing I could be doing.
This gentle shift in approach from chasing results to chasing purpose has been transformational. It’s helped her reconnect with why she dives in the first place: not just for herself, but for every person watching who needs to see what bravery looks like in real-time.
“Montreal taught me that no matter what, you’re changing lives,” she says. “And that is the coolest thing I could be doing.” For Molly, that’s the real win. Not the medal or podium finish, but the moment. Not the ranking, but the ripple effect.
When she dives with intention, grounded in love instead of fear, she doesn’t just make an impact on the judges, she makes an impact on people.
Saluting the Brave Gang from the platform in Montreal
© Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
05
Bigger Than Gold: The Legacy She’s Building
Molly doesn’t dive for glory. She’s not interested in being a name that flashes across headlines one season and is forgotten the next. “I don’t want to be that girl where people say, ‘She won a few things… what was her name again?’” she says, candidly.
For her, the mission has never been just about racking up titles or trophies. It’s about legacy. About meaning. About doing something that actually matters.
Sure, she knows how good she is. “I know deep down that when I hit four out of four dives, I am the best in the world,” she says not out of ego, but out of truth. Still, even with that knowledge, winning doesn’t define her. “But I also know that being the best isn’t what drives me the most.”
Molly diving in the Philippines to kick off 2025
© Ricardo Nascimento / Red Bull Content Pool
In those rare moments of flow, when she’s calm, locked in, and nails every dive like she did in Montreal, the scores feel secondary. What really stays with her is the feeling of alignment. Pride, yes. But also clarity.
“When that moment happens, I try to live in it and be so proud,” she explains. “But ultimately, I want to make a difference beyond the platform.”
That bigger vision is already unfolding. Whether it’s through offering raw, real commentary during broadcasts, mentoring younger athletes, or creating space for vulnerability through Brave Gang, Carlson is building something that will outlast her competitive career. Her influence is less about perfection and more about permission. Permission for others to show up as their full selves, no matter where they place.
To me, the bravest girl is the one showing up and coming 12th. Because she's doing it for herself.
“To me, the bravest girl is the one showing up and coming 12th,” she says. “Because she’s doing it for herself. Not to win. Not to impress anyone. Just because she loves it. That’s what inspires me the most.”
In that way, Molly isn’t just diving off cliffs, she’s dismantling the narrow definitions of success that trap so many athletes. And by doing so, she’s carving out a space where bravery, not medals, becomes the measure that matters most.
06
Learning When to Let Go
That same mindset of choosing purpose and self-respect over pressure and performance showed up in a powerful way at the end of last season. After pushing through pain for much of the year, Molly made a decision few elite athletes are ever willing to make: she pulled out of the final event.
“Both my knees were hyperextended, and I was like, I’m not going to push through the pain just to come second,” she says. “It’s not worth it.”
So, Molly went a different route. Instead of disappearing from the spotlight, she stepped into a new one as a commentator. With a mic in hand instead of a dive list, she watched from the sidelines, offering insight, energy, and support to her fellow competitors.
Molly diving from the platform in the Philippines
© Ricardo Nascimento / Red Bull Content Pool
To her surprise, the crowd didn’t retreat, it rallied. “More people came up to me for photos and encouragement than ever before,” she recalls. “They told me I was brave for respecting my body.” Those words hit differently. It was a kind of validation she’d never felt in sport before – not for a score or a trick, but for choosing herself.
“I’d never pulled out of an event for a physical injury before, only for anxiety,” she says. “But this time, I felt supported. I realized I could take care of myself and still be respected.” That moment marked a turning point. It wasn’t just a physical recovery but an emotional recalibration, a new chapter in how she defined strength.
I felt support. I realized I could take care of myself and still be respected.
The offseason that followed didn’t revolve around adrenaline or training camps. It was about slowing down, healing, and recharging both body and mind. “I finally had time for physio, to get stronger, to take care of my knees,” she says. And it worked. When she started training again, everything clicked. “I was ready to go. Like, if the season started right then, I was so ready. I was hitting every dive for nines and tens. I really thought ‘This is my season.’”
It was the kind of quiet comeback that didn’t need a dramatic return to prove its value. It proved something more powerful in that stepping back doesn’t mean giving up.
Sometimes it’s the bravest thing an athlete can do.
This is the end of Part 1. Check out Part 2 of our interview with Molly Carlson.
Smiles for being brave
© Ricardo Nascimento / Red Bull Content Pool
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