Molly Bloom: Life Lessons from the Real Molly’s Game

March 18, 2026

Source: 3 Books with Neil Pasricha Podcast

Join me on the couch in Molly Bloom’s hotel room at the Four Seasons in downtown Toronto.

Molly began her career as a world-class skier, but while training as a pre-teen was diagnosed with severe scoliosis. Her doctor told her she could never ski again, but even as a pre-teen Molly had incredible strength of mind and she ended up back on the slopes only a year after her surgery.

By age 21, she was ranked #3 in North America. She then took off to LA and began running one of the most exclusive, high-stakes, underground poker games in the world, featuring players like Alex Rodriguez, Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and was raking in millions of dollars per year.

Then what happened? The feds went after her! The mafia went after her! And there was a dramatic takedown. While awaiting sentencing, she wrote her life’s story in her memoir, Molly’s Game. That book became a bestseller and was turned into a movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing and The Social Network, starring Jessica Chastain (as Molly), Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner.

Molly has been featured on Ellen, NPR, LA Times, VICE, and many more. But beneath the surface is a story that, as she says in this chapter, has never been shared before.

There was a journey happening inside Molly that forced her to look at the downsides of her ambition and addictive personality.

So get into something comfy, grab a seat between us, and let’s talk about life altering public defeat, how a memoir transforms into an action-packed Hollywood feature, the liberty in losing everything, finding the ‘monetizable asset’ in your life, and Molly’s 3 most formative books.

Molly Bloom delivers one of the most gripping reinvention stories on the speaking circuit today. From elite athlete to architect of the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker operation to bestselling author of Molly’s Game, she brings audiences inside a journey defined by resilience, risk-taking, and refusing to quit. Her story—brought to life on screen by Aaron Sorkin—has made her a sought-after voice for leadership, performance, and navigating pressure at the highest levels. With magnetic storytelling and hard-won lessons on ethics, decision-making, and rebuilding after setbacks, Molly equips audiences with mindset shifts they can use immediately. A dynamic choice for teams, conferences, and organizations looking to inspire focus, grit, and possibility. Contact us today.

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