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Re:Thinking with Adam GrantRe:Thinking with Adam Grant

How Olympian Molly Carlson handles body dysmorphia #bravegang

Molly Carlson is a professional high diver, three-time runner-up at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, and the founder of Brave Gang, an online community of people who encourage each other to face their fears together. In this episode, Molly and Adam reflect on anxiety and motivation, the functions and dysfunctions of fear, and how to harness the benefits and overcome the costs. They also discuss what Molly has learned from her challenges with mental health, body image, and asking for help. The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Adam GranthostMolly Carlsonguest
Sep 17, 20250mWatch on YouTube ↗

CHAPTERS

  1. 0:00 – 0:07

    Adam Grant’s question: Body dysmorphia in a judged, body-focused sport

    Adam Grant opens by asking Molly Carlson how she has dealt with body dysmorphia in a sport where appearance is highly visible and implicitly evaluated. The framing highlights the added pressure of judged sports where body image can feel central to performance.

    • •Body dysmorphia as a personal and athletic challenge
    • •Unique pressures of judged sports
    • •Body image made "salient" by the nature of competition
  2. 0:07 – 0:37

    Why judged sports can intensify body image pressure: Minimal uniforms and constant visibility

    Molly explains that judged sports can feel especially difficult because athletes wear very little, making normal body fluctuations highly noticeable. She contrasts this with the imagined relief of being able to compete in more covering gear, where attention would shift more purely to performance.

    • •Minimal uniforms amplify self-scrutiny and external gaze
    • •Desire for clothing that deemphasizes the body (sweatsuit/swimsuit idea)
    • •Feeling that performance should matter more than appearance
    • •Normal changes like bloating feel publicly exposed
  3. 0:37 – 0:58

    From shame to ownership: Reframing “flaws” like cellulite into strength and pride

    Molly shares how cellulite—something that “haunted” her for years—became a point of acceptance and even pride. She describes a mindset shift from feeling defective or alone to embracing her body as it is while doing extraordinary athletic feats.

    • •Long-term impact of insecurity around cellulite
    • •Recognizing genetic realities and rejecting shame
    • •Turning acceptance into empowerment (owning her body while competing)
    • •Challenging the idea that perceived imperfections should disqualify an athlete

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