Molly Bloom: Inspirational Speaker
Inspirational keynote speaker and bestselling author Molly Bloom empowers audiences with her extraordinary true story of resilience, reinvention, and integrity from Molly’s Game fame.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- Bestselling author of Molly’s Game (HarperCollins, 2014)
- Subject of Aaron Sorkin’s critically acclaimed film adaptation
- Founder of “One World Group,” focused on inclusion and recovery
- Featured on The Ellen Show, CNN, and The New York Times
- Dynamic storyteller connecting ethics, leadership, and resilience
- Formats: Inspirational keynote (45–60 minutes); available for corporate events, conferences, and leadership summits.
- Audiences: Business leaders, entrepreneurs, women in leadership, ethics and compliance teams, and audiences seeking personal transformation.
- Outcomes:
- Understand how failure and adversity can catalyze growth and innovation.
- Learn actionable strategies for rebuilding integrity and resilience under pressure.
- Gain inspiration to pursue authentic success and values-driven leadership.
- Travels from: Denver, CO
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
MOLLY'S GAME
THE TRUE STORY OF THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MOST EXCLUSIVE, HIGH-STAKES UNDERGROUND POKER GAME IN THE WORLD
What’s it like to run an exclusive poker game for the rich and famous?
Molly Bloom went from olympic-level skier who didn’t know a thing about poker or Hollywood to building and operating the largest and most notorious private poker game in the world.
In this motivational talk, Molly Bloom will show the sales and marketing skills she used to attract hundreds of millions of dollars to the game and spark the interest of players like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, A-Rod, and Ben Affleck.
Audiences will get the inside story not shown in the film as Bloom shares true-life tales of her experience.
MOLLY'S PLAYBOOK FOR SUCCESS
CHAMPION MINDSET
Molly Bloom shares her playbook for winning, derived from her experiences skiing for the US Ski Team, running the largest poker games in the world, writing a best-selling memoir, and making an Oscar-nominated movie.
She breaks her philosophy for growth and success down into 7 major points over the course of her presentation, which audiences will leave invigorated, informed, and primed for their own success.
Molly will cover:
- The importance of unequivocally believing in yourself, backed by Carol Dweck’s research into growth mindset and its influence on children in underperforming school districts.
- The science of overcoming fear through a combination of taking calculated risks, breathwork and meditation.
- Cultivating power via a process of self-accountability and reflection.
- Making use of mindfulness to cultivate resilience, which pays off more in the long run that connections and talent.
- Finding allies and becoming an ally for others.
- The art of pivoting when it comes time to move on to the next venture, and making a clean break with the past.
- How to cultivate relationships with absolutely anyone through the use of human psychology and your own authentic self.
BET ON YOURSELF AND YOU’LL ALWAYS WIN:
OVERCOMING SETBACKS
How do you come back from a failure? After the FBI arrested Molly Bloom and confiscated all her earnings from her poker business, she could have given up.
Instead, she used the same lessons she learned from her father that led her to come back from back surgery to be ranked No. 3 in North America in moguls, to overcome this setback.
Molly Bloom wrote the bestselling memoir, Molly’s Game, convinced Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay, and the film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.
In this inspiring talk, Bloom will share true stories and life lessons showing that when you bet on yourself in business, you can always win.
Talent Short Bio
A former world-class skier turned entrepreneur, Molly Bloom is the real-life inspiration behind Molly’s Game. Her journey from Olympic hopeful to leader of the world’s most exclusive underground poker operation is a testament to resilience and ethical leadership.
Today, Bloom is a sought-after inspirational keynote speaker who empowers audiences to embrace failure as fuel for transformation, to rebuild trust, and to pursue integrity-driven success. Her story resonates across industries—from finance and tech to leadership, law, and personal growth—delivering a masterclass in overcoming adversity and redefining ambition. Through humor, authenticity, and hard-earned wisdom, Bloom brings to life lessons on risk, resilience, and the human capacity for reinvention.
Read Full Bio
Molly Bloom is an inspirational keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of “Molly’s Game“ (2014). She is best known for her memoir, “Molly’s Game,” which was adapted into an award-winning film of the same name by Aaron Sorkin.
Bloom’s memoir chronicles her journey from college student to LA waitress to building and operating the largest and most notorious private poker game in the world. Her games featured hundreds of millions of dollars and players like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, A-Rod, and Ben Affleck.
Molly Bloom began her career as a world-class skier. While training as a pre-teen she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and had to undergo surgery that the doctors said would end her athletic career.
A year later, fully recovered, she was back on the slopes. Molly Bloom later joined the U.S. Ski Team and at 21 years old was ranked No. 3 in North America in moguls, but her Olympic dreams would go unrealized as she left the team to pursue other projects. This led her to what she thought would be a year sabbatical in LA.
Molly Bloom was finishing her degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado – Boulder, and was in the process of applying to top tier Law Schools, when her assistant job turned her into an accidental entrepreneur, running one of the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker games in the world, pulling in as much as $4 million per year. What happened next is where her story truly begins.
The film Molly’s Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, stars Jessica Chastain (as Molly), Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Brian d’Arcy James, and Chris O’Dowd. Bloom has appeared on numerous shows and in media outlets such as Ellen, Vice, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Vulture, and has been asked to speak at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, for companies like Blackrock Financial, SiriusXM Radio, and delivered the 2018 commencement speech at Colorado State University.
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Talent Videos
"The winners played the long game" - Molly Bloom at SuperReturn International 2019
At SuperReturn International 2019, Molly Bloom shares the true story behind Molly’s Game, revealing how resilience, strategy, and integrity shape sustainable success.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this SuperReturn International keynote, Molly Bloom recounts her journey from Olympic-level skiing hopeful to the architect of one of the world’s most exclusive poker networks. She describes how ambition, intellect, and an appetite for risk fueled her early rise—but also how shortcuts, ego, and the wrong alliances led to collapse. Bloom reflects on what she learned about discipline, long-term vision, and moral courage from both her ascent and downfall.
Her message to investors and leaders centers on “playing the long game”—prioritizing integrity and strategy over instant gratification. She draws parallels between poker and finance: both reward pattern recognition, emotional control, and calculated patience. Bloom emphasizes that sustainable success requires resilience through downturns and the humility to rebuild when systems fail. Closing on an inspiring note, she encourages leaders to measure achievement not by wealth or status but by endurance, values, and contribution.
Key Moments
- 02:01–05:45 — Building the underground poker empire and lessons in risk and influence.
- 05:46–09:30 — The psychology of power, ambition, and high-stakes environments.
- 09:31–13:00 — Collapse and legal challenges: confronting failure and personal accountability.
- 13:01–18:45 — Insights into resilience and rebuilding after loss.
- 18:46–23:15 — Applying poker strategy to leadership, finance, and decision-making.
- 23:16–27:50 — Why true winners play the long game—focusing on patience, integrity, and legacy.
'Molly's Game' Inspiration Molly Bloom Chats with Ellen
In this engaging Ellen interview, Molly Bloom reveals the real story behind Molly’s Game, reflecting on her extraordinary journey from Olympic hopeful to poker entrepreneur.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this lighthearted yet revealing conversation on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Molly Bloom discusses her remarkable real-life journey that inspired the film Molly’s Game. She begins by explaining how, after training as a world-class skier and overcoming severe scoliosis surgery, she pivoted into a completely different world—high-stakes poker. Bloom shares how she built a multimillion-dollar underground poker operation attended by Hollywood A-listers, professional athletes, and financiers, including players like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.
Ellen asks about the wildness of that experience and the lessons Bloom learned from it. Molly speaks candidly about losing everything after an FBI raid and how that forced her to confront her own values and rebuild her life. She credits that downfall as a turning point toward discovering integrity, resilience, and purpose. With humor and self-awareness, Bloom reflects on how Aaron Sorkin’s film captured her transformation and why she now focuses on inspiring others to face adversity with courage and honesty.
Key Moments
- 00:46–01:35 — Molly recounts her background as a competitive skier and early ambitions.
- 01:36–02:30 — Transition from sports to building the world’s most exclusive poker game.
- 02:31–03:25 — The high-stakes world of celebrities and risk management.
- 03:26–04:15 — Legal troubles, loss, and lessons in resilience.
Molly Bloom Sizzle Reel — From High Stakes to Higher Purpose
This dynamic highlight reel captures Molly Bloom’s powerful keynote presence, showcasing her journey from high-stakes poker mastermind to global symbol of resilience and reinvention.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this short sizzle reel, Molly Bloom delivers impactful moments from her keynote presentations, sharing the highs, lows, and lessons of an extraordinary life. The video opens with Bloom recounting her rise from Olympic-level skiing to hosting the world’s most exclusive poker games. Through vivid storytelling, she reflects on ambition, power, and the consequences of risky choices. The reel transitions to her downfall and the turning point that reshaped her outlook on success and integrity.
Her voiceover emphasizes resilience, accountability, and the courage to start again, accompanied by cinematic footage and audience reactions. Bloom’s energy and authenticity make her message about redemption and purpose deeply relatable. The reel closes with the call to “play the long game”—a reminder that true success comes not from winning every hand, but from how we recover, rebuild, and redefine victory.
Key Moments
- 00:21–00:50 — Molly narrates her backstory: from skiing to high-stakes poker.
- 00:51–01:15 — Reflections on failure, integrity, and transformation.
- 01:16–01:35 — Highlights from global keynotes and audience reactions.
- 01:36–01:47 — Closing message: resilience, purpose, and “playing the long game.”
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