How a Canadian cliff diver used empowering messages to help overcome mental health struggle

CBC Sports

· Posted: May 01, 2025 4:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

Several years ago, Molly Carlson enjoyed posting "perfectly captured and edited pictures" to her Instagram account.

Faking, she says, astir a cleanable life.

But Carlson developed a binge-eating upset earlier Canada's 2016 Olympic diving trials portion struggling with anxiousness and assemblage dysmorphia disorder, a information that perpetually had her reasoning astir 1 oregon much perceived defects oregon flaws successful her appearance.

Carlson constricted herself to 300 calories a time astatine slightest 5 days a week, threw breakfast prepared by her mother on the level and ate 3 almonds for lunch.

Unsuccessful successful qualifying for the Summer Games successful Rio by 2 spots, the disappointment revealed Carlson's soundless conflict with intelligence wellness but led to her seeking assistance for the disordered eating and prioritizing her well-being.

WATCH | Molly Carlson shares struggles with anxiety, and overcoming:

The Thunder Bay, Ont.-born jock began studies that autumn astatine Florida State University successful Tallahassee, wherever she worked with diving manager John Proctor, who appreciated the vigor Carlson brought to signifier and was supportive during her intelligence wellness struggles.

"I had a pugnacious precocious schoolhouse travel with disordered eating and assemblage image," Carlson told Mariam Kourabi this week astatine CBC Sports office successful Toronto. "I struggled accepting myself arsenic a taller [five-foot-nine] diver.

Four years later, Carlson near FSU arsenic 1 of the astir accomplished divers successful Atlantic Coast Conference past and lone the 2nd Seminole to triumph ACC conscionable MVP 3 times.

"It was a beauteous travel of learning to emotion myself again," said Carlson, a Montreal nonmigratory who transitioned to cliff diving successful 2020 and is among the champion successful the world. "Being capable to speech to a manager astir intelligence health, having him recognize I person anxiousness and respect it. That was the archetypal clip I felt supported successful that way."

These days, the 26-year-old Carlson posts crossed aggregate societal media platforms encouraging radical — including those feeling unsocial successful their beingness travel — to stock their stories and talk their information astir intelligence wellness advocacy and self-image done #BraveGang, a ample online assemblage question she founded a fewer years ago.

'Get retired determination and unrecorded your champion life'

"I wanted radical … to stock their ain brave stories and beryllium arrogant of themselves. It's specified a harmless spot wherever you tin beryllium yourself and beryllium supported," she said.

"I deliberation 1 of the bravest things is to judge who you are, get retired determination and unrecorded your champion life."

WATCH | Carlson captures historical precocious diving metallic medal successful 2023:

Carlson described not feeling connected to a assemblage until she stopped posting pictures to Instagram and began sharing experiences astir feeling bloated, anxious oregon overwhelmed that forced her to permission signifier early.

"Being determination for each different is everything," said Carlson, who was among 27 contented creators hired by NBCUniversal past twelvemonth to stock their experiences connected the crushed astatine the Paris Olympics. "One large happening successful sports, especially, is that your assemblage should ne'er bounds your dreams. Your quality should ne'er bounds your goals.

"So galore girls driblet retired of doing a athletics they emotion due to the fact that they're frightened of what they look like. I privation everyone to emotion who they are."

Carlson grew up inspired by American volleyball subordinate Victoria Garrick, who besides struggled with a binge-eating disorder. She progressed from those acheronian days to her existent self, motivating Carlson to instrumentality a earthy attack to her contented erstwhile speaking to her astir 2 cardinal YouTube followers and 4 cardinal users connected TikTok.

She noted Garrick opened the doorway for athletes to beryllium susceptible astir assemblage representation and disordered eating.

Carlson besides believes the cognition gained from having earned a bachelor of arts grade successful science and moving connected her maestro of arts successful counselling science has fixed her the assurance to stock with others.

"It gave maine that assurance to beryllium vulnerable. It utilized to beryllium taboo talking astir intelligence health," said Carlson, wearing a pinkish Red Bull ballcap and matching blazer. "The much I heard each time astatine school, I wanted to beryllium idiosyncratic who tin speech astir [it] openly.

"It's specified a travel to person struggles increasing up and to yet find your place. I'm grateful I tin correspond [Canada], spell to satellite championships oregon large events astir the satellite and beryllium arrogant of myself and the assemblage I travel in.

"Cliff diving's not the top happening I've ever done," added Carlson. "It was decidedly opening up astir my intelligence health."