Molly Bloom seeks to support women in professional transformation

LOVELAND — Molly Bloom, born into a family of high-achieving siblings, set out to create a name for herself but ended up discovering that satisfaction comes from inside and from values that support family and community.

Bloom, author of Molly’s Game, her story that was the basis for a popular movie of the same name, spoke this morning to people attending a Power Breakfast at desk chair, a new co-working space in downtown Loveland. Desk chair contributed proceeds from the event to Project Self-Sufficiency, a nonprofit that helps women and others find their way to being self-supporting.

Molly Bloom grew up in Loveland and like her younger brother Jeremy thought that skiing would be her ticket to success. At 19 she made the U.S. Ski Team. At 20 she was ranked third in the U.S. in her sport. At 21 she was on her way toward Olympic qualification. Then disaster struck when she skied over a pine bough and was severely injured to the point of not being able to competitively ski again. “I tripped over a stick, and it was all over,” she said.

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Life took her to California, where she became involved in high-stakes poker played by the rich and famous of Los Angeles. She sought her place in that world.

She studied the game, the players and determined that poker for many isn’t about the money but about the winning and the experience.

While she took steps to keep her game legal, to pay her taxes and otherwise operate above board, her partner began to cheat and ended up taking the operation from her.

She moved to New York to try it again, this time on her own.

She amassed a fortune and discovered the money wasn’t enough. “Money, power, greed — I wanted more, and it didn’t stop. I stopped sleeping. I lost touch with my family. I began doing drugs and drinking. I saw a player lose $100 million in one night.”

Her game drew the attention of the Italian mob and then the Russian mob. She ignored them until she was physically beaten in her apartment, robbed and her family in Colorado was threatened.

Then federal authorities came after her, draining millions from her bank accounts and attempting to coerce her into being a confidential informant, an effort she refused. “I discovered I didn’t like myself when I was running the games. I had to stand on other people,” she said.

Molly Bloom returned to Colorado and determined that “I couldn’t destroy lives to get out of trouble. The mountains taught me how to fall and how to get back up again,” she said.

She left poker, survived legal challenges, wrote her book and found a way to get it in front of Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter, who wrote and directed the movie.

But even the fame from the movie didn’t fill her, she said. “I wanted to matter. I wanted to feel good inside,” she said. She joined a 12-step program and began to put emphasis on community, especially supporting efforts of women to succeed. “I found what I was looking for inside,” she said.

Her father, Larry Bloom, a psychologist and former Colorado State University professor, said he and his wife, Char, were scared as their daughter went through her travails in L.A. and New York. “As a parent, you can’t imagine what it’s like to see a picture of your child in that condition (after she was beaten and robbed),” Larry Bloom said.

“Yet as a psychologist, I’ve never seen a transformation like this. She’s the miracle in our lives,” he said.

Molly Bloom said the unconditional love of her parents “saved my life.”

“Now, what I care about deeply is empowering women, and I want to use this platform to move the needle for women,” she said.