Amar Al Naimi and Molly Carlson reveal their approaches to success
What does it feel like to be here at the World Final, seeing 40 teams of innovators from around the world?
Awesome, because I remember back in the days when I was trying to do something: there was no one giving me advice or saying, “OK, let’s take the first steps together.” So I had to do it myself. And I think it’s fantastic that these teams are coming together with other people who are awesome and maybe can advise them in some way.
This is such an inspiring event, with these innovators literally trying to change the world. They’re thinking bigger than I’ve ever seen before, and learning about their ideas has honestly changed my life in these short few days.
Even though you are well-known sporting professionals, you’ve both thrived as entrepreneurs as well. How does that inform what you’re telling these new founders at Red Bull Basement?
I run Brave Gang, which is my company that promotes mental health. And you don’t have to jump off a cliff to feel brave. You’re allowed to celebrate bravery on every level. You’re allowed to be kind to yourself, even on the hard days. I’m someone who struggles a lot with my mental health, and I never want anyone to feel alone on the journey. And also, seeing all these projects inspires me to keep going myself.
I worked my way up from the very bottom. This was really, really groundwork. I was living on the streets, and from there on, I was going all the time, because I had a motivation and I had nothing to lose. And if you don’t have something to lose, you just go for it. You try. If you fail, you get up and go ahead, again and again and again. If you believe in it, even if no one else does, it will work out. I always wanted to be self-employed and I made it happen.
Molly, besides the expert mentorship and resources available here, what else have you noticed?
The peer-to-peer collaboration is beautiful! Yes, it’s a competition, but at the end of the day everyone wants everyone to pitch as best they can. Every time I’ve won when someone has made a mistake, I’ve felt like I won because of that. But when you win an event where everyone’s done amazing, you feel on top of the world.
Molly Carlson jumps off a cliff during competition in Italy
© Ricardo Nascimento / Red Bull Content Pool
Amar, as a mentor here at the World Final, what have you been looking forward to seeing?
I’m enjoying looking into the faces of people who are inspired. Who wear their vision. In my industry, I’ve seen a lot of people who maybe tried, but not really tried. But I think the teams here do believe, and they are on the peak of their wave, because they won their national final. So they already came here with a good feeling, and this week gives them a lot of chances.
Also, even though there will be a winning team, everyone here is a winner. And this is also what I’m looking forward to: taking people by the hand and telling them, “OK, this is a path you can take, and there’s 1,000 other paths you can take, too; but let’s see what works best for you.” That’s the most important thing.
Amar, as part of a Red Bull Basement panel discussion, you talked about dealing with negative attitudes. Can you share your thoughts on that topic?
I’m allergic to naysayers, because people always try to go the easy way, and the easy way is to say no. By saying no, they think no one will ask more questions. I would say that 90 percent of people are naysayers at some point, whether it’s about something emotional or business or whatever. But you have to be a yes-we-can-do-it sayer. Just focus on yourself, and have people around yourself – this is also really important – who say, “Yes, we can do it.” And sometimes it may not be the perfect result; but it is a result, and from there you can learn. You never fail, you just learn.
Molly, as one of the global judges, what do you think will make an idea stand out for you?
There’s five of us global judges, and we all come from very different backgrounds. I was actually having a bit of anxiety and impostor syndrome. But as someone with 6 million followers, I know what works and what doesn’t, and the algorithms. Will a project be creative enough to stand out? That’s what we’re really expecting, this creativity level. Is it something we’ve never seen before? Will it kind of change the world? I think everyone’s a bit nervous, but they have these great ideas. And whether they win or not, all these innovators are going places. This is a great experience for them to know what’s out there and how to get there.
Molly, the 40 national finalist teams are probably feeling like they themselves are at the edge of a cliff now, as they look toward potentially making a final pitch to you and the other global judges. What would you say to help them be at their best?
I’d tell them that you’re still going to have fear. I’ve learned through cliff diving that it never goes away. It’s actually supposed to be there to protect you, and you just get comfortable the more you do it. So embrace it, recognize that it’s allowed to be there, stand on the edge of that cliff, and give it your best shot. Take your moment. I really think we’re going to see some life-changing ideas.