Meet Molly Cain | Endurance Athlete | TBI survivor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Molly Cain and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Molly, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?

The business idea for UnsinkableMollyCain is multi-faceted with SMILE #UWokeUp.

In 2012, I was in a coma and paralyzed, with the outcome being I sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). After about three weeks in a coma (not medically induced), I finally woke up – but it was an additional week or so before I saw myself in the mirror for the first time, with a big purple and blue bruise around my eye and my mouth beautifully deformed from fracturing the right side of my face. I thought, who would want to be friends with me, talk to me, date me, and the list of questions funneled through my brain. That night, I went to bed and dreamt of my higher powers. The following day, SMILE #UWokeUp was plastered on my face. This was it; I woke up. I could change, fix, and maneuver anything I saw fit. So, the journey began.

I am 1% of traumatic brain injury survivors to regain life the way I have, so I founded a nonprofit in Northern Colorado to help other individuals like me who might not have the same opportunities. The nonprofit is called SMILE #UWokeUp, which stemmed from my dream. And we focus on the survivors’ movement. This can be movement of the eyes, hand dexterity, lower extremities, and aqua movement.

A large piece of what we do is provide support to other survivors and their families, caregivers, friends, etc. So, I founded UnsinkableMollyCain Life Coaching to assist TBI-ers in finding their new “normal” and owning their new lifestyle.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I am an entrepreneur who is a TBI survivor.

Being 1% to regain life the way I have. I did not stop there; I took this one step further to help my TBI family. I Founded a nonprofit to support local survivors, families, and anyone battling head trauma. This was where our mission and purpose stemmed from. Finding loopholes in survivors’ needs opened many more doors to local community support and partnerships. Allowing us to grow our Movement mission in helping survivors continue taking their first steps. We’ve grown our program to provide local survivors with running/walking shoes focusing on stability, balance, and gait with Runners Roost of Fort Collins. Providing eye movement and hand dexterity sessions with Artisan You to create ever-lasting pottery pieces. And Raintree Athletic Club will hold Aqua Movement water aerobic classes involving local PTs and OTs.

Throughout my healing journey, while supporting and helping others, I stumbled upon another love and way to lead loudly. I wanted to push myself to the extreme mentally and physically to see what I was truly capable of. So, I became an endurance athlete: in Ironman Triathlons and Ultramarathons.

None of this was easy, no. But I race to inspire other survivors to see what goals they can accomplish. Along this process of the TBI and being an endurance athlete, I learned what it meant to be dedicated to the healing process and journey, structure, discipline to reach goals, and faith that everything will come together – there are no accidents.

2023 will be the biggest season of a lifetime. As I will stand on the start line for Desert Rats 50K (April), Quad Rock 25 mile (May), Great Divide 100K (June), Triple By-Pass (July), Never Summer 60K (July), Ironman Madison (September), and Yipee Ki Yee (October), Through this epic season, I hope to inspire other survivors to take their first step, even when their landing place is unknown.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Suppose my best friend was visiting Colorado and was here for a week. We would start by visiting downtown, Old Town, Fort Collins, and the Exchange. In the Exchange, you’ll find various dining options (but my favorite is Primrose), put-put golf, ice cream, and a brewery.

After she was here for an evening, we would wake up the following day and cruise to the mountains. I’d want to set up an epic trail run in the high country, preferably Leadville, visiting Turquoise Lake by paddleboarding and dabbling in dispersed camping. Of course, a fire would be in order if there were no fire ban; with Phoebes, of course, my English creme Golden Retriever.

After our Leadville adventures, we would head back to Fort Collins by going through Buena Vista and taking HWY 285. On this journey, we’d stop at my favorite pizza joint and brewery, Eddyline. Finally, we’d cap our day trip off by checking out the Arkansas River and the adrenaline junkies soaking up the waves and rays.

This whirlwind of a few days is enough to make anybody tired. However, we would just be getting started – we haven’t even visited Horsetooth out yet. The morning after we returned, we would do another trail run in Horsetooth Res, Lory State Park, parking the car at the Soderberg lot. We’d run up Towers Road, 3.5 miles with 1,700 vertical gains, roughly down the unnamed trail to Horsetooth Rock, to Wathan, up Spring Canyon to Mill Creek, to Arthurs Rock, down Herington, to Mill Creek, Loggers, Sawmill, Stout, and back to Soderberg lot. Finishing our trail run with 18-22 miles and 6K vertical gain or more. End this adventure by picking up Phoebes, going to Stodgy Brewing, and eating delicious food truck cuisine – hopefully vegan tacos- while enjoying an ice-cold IPA and listening to live music.

We’d do the BEST Cajun breakfast Sunday before she left at Lucile’s and enjoy a hot mocha latte.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Kevin Pearce. Kevin was an excellent pro snowboarder who had a horrific crash in 2009 during a training run in Park City, UT, where he sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since his accident, he has led and paved the way for other TBI survivors through his Love You Brain yoga movement.

Without Kevin, I would have never gotten back on my board, returned to coaching team gymnastics, had faith within to start a nonprofit, or taken the extra leap and become an endurance athlete.

Website: www.smileuwokeup.org | www.unsinkablemollycain.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smile_u_wokeup/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-cain-53422168/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molly.cain.148/