Chat With Traders is your key to the minds of trading's elite performers. Start listening to learn how a diverse mix of traders went from zero to hero, how they successfully trade markets today, and get their best tips 'n pointers for profitable performance, plus much more. Note: You are responsible for your own trading decisions—this is not financial advice.
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Peter Robbins is the author of The Trader’s Journey. He entered the financial markets 50 years ago with nothing but a dream, his friend, and a parental signature to trade the markets, surviving decades of tectonic shifts to navigate the transition from outcry trading to the digital age. After starting out at age 15 and carrying the weight of massive commission costs back in the 1970s, Peter developed a deeply disciplined, business first framework across multiple asset classes from day trading fu...
Alex Temiz turned a $2,000 account into over $16 million in trading profits, starting from nothing as a part-time Starbucks barista. In this episode, he breaks down the real journey: the years of losing, how he transitioned from long breakouts to short selling, and the mechanical "guardrails" he used to survive long enough to succeed. After selling the rims off his car just to fund one last attempt at the markets, Alex discovered his edge in the volatility of momentum exhaustion. Today, his appr...
In this episode, legendary trader Steve Kalayjian recounts his remarkable 43-year career, beginning on the American Stock Exchange. He shares pivotal lessons on consistency and risk management learned from early trades and his father, and details the evolution of his trading approach, including building proprietary software. Steve also discusses the impact of prop firms, the necessity of a supportive trading community, and his passion for mentoring traders worldwide, highlighting the mindset and discipline required for long-term success.
Eduardo Briceño shares his incredible journey from $1,900 to $2.9 million trading small caps, overcoming early financial pressure and account blow-ups. He details his "Triad Trading" approach, emphasizing statistical edges, disciplined risk management, and the crucial role of mindset and adaptability for long-term success. Eduardo also discusses the importance of community, continuous learning, and finding fulfillment beyond profit.
This episode features Stefan Stadie, who bridges financial markets and sports betting, detailing his journey from equities to professional sports trading at Kiro Sports. He discusses how core principles like liquidity and crowd psychology are universal, regardless of the market. Stefan also explains his evolution from directional trading to arbitrage and market making, highlighting opportunities in fragmented prediction markets and offering insights on managing risk and maintaining discipline.
Sam Gaer's extensive career spans significant market shifts, from open-outcry pits to high-frequency trading and now crypto derivatives. He discusses his early use of technology to exploit market inefficiencies, his role in building exchange software for NYMEX, and the evolving nature of trading edge. The episode also delves into the unique opportunities and challenges in crypto options, convexity, and the dynamics of institutional adoption, including recent market declines and the future of tokenization.
Dave Mabe, a veteran trader, shares his journey from discretionary to systematic trading after realizing backtested strategies outperformed his intuition. He details the transition to rules-based trading, the essentials of backtesting, and practical steps for automating and scaling a trading business. The discussion also covers managing drawdowns, debunking common trading myths, and the crucial role of diversification and continuous strategy adaptation for sustained success.
In this episode, Ian sits down with John Assaraf , entrepreneur, behavioral neuroscience educator, and founder of NeuroGym , for a conversation about the invisible forces that shape performance — long after planning, analysis, and good intentions are in place. John shares his personal journey from a turbulent upbringing to building multiple multimillion-dollar businesses, and the pivotal moment at age 19 that reframed how he thought about success, identity, and commitment. From there, the discus...
Chat With Traders revisits pivotal moments in successful traders' careers, highlighting internal shifts rather than market events. The episode covers diverse turning points, including the importance of accountability, managing burnout, understanding market tuition, developing a wealth-oriented mindset, and effectively scaling trading strategies. It also delves into contrarian approaches, the critical lesson of cutting losses, treating trading as a business, and detaching emotionally from money for clearer decisions, concluding that trader evolution is key to enduring success.
This episode features Jamaal Ghauri, who shares his remarkable journey from early crypto exposure and aggressive options trading as a teenager to managing a multi-strategy hedge fund. He candidly discusses his early overconfidence, a rapid account growth followed by a devastating blow-up, and the hard lessons that led him to prioritize risk management, position sizing, and structured setups. Jamaal details the evolution of his strategies, including contrarian swing trades, breakout setups, and advanced zero DTE SPX butterfly strategies, highlighting the importance of discipline and adapting to market dynamics.
Tessa reflects on her decade-long trading journey and introduces the often-unspoken "middle stage." She explores its quiet discomfort, subtle internal shifts, and lack of clear external resolution, drawing parallels to a K-pop song about listening to inner "demons." The episode emphasizes persistence, internal refinement, and finding clarity in this often-challenging phase of a trader's development.
Doug Colkitt, with a background in traditional HFT and modern DeFi, explains the mechanics of crypto market failures. He details how leverage, disappearing liquidity, and liquidation cascades turn volatility into systemic issues. The discussion includes insights from the October 2025 crypto massacre, market maker behavior, and the role of insurance funds and new exchange designs like Ambient Finance in mitigating future risks.
Vincent Bruzzese, known as Hari Seldon, returns to share his unfiltered insights on the current market's irrationality, highlighting how sentiment and narratives often overpower fundamentals. He discusses the critical importance of discipline, identifying defensible trades, and cultivating a "rich mentality" by letting winners run while cutting losses quickly. Vincent also reveals his core trading strategy focused on market analysis, relative strength, and daily charts, and explains how his Real Day Trading community aims to provide genuine education amidst widespread scams, stressing that mastering trading requires significant time and dedication.
Christian Carreon shares his remarkable recovery after a life-changing kidney transplant, highlighting the discipline forged through adversity and applied to his trading. He details his refined "Box Strategy," focusing on tight risk management and identifying A-plus setups within consolidation. The episode covers his shift to cash flow day trading and growth-oriented swing trading, emphasizing patience, structure, and emotional control, while offering practical advice on managing market events and adapting strategies.
Dr. Efrat Levy, a cybersecurity expert with a PhD in AI, leverages machine learning to identify "hidden order flow" by detecting subtle timing and volume anomalies from big players. Her unique system generates non-repainting, single-tick key levels, and she trades when multiple correlated assets react synchronously at these precise points, aiming for low drawdown. She also discusses managing trading psychology and the advantages of a systematic approach, drawing parallels between detecting hackers and market manipulation.
Diego Cortes Lopez, an American expat trader living in Southeast Asia, shares his journey from a promising tennis career to becoming a profitable stock trader. After a six-figure setback and years of trial and error, he rebuilt his approach by unlearning bad habits and adopting Oliver Velez's methods. He now focuses on daily support/resistance, clean reversal signals, and asymmetric risk-to-reward, proving that consistency stems from mastering risk math and keeping both trading and life simple, even with a low win rate.
This episode features Jack Schwager, author of the Market Wizards series, and Emanuel Balarie, co-founder of FundSeeder, exploring the qualities of elite traders, including exceptional performance, rigorous risk management, and a continuous adaptation mindset. They delve into why strategies like trend following face modern challenges and the paradox of fundamental analysis conflicting with risk control. Emanuel then explains how FundSeeder, now part of RQSI, identifies and nurtures undiscovered global trading talent through analytics and its accelerator program, helping them transition to managing outside capital.
Mario Dimitroff, a full-time trader from Bulgaria, shares his journey from competitive gaming to high-win rate scalping in the US pre-market. He discusses how his gaming background honed his pattern recognition and fast decision-making, which he applies to news-driven, event-based trades. The episode also covers his early failures, crypto market experiences, the importance of a strong mindset to overcome imposter syndrome, and strategies for avoiding drawdowns.
This episode features Michael Katz, CEO of Trade the Pool, who demystifies online funding prop firms. He explains how these firms provide traders with access to substantial capital while limiting personal risk to evaluation fees. The conversation delves into the firms' multi-faceted business models, their emphasis on trader education, and the unique hybrid approach to live trading. Katz also shares success rates, discusses how structured rules cultivate better trading habits, and reveals upcoming platform innovations.
Julian Komar discusses his two decades in trading, detailing his evolution from complex German products to specializing in US momentum and growth stocks. He highlights his three-layer analysis: technicals, fundamentals, and the underlying company story, providing examples and explaining the importance of 'sister stocks.' Julian also delves into risk control, navigating drawdowns, and the psychological aspects of trading, stressing that discipline, self-awareness, and managing emotional mistakes are paramount, rather than just market tools or comparing performance.
Kyle Ng details his 14-year trading evolution, from early losses and blowing accounts to becoming a successful full-time trader. He highlights the critical role of processes, risk management, and patience, attributing his breakthrough to mastering trade management and strategically utilizing online prop firms. Kyle also discusses the ICT methodology, the importance of market context, and the mental discipline required to navigate market drawdowns and achieve long-term success.
Veteran trader Chris Vermeulen discusses his evolution from day trading to a calm, calculated position trading strategy, emphasizing technical analysis, market vibration, and cycles. He explains how he navigates market shifts, leveraging insights from various asset classes and managing risk by scaling positions. Chris also challenges conventional buy-and-hold diversification, advocating for an "asset revesting" approach focused on owning assets in confirmed uptrends to protect capital and achieve consistent returns with minimal emotional stress.
Dylan Maltman, an intraday futures and forex trader, details his path from high school to founding Apex Capital. He stresses the importance of understanding quantitative strategy logic, rigorous backtesting to avoid over-optimization, and the nuances of order flow analysis for identifying market edge. Dylan also distinguishes between traditional prop firms and funded accounts, and offers vital advice on risk management, position sizing, and cultivating a positive trader's mindset for long-term success.
In this episode, options trading veteran Erik Smolinski returns to discuss intricate options strategies, including pre-earnings volatility plays. He provides detailed feedback on a host's strategy, stressing the importance of data-driven decisions, disciplined loss-taking, and managing risk in volatile markets. Erik also shares insights on the psychological mindset required for options traders, the role of futures, and his innovative use of AI for refining trading models.
In this candid conversation, seasoned trader Patrick Petersson highlights the critical importance of community engagement and clear, simplified trading education to navigate market volatility and avoid common pitfalls. He critiques superficial trading advice and the misleading nature of some prop firm "success" stories, advocating for real money experience and a disciplined approach to achieve financial independence beyond just trading. Patrick stresses continuous learning and adapting to market conditions, urging traders to "not die" by stagnating in their development.
Michael Martin discusses his unique path, starting with a strong blue-collar work ethic, his initial fear of financial abundance, and how he transitioned into trading commodities on Wall Street. He shares invaluable lessons on managing high commissions, developing effective risk management strategies like progressive exposure, and the psychological battle of letting winners run. Martin critiques Wall Street's culture, highlights the importance of execution over knowledge, and explains why trusting price action and personal responsibility are paramount for long-term trading success.
Christian Mayer, an institutional systematic forex trader, shares his journey from initial losses to developing a robust fixed-size, mean-reversion strategy. He emphasizes the importance of a "structural edge" in assets, like commodity-linked FX pairs, and how fixed position sizing, rather than compounding, helps minimize exposure to fat-tail risks and black swan events. Mayer also delves into the psychological challenges of managing prolonged drawdowns in systematic trading and his future plans for strategy diversification.
Cody Yeh, an engineer-turned-trader, discusses his unique approach to financial markets, emphasizing capital preservation and sustainable growth over speculative gains. He outlines his three core strategies—"fast, medium, and slow money"—which involve options trading (bull/bear spreads, selling puts) and long-term buy-and-hold investments. Cody also shares insights on navigating market volatility, the role of a supportive team, and why he avoids leverage and high-risk meme stocks, drawing wisdom from legendary investors like Warren Buffett.
Psychologist and active trader Dr. Brett Steenbarger returns to discuss his latest insights, including the concept from his new book, "Positive Trading Psychology," which advocates building on strengths rather than solely addressing weaknesses. He shares frameworks for objective self-coaching, identifies key traits of elite traders, and offers advice on adapting to dynamic market conditions. The conversation also explores the future of discretionary trading in the AI era and the profound impact of cognitive style on a trader's psychological well-being.
Steve Ruffley, a seasoned professional who transitioned from an intense trading floor to retail, reveals his unique approach to the markets. He discusses the importance of speed, size, and an "animal-like" focus for achieving five-figure gains in minutes. The episode delves into the contrasting mindsets of professional vs. retail trading, the challenges of scaling up, and how to filter market narrative to find your true edge.
