Steve Nison transformed the global financial landscape after discovering an obscure 300-year-old Japanese charting method while working as a technical analyst in the late 1980s. From translating 14 rare Japanese texts with the help of a chance-encounter translator to generating the highest-performing track record using secret candlestick signals at Merrill Lynch, he built his legacy by bridging ancient Eastern price action with Western technical analysis. In this episode, he breaks down the historical journey from the Dojima Rice Exchange to modern trading platforms, his foundational "Trading Triad" framework, and why managing emotion and risk is far more critical than predicting individual chart patterns.

Jeff Holden transformed his early trading journey into becoming the Head of Trader Development at SMB Capital, where he has helped coach prop traders into seven and eight figure performers. From finding personal motivation in childhood lessons about financial control to working at SMB Capital, he built his edge on structural discipline, baseline scalping, and dynamic risk allocation. In this episode, he breaks down how great traders are actually developed, the step-by-step ASET protocol for trade execution, and how to transition from defensive baseline trading to aggressively sizing up on rare A+ setups.

Steve Quirk transformed his origins as a 1987 Chicago pit trader into his role as Chief Brokerage Officer at Robinhood, where he helps oversee platform capabilities for over 27 million customers. From navigating open-outcry trading floors to scaling industry-defining retail platforms like thinkorswim and TD Ameritrade, he built his edge on disciplined risk management, worst-case scenario analysis, and continuous learning. In this episode, he breaks down the evolution of market structure, the psychological shift required to accept being wrong 50% of the time, and how removing friction like the Pattern Day Trader rule levels the playing field for everyday investors.

Peter Brandt transformed his start at ContiCommodity Services into a legendary five-decade career as a premier classical chartist. From the open-outcry pits to founding Factor LLC, he built his edge on process, discipline, and classical price action. In this episode, he breaks down the myth of high win rates, capping risk at 60–70 basis points per trade, and how to survive the learning curve as a master craftsman in speculation.

Paul Scott built a career across commodities and forex markets spanning over three decades after entering the London Metal Exchange pits at just 16 years old. From navigating high-adrenaline market panics to mastering floor-based price discovery under his father, LME legend Harry Scott, he built his edge on human intent and raw market logic. In this episode, he breaks down the transition from pit noise to digital screens, why technical indicators are mostly noise, and how to master capital preservation to survive the learning curve long enough to scale.

David Capablanca pursued architecture for a decade, culminating in studying under a Pritzker Prize winner at UCLA, before a life threatening brain tumor, massive medical debt, and student loans forced him to completely reevaluate his life.

Jason Berry discusses what it takes to maintain multi-decade longevity in futures markets, drawing on insights from a 27-year career and verified records featured in Market Wizards: The Next Generation. He explains how the most consistent traders align their execution with strict risk rules, share surprising order-flow edges that generated exceptional returns, and explore why effective team collaboration often matters more than trading in isolation.

Peter Robbins transformed a 50-year trading career from an ambitious 15-year-old requiring a parental signature into a legacy of market longevity. From battling massive 1970s commission costs to navigating the historic shift from open outcry pits to the digital age, he built his edge on self-awareness and an unwavering business-first discipline. In this episode, he breaks down his 50-Year Market Evolution, the mechanics of aligning strategy with personality, and how to transition from chasing the "Holy Grail" to mastering the internal execution game.

Peter Robbins transformed a 50-year trading career from an ambitious 15-year-old requiring a parental signature into a legacy of market longevity. From battling massive 1970s commission costs to navigating the historic shift from open outcry pits to the digital age, he built his edge on self-awareness and an unwavering business-first discipline. In this episode, he breaks down his 50-Year Market Evolution, the mechanics of aligning strategy with personality, and how to transition from chasing the "Holy Grail" to mastering the internal execution game.

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.

Steve Kalayjian started his journey on the floor of the American Stock Exchange in 1983, a time when the noise of the pits was the only heartbeat of the market. Over the next four decades, he didn’t just witness the evolution of trading, he conquered it, trading nearly two billion shares of U.S. stocks and surviving every major market cycle.

Eduardo Briceño came to America from Venezuela with nothing but a dream, survived years of trading under survival-mode pressure, and turned $1,900 into $2.9 million in profits.

Most people approach sports betting as gambling. Stefan Stadie approaches it like a trader—focusing on mispricing, liquidity, and execution across sports, equities, and prediction markets.

When a systematic version of Dave Mabe's strategy outperformed his own discretionary trading, it reshaped how he approached markets. That shift led him toward automation, scaling from hundreds of trades per year to thousands, and developing multiple uncorrelated strategies to manage drawdowns and long-term durability.

This episode focuses on the moment intention gives way to instinct. In a wide-ranging conversation, John Assaraf reflects on the internal mechanisms that shape follow-through — from identity and automatic habits to fear, comfort, and commitment. Drawing on both personal experience and decades of work in behavioral neuroscience, John explores why people often return to familiar outcomes despite clear intentions, and what it actually takes to sustain change across trading, business, health, and everyday life.

In this special episode of Chat With Traders, we revisit turning points from past conversations with traders who reached those moments and came out different on the other side. Featuring excerpts from Tom Dante, Peter Brandt, Jason Shapiro, Kristjan Kullamägi, Lance Breitstein, and more, this episode explores the decisions, realizations, and hard lessons that reshaped how these traders approach risk, discipline, and longevity. Progress doesn’t stop. It evolves.

From early crypto exposure as a teenager to options trading and launching a multi-strategy fund, Jamal Ghauri shares the hard lessons behind his evolution as a trader. We discuss rapid gains, painful drawdowns, risk management, and how he approaches swing trades, breakouts, and short-term options structures today.

How Liquidity, Leverage, and Market Structure Drive Crypto Crashes

Returning guest Vincent Bruzzese — trader, former statistics professor, poker player, and Hollywood behavioral analyst — on navigating one of the strangest and most narrative-driven markets in recent memory. Vincent shares candid insights on trader psychology, discipline, market structure, and why mindset determines nearly everything.

Christian returns to discuss how his Box Strategy has matured—and how patience inside consolidation has become his strongest edge. From navigating a critical health condition to sizing up, he shares what discipline looks like both in life and in the markets.

How one trader built consistency - and a life of freedom and simplicity in Southeast Asia - with a 30% win rate.

In Search of the Next Fund Manager with Market Wizards Author Jack Schwager & Emanuel Balarie (FundSeeder)