Chat With Traders

Latest Episodes:

323 · Alex Temiz - Starbucks Barista to 8-figure Short Selling Strategy May 13, 2026

Show notes

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 approach is built on extreme transparency and a deep respect for risk management, specifically through his "First Red Day" framework.

In this conversation, Alex pulls back the curtain on his evolution from an aggressive gunslinger to a disciplined professional, sharing the psychological shifts and specific setups that allowed him to scale from four figures to eight figures.

In this episode, we explore:
· How Alex Turned $2,000 into $16M+ in Trading Profits
· His transition from working as a Starbucks barista to full-time trading
· The mechanics of the First Red Day strategy
· Why he ignores his "average" to focus on adding to winning trades
· Using broker-level guardrails to protect yourself from ego-driven losses
· How Alex selects the stocks he shorts
· His advice for traders struggling with the psychological pain of risk

About Alex Temiz:
Alex is a professional short-seller and the co-founder of My Investing Club (MIC). Known for his "First Red Day" setup and high-stakes momentum trading, Alex has documented over $16 million in verified profits. He is a vocal advocate for transparency in the trading industry, frequently sharing live trading recaps to help retail traders develop a process-driven approach to the markets.

Links + Resources:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexTemizMIC
X (Twitter): https://x.com/AT09_Trader
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_temiz

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:
Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 

00:00 How Alex Turned $2,000 into $16M+ Day Trading
06:48 Working as a barista while trading
10:08 Discovering Short Selling and finding his edge
15:13 Developing a healthy approach to trading
20:31 When ego takes over a trade
25:18 Capitalizing on the once in a quarter A plus set up
28:55 Becoming comfortable adding to your winner
33:56 Why adding to losers is adding gasoline to a burning house
37:12 Scaling out of size
42:49 The mechanics of the First Red Day
46:03 Still learning from other traders
52:57 What winning looks like for you now
56:06 Where can you find Alex Temiz 

Trading Disclaimer:  

Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice.
 

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322 · Stephen Kalayjian - What 43 Years in the Markets Teaches You Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

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.

From the high-pressure floors of the NYSE and COMEX to trading billions in capital for family offices, Steve’s career is a masterclass in longevity and adaptation. Today, he combines forty years of intuition with his proprietary software to identify the trends and reversals that others miss, proving that while technology changes, the core principles of price action remain the same.

In this conversation, Steve pulls back the curtain on his 43-year journey, sharing the wisdom gained from his very first trade and the lessons passed down from his father. He breaks down the day-to-day routine of a veteran pro, and why building a community is the ultimate edge in a profession that can often feel like a solo battle. 

In this episode, we explore:
· Steve’s 43-year evolution from the American Stock Exchange trading floor to digital markets
· Growing up in a trading family and the lessons learned from his father
· The importance of consistency and risk management
· The creation of his proprietary software to find the edge
· Steve’s perspective on the rise of Prop Firms
· The daily routine and mindset required to trade
· Why being part of a trading community is vital for long-term success
· The biggest changes in market structure over four decades

About Steve Kalayjian:
Steve is a legendary market veteran with over 43 years of professional trading experience. Having traded nearly 2 billion shares over his career, he is a specialist in technical analysis and market forecasting. He is the founder of his own research and software firm, and has appeared on major networks like Fox Business and CNBC, and a dedicated mentor to traders worldwide through his YouTube channel and community.  

Links + Resources: 

Website: https://sktrading.live/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sktradingyoutube
X (Twitter): https://x.com/SteveKalayjian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialstephenkalayjian   

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: 

Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com  

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.
00:00 What 43 Years in the Markets Teaches You
07:44 Did you know that this is what you wanted to do in life?
12:27 Learning about consistency and risk management on his first trade
17:10 Learning from his father
22:12 Creating a trading software to find the edge
26:22 Price leads and Indicators lag
30:36 The biggest evolution in 43 years of trading
34:58 What’s your day-to-day look like?
42:44 What are your thoughts on Prop firms?
48:35 How important it is to be in a community
54:49 Steve's ultimate message to traders
1:01:54 Where can you find @sktradingyoutube  

Trading Disclaimer: 

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321 · Eduardo Briceño - $1,900 Small Cap Trader Hit $2.9 Mil in Profits Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

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.

After starting with a micro account and carrying the weight of supporting his family, Eduardo developed a disciplined approach to the most volatile corner of the market: small caps. Today, his edge is built on experience and his Triad Trading approach, using technicals to guide his decisions while fundamentals give him the confidence to take the trade.

In this conversation, Eduardo pulls back the curtain on his Survival to Success Arc, sharing the specific setups that allowed him to scale a four-figure account into seven figures. He breaks down the fundamentals of his strategy, the penny stock framework, and how he transitioned from trading for rent to trading for generational wealth.  

In this episode, we explore:

· How Eduardo Turned $1,900 into $2.9M Day Trading Small Caps

· Eduardo’s move from Venezuela to the U.S. and trading under extreme financial pressure 

· How he survived the “survival mode” phase without blowing up his account 

· The mechanics behind his Triad Trading approach 

· Why it’s important to learn technical analysis first 

· The importance of building an edge that fits your personality 

· Why confidence in trading is difficult to teach and must come from experience 

· How Eduardo selects the stocks he trades

· Lessons learned from his Biggest Lost

· His advice for beginner traders

About Eduardo Briceño  

Eduardo is a professional small-cap trader known for his remarkable consistency and transparency. Starting with just $1,900, he has documented his journey to $2.9 million in profits over six years. He specializes in momentum strategies and intraday volatility, focusing on the intersection of technical patterns and trader psychology.  

Links + Resources: 

X (Twitter): https://x.com/edu_trades Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edu_trades
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@edu_trades

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: 

Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com  

Time Stamps: 

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 

00:00 How Eduardo Turned $1,900 into $2.9M Day Trading Small Caps
07:57 When Eduardo Decided to Move to the U.S.
12:23 Surviving the “Survival Mode” Phase
15:40 Worst Case Scenario, “I’ll Just Get a Job”
20:23 The Triad Trading Approach
31:28 Why You Need to Learn Technicals First
37:50 Building an Edge That Fits Your Personality
40:50 Why Confidence Is Hard to Teach and Comes From Experience
48:26 History Doesn’t Repeat, But It Rhymes
55:14 How Eduardo Picks His Stocks
59:28 Technical Setups vs Fundamental Confidence
1:04:58 His Worst Loss When He was Tilted
1:13:03 Why Trading Is Such a Tough Profession
1:20:45 Be Disciplined And Stay Adaptable
1:25:45 How Having a Family Changed His Trading
1:36:00 Advice for Beginner Traders
1:38:27 Closing Remarks and Where to Follow @edu_trades  

Trading Disclaimer:

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320 · Stefan Stadie - Sports Betting and Prediction Markets - Through a Trading Lens Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Stefan Stadie is a professional sports trader at Kero Sports whose work sits at the intersection of equities, sports betting, and prediction markets.

After starting his trading journey in equities, Stefan evolved toward a more process-driven approach focused on price, liquidity, and market behavior. Today, his edge comes less from predicting outcomes and more from identifying mispricing, capturing inefficiencies, and operating across multiple markets in real time.

In this conversation, Stefan shares how the same principles—crowd psychology, liquidity, and price discovery—show up across different environments, from stocks to sports to decentralized prediction markets. He also walks through his transition into arbitrage and market making, how he approaches risk, and what it takes to stay disciplined when operating in fast-moving, competitive markets.

This episode offers a different lens on trading—one that challenges traditional thinking around prediction, edge, and where opportunity actually comes from.

In this episode, we explore:

· Why trading principles can transfer across completely different markets

· The role of liquidity and crowd behavior in shaping price

· Moving from directional trading to arbitrage and market making

· How mispricing creates opportunity across fragmented markets

· The reality of being limited or banned by sportsbooks

· Differences between traditional financial markets and emerging prediction markets

· Managing psychology and discipline in fast-moving environments

· Why focusing on price—not opinion—can change your approach to trading

About Stefan Stadie:

Stefan is a professional sports trader at Kero Sports, specializing in market structure, arbitrage, and market making. He also trades equities and participates in prediction markets, applying a consistent framework centered on liquidity, psychology, and price discovery across different trading environments.

Links + Resources:

· X (Twitter): https://x.com/BronzeBeardd

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

● Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 Introduction

04:39 Early life, education and entry into oil & gas
06:18 2020 oil crash and negative crude prices
08:14 Early trading career, swing trades and going full-time
09:18 Trading mistakes, position sizing and risk management
11:33 Trading during the COVID crash and learning resources
12:41 Transition to short selling and strategy shift
14:14 Liquidity events and shorting tactics
16:53 Entry into predictive markets and sports betting
18:23 Arbitrage strategies and OddsJam scanner
21:38 Bans from retail sportsbooks and joining Kiro Sports
26:37 Polymarket, peer-to-peer exchanges and crypto betting
29:04 How prices are set and market-making basics
35:32 Market-making tactics, spreads and target returns
40:31 Directional positions and daily activity in predictive markets
41:43 Parlays, selling parlays and house edge
44:10 Growth, regulation and insider-risk in prediction markets
49:20 Comparisons with financial markets: liquidity, edge and crowds
01:01:54 Gamification, responsible use, psychology and advice for newcomers
01:10:00 Closing remarks and contact information

Trading Disclaimer:

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319 · Sam Gaer - From the Copper Pits to Crypto Derivatives: How Trading Edge Evolves Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Sam Gaer’s career spans several major shifts in market structure — from the open-outcry pits of COMEX to high-frequency trading and now crypto derivatives.

Sam began his career as a teenage runner on the COMEX floor during the gold boom of the early 1980s before becoming a copper pit trader himself. While most traders relied purely on instinct, Sam was already experimenting with technology — building early pricing tools that helped identify inefficiencies in spread markets.

His path eventually led beyond the trading floor into exchange technology and market infrastructure, including building trading software that was later acquired by the New York Mercantile Exchange. In recent years, Sam has focused on crypto markets, where he applies traditional derivatives frameworks to volatility, options, and digital asset trading.

In this episode, Sam shares insights from decades of experience across multiple market regimes and discusses how trading edge evolves as markets and technology continue to change.

In this episode, we explore:

· Getting introduced to markets as a teenager

· Life inside the COMEX copper trading pits

· Early use of computers to price commodity spreads

· Inefficiencies in open-outcry markets

· Building exchange technology and selling Trading Gear to NYMEX

· The transition from pit trading to electronic markets

· Market structure lessons from traditional derivatives markets

· Why Sam shifted his focus to crypto markets

· Opportunities in crypto options and derivatives

· Convexity, volatility, and institutional trading frameworks in digital assets

About the guest:

Sam Gaer, Chief Investment Officer of the Directional Strategy at Monarq Asset Management, has more than three decades of experience across derivatives trading, exchange technology, and quantitative strategy development.

He previously served as Chief Information Officer of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), where he helped modernize the exchange’s trading infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he was a floor trader on the COMEX commodities exchange and later founded Trading Gear, a technology firm whose trading software was acquired by NYMEX. Sam has also launched and managed quantitative trading strategies focused on derivatives and volatility markets, and today works on institutional trading approaches within digital asset markets.

Links + Resources:

· Website: https://www.monarq-am.com

· Email: investors@monarq-am.com

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

Trade The Pool: ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 Intro and Background

01:48 Early career: COMEX runner to copper pit trader
06:40 Programming background and early trading automation
16:19 TradingGear: pivot to exchange software and NYMEX sale / CIO role
21:09 Trading style evolution: scalping to event-driven and electronic trading
23:42 High frequency trading, FINRA experience and entrepreneurship
25:09 Transition into crypto: Katana Financial and early crypto market making
28:01 Crypto derivatives focus: options, convexity and strategies
34:19 Recent crypto market decline: causes, liquidations and regulatory uncertainty
39:51 Institutional adoption, ETFs (IBIT) and market-structure impacts
42:57 Tokenization, real-world assets and digital asset treasuries (DATs)

56:17 Reflections on markets, challenges and use of AI

58:36 Closing remarks and contact information

Trading Disclaimer:

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318 · Dave Mabe - The Shift to Systematic Trading — Building Backtested Confidence Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

When Dave Mabe backtested his strategy, it outperformed his own discretionary trading — and changed how he approached everything. In this episode, we discuss gapping breakouts, expectancy, systematic trading, drawdowns, and the reality gap between backtests and live execution. A practical conversation for traders serious about building durable edge.

In this episode, we explore:

· How Dave got introduced to markets: From early exposure to investing through his family to actively seeking more control over his capital and moving from swing trading into day trading.

· Why rules matter: The transition from discretionary decisions to systematic frameworks — and why trading without a process is a fast path to inconsistency.

· Backtesting as a “superpower”: What backtesting really does for strategy development and confidence in your edge.

· Reconciling backtests with real life: Practical realities of execution, slippage, and market structure — and how to build a feedback loop so your live results get closer to your simulations.

· Drawdowns and mindset: How to handle periods where a strategy doesn’t behave as expected, and why many traders quit in drawdowns rather than at all-time highs.

· Scaling a trading business: The difference between scaling size versus scaling breadth — and why uncorrelated strategies matter.

· Practical first step for systematic traders: How to start adding structure to your trading with backtesting, even if you’re not a programmer.

About the guest:

Dave has been a professional trader and technologist for over two decades. As a former CTO of Trade-Ideas, he has unique experience at the intersection of algorithm design, real-time market data, and automated execution. Outside trading, he writes a popular daily newsletter on backtesting and systematic strategy development, and hosts the Line Your Own Pockets podcast focused on systematic approaches to markets.

Links + Resources:

· Link to Better Backtesting —Dave’s free multi-day email course on building strategies and improving them over time.

· Trade-Ideas, Amibroker, RealTest — examples of backtesting and strategy development platforms discussed in context.

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 Intro and Background

08:29 Stock Selection and Systematic Trading Rules
11:32 Position Sizing, Expectancy and Risk Management
16:50 Discovering Backtesting and First Backtests
18:40 Backtesting Principles, Sample Size and Common Pitfalls
20:34 Gradual Automation and Live Trading Implementation
22:17 Trading Journal and Reconciling Backtest vs Live
27:27 Scaling through Automation: More Trades, Better Results
29:26 Drawdowns, Psychology and Handling Setbacks
34:14 Tools, AI and Software for Backtesting and Coding
39:56 Common Trading Myths Debunked (Partials, Stops)
48:01 Getting Started: Practical Steps, Resources and Closing

Trading Disclaimer:

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317 · John Assaraf - The One That Shows Up — The Identity You Practice Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

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 discussion moves into the neuroscience behind habits, automatic behavior, fear, and why people often snap back to familiar results — even when they know what to do.

This is not a trading tactics episode. It’s a conversation about execution, follow-through, and the human side of performance — in trading, business, health, and life. About the guest:

John Assaraf is a serial entrepreneur who has built multiple multimillion-dollar companies, including helping scale a real estate organization to over $4 billion in annual sales and co-founding a technology company that later went public on the NASDAQ. He is the founder and CEO of NeuroGym, where he focuses on applying neuroscience to performance, habits, and behavior change. John is also the author of several New York Times bestselling books, translated into dozens of languages, and has been featured in films such as The Secret, where many people were first introduced to his work.

Links + Resources:

Free eBook: The Power of Visualization

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 Intro and Background

11:16 Mindset Shift: Interested vs. Committed

11:46 Behavioral Neuroscience and Goal Achievement

16:17 Conscious vs. Subconscious Mind

17:12 Creating Permanent Behavioral Changes

21:22 Emotional Regulation and Decision Making

25:30 Overcoming Self-Sabotage

35:20 AddressingFear in Decision Making

42:37 Inner Size: Exercising the Mind

44:27 Self-Sabotage and Financial Set Points

48:21 The Science of Goal Setting

50:17 Visualizing and Embodying Goals

54:40 How to reach John

Trading Disclaimer:

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316 · The Turning Points That Shaped Great Traders Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Over the years, we’ve recorded hundreds of conversations with traders across different markets, strategies, and generations. And while no two trading paths look the same, certain moments tend to repeat — not moments of big wins or dramatic calls, but quieter turning points. The moments where something shifts internally. Where progress depends less on the market… and more on how the trader evolves. In this special episode of Chat With Traders, we revisit excerpts from past conversations with traders who reached those inflection points — moments that reshaped how they thought about risk, discipline, accountability, and longevity. It’s a collection of turning points — the decisions, realizations, and hard lessons that changed the trajectory of a trading career.

Links + Resources:

Episode039 Tom Dante
Episode236 Lance Breitstein
Episode249 Jack Kellogg
Episode036 Peter Brandt
Episode255 Vincent Bruzzese
Episode212 Kristjan Kullamägi
Episode286 Jason Shapiro
Episode260 Patrick Petersson
Episode259 Lukas Frölich (The Short Bear)
Episode163 John “Rambo” Moulton
Episode250 Sunny Harris

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 – Intro and Background

01:10 — Tom Dante - A moment of accountability that forced change — and lit a competitive fire.
02:35 — Lance Breitstein - Why the best traders bet exponentially when the odds are truly skewed.
04:00 — Jack Kellogg - The cost of obsession, burnout, and relearning how to live after the grind.
05:25 — Peter Brandt - Market tuition, mistakes, and committing fully to a process (Featured in Jack Schwager’s Market Wizards)
06:55 — Vincent Bruzzese - How wealth mindset — not strategy — shapes risk and decision-making
08:25 — Kristjan Kullamägi - Scaling up, earning the right to push risk, and long-term conviction 09:55 — Jason Shapiro - Contrarian trading, positioning over prediction, and embracing discomfort (Featured in Unknown Market Wizards)
11:25 — Patrick Petersson - The lesson learned at absolute rock bottom — and the cost of not cutting losses.
12:55 — Lukas Frölich (The Short Bear) - Running trading like a business — and how progress compounds quietly.
14:25 — John “Rambo” Moulton - Detaching from money to trade with clarity and consistency
15:55 — Sunny Harris - Taking control after realizing professionals can lose, too.
17:30 — Closing reflections
20:20 — Outro / End

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

Trade The Pool: http://www.tradethepool.com

Trading Disclaimer:

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315 · Jamaal Ghauri - From Early Crypto to 0DTE Options: Fast Money, Fast Reality Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

We’re joined by Jamaal Ghauri, a trader and fund manager who began his journey unusually early — first exposed to crypto markets as a teenager during Bitcoin’s early adoption phase, before moving into stocks and eventually options.

Jamal walks through the full arc of his development as a trader: early overconfidence, aggressive options bets, a rapid run-up followed by a major drawdown, and the hard lessons that ultimately forced him to rethink risk, position sizing, and process. From there, he explains how he rebuilt by focusing on more structured setups, volatility awareness, and consistency over time.

We discuss the evolution of his core strategies — including swing trades, breakout-style setups, and short-term options structures — and how those approaches are now applied within a multi-strategy fund he launched in 2025. Jamal also shares how he thinks about trade distribution, win rates versus loss severity, and why discipline and risk management ultimately mattered more than finding the “perfect” setup.

As always, this conversation is about understanding how a trader thinks, how strategies evolve over time, and how real-world risk shows up differently than it does on paper.

Links + Resources:

Connect with Jamaal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamaal-ghauri-282947172/

Time Stamps:

Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads.

00:00 – Intro and Background

02:37 – Early Interest in Financial Markets

07:08 – Transition to Stock Trading

08:46 – Early Stock Trading Experiences

09:37 – Shift to Options Trading

10:32 – Learning Options Trading

11:22 – Developing a Trading Strategy

14:51 – First Successful Trades

19:04 – Account Growth and Setbacks

21:00 – Impact of the COVID Crash

32:06 – New Trading Strategies Post-Crash

37:24 – Becoming Profitable

38:22 – Performance in 2022 and 2023

41:07 – Establishing a Hedge Fund

44:40 – Hedge Fund Strategies

50:34 – Current Challenges and Advice

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

Trade The Pool: ⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠

Trading Disclaimer:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

314 · In the Middle: The Demons We Trade With Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

A quiet, end-of-year reflection on the middle stage of trading — where progress is subtle, patterns are familiar, and the real work happens internally.

Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast:

● Trade The Pool: ⁠⁠⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠⁠

Trading Disclaimer:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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