In this insightful episode of Band of Traders, Kyle hosts traders Baba Yaga, Bear Goes Long, and special guest Richard Friesen, author of A Private Conversation with Money, to explore the psychological layers of trading and managing burnout. Baba Yaga reflects on stepping back from live trading rooms, revealing how reduced screen time and a focus on family restored mental clarity and improved his trading performance. Bear shares his disciplined approach to trading within a one-hour window, emphasizing process over outcome to curb emotional tie. Richard introduces his "golden keys" framework—awareness, acceptance, agency, and process focus—to help traders navigate self-doubt and external pressures. The group discusses the pitfalls of tying self-worth to P&L, the power of physiological "tells" in trading, and aligning trades with deeper life values. Packed with practical strategies and candid stories, this episode offers traders a roadmap to sustainable success and emotional resilience.

Stop It - Bob Newhart

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Rich Friesen:

Richard Friesen works with professionals and business leaders who want to increase their personal effectiveness with joy and grace. His neuroscience based Mind Muscles™ model gives his clients the opportunity to reach their goals with online training, simulations, interactive exercises, group support and real time decision processes.

Richard has been a futures broker for Merrill Lynch, a floor trader on the CME, CBOT and the options floor of the Pacific Exchange where he built and sold a successful options trading firm where he served on the Exchange’s board of directors. He also founded and built a financial software company and is the inventor of ten significant trading interface patents. This combined with his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, Neurolinguistic Programing Master’s certification and neuroscience focus, brings a unique framework to business, investing and career success. Rich recently published “A Private Conversation with Money,” which observes the main character “Joe” who deals with all the conflicts, self-sabotage and belief systems around money and wealth.

Follow Rich on Twitter

Mind Muscles for Traders website

Alpha Presence Course Link

Book - A Private Conversation with Money

Baba Yaga:

Solving problems, helping set goals, and refining processes is the bulk of Baba's passion. He does that in many contexts ranging from nonprofits to real estate firms and everything in between. He focuses on market structure through the lens of TPO charting and executes based on volume, misplaced large orders, and delta. He loves the opening range breakout and typically trades the market from the “inside out”. 

Follow Baba Yaga on Twitter

Bear:

Bear made the transition from investing to trading at the beginning of COVID. After initial success with options, he quickly learned that his luck was greater than his skill and shifted his focus to futures. Bear has fully embraced the role of emotions and mental capital with the mindset that trading futures is purely an internal struggle that rewards patience, calm, bravery, focus, passion, and commitment. Beyond markets Bear finds joy in his community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

Follow Bear on Twitter

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