What if the trade that finally changed everything... was the one you almost didn’t take? In this episode, Gates Adams sits down with his coach-turned-friend Kevin to unpack the messy, emotional, and ultimately redemptive journey from blowing accounts to requesting his first $50K payout, all in under five months. After a long hiatus, Gates returns to the mic with a story too powerful not to share, his own. In this episode of The Forged Trader, Gates opens up about hitting rock bottom, walking away from trading, and what made him come back. Spoiler alert: it all started with a desperate call to Kevin. Kevin, host of Futures Fever on Benzinga and veteran trader with the Bullish Bears community, joins to share his side of the journey, how he went from learning during a medical leave to becoming a trusted trading coach and educator. Together, Gates and Kevin explore the dark emotional rollercoaster that is the trader’s life and the mindset shifts that finally led to consistent wins. Takeaways: You’re not alone: Every trader struggles with bad habits, emotional decisions, and self-doubt. Bad behavior can be profitable, but it will cost you eventually. Mentorship matters: The right coach can collapse time and accelerate learning. Add don’t replace: Once you find something that works, build on it instead of chasing new shiny strategies. You don’t need a finance degree to succeed, just discipline, structure, and self-awareness. “Being rewarded for bad behavior is one of the worst types of reinforcement you can get as a trader.” If this episode hit home, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with a fellow trader, subscribe to The Forged Trader, and take 5 minutes to journal the one mindset shift you know you need to make. You’ll thank yourself later. Connect with Gates Adams: Facebook Apex Trader Funding -- RISK DISCLOSURE: Futures and Forex trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading, and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE DISCLOSURE: Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. In fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. For example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses is material points, which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program, which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results, and all of which can adversely affect trading results.
