Trading Derivatives and the Shame-Based Fear of Being Ordinary

It’s November 2010 on the Goldman Sachs trading floor in New York City. Just two years removed from the depths of the Global Financial Crisis, but you would never know it. The stock market has nearly doubled in the last 18 months, the Federal Reserve has freshly announced its second round of Quantitative Easing, and it feels like one big party on Wall Street. [from the opening paragraph of the article, Trading Derivatives and the Shame-Based Fear of Being Ordinary]. 

In this episode, Hari interviews Michael on the reflection Michael wrote sharing his experiences on the trading floor. They discuss the insatiable need for admiration, shame as a fuel, our loss of freedom, how to be humble, the movement toward authenticity, and how to overcome the shame-based fear of being ordinary.

Links:
Upbuild Coaching Training (six-month program, starts October 19th)
Enneagram Workshop (October 4-5, 2025)
Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild