1 The Story
Psychology as a trainable skill
Dr. Brett N. Steenbarger (born 1954) is an American clinical psychologist — with a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and a background as a professor of psychiatry — who became a full-time performance coach for trading firms.1
He has coached traders at hedge funds, proprietary groups, and banks, and written The Psychology of Trading, Enhancing Trader Performance, The Daily Trading Coach, and Trading Psychology 2.0 — applying evidence-based clinical techniques to trading.1
2 The Big Idea
Consistency is trained, not born
Treat performance like an athlete: deliberate practice, review, and concrete routines.
Steenbarger's message is hopeful and practical: trading success isn't a personality you're born with — it's a skill built through deliberate practice, honest self-review, and good routines. He brings rigorous clinical methods to the work of becoming your own best coach.1
3 The Method
The Steenbarger approach
Deliberate practice
Improve on purpose — work specific weaknesses, not just screen time.
Review your own trades
Journal and study your trades like an athlete reviews game film.
Build routines
Concrete pre-market, in-trade, and post-market processes create consistency.
Be your own coach
Apply evidence-based techniques to manage emotion and reinforce good habits.
4 Try It Today
Test the idea for yourself
A no-risk exercise
After your next paper trade, write a short review: what did you do well, what would you change, and one specific thing to practise next time? That simple trade → review → improve loop, repeated, is the core of Steenbarger's method for becoming your own coach.
5 The Books & Their Big Ideas
What they wrote — and what to take from it
6 Watch & Read
Go deeper
- TRADERMark Douglas & Alexander Elder — kindred voices on trading psychology.
- CONCEPTRisk & Position Sizing
- BOOKThe Daily Trading Coach
§ Sources
- "Brett N. Steenbarger," EBC Financial Group profile — ebc.com; and his books (The Daily Trading Coach, 2009).