EP 112: The Dark Side of Trading with David Veprek
Can anyone really trade without emotion? David Veprek doesn’t think so, and he has 20+ years of professional trading to back it up.
In this episode, Kim Ann Curtin sits down with David, a small cap short-bias trader she first met through Gregg Sciabica and later coached, for a candid look at the side of trading most people won’t post about online. David is refreshingly open about how hard the game can be, and how that honesty helps other traders feel less alone.
Together they get into:
- Why “trade without emotion” is a dangerous myth, and what traders should aim for instead
- What a full emotional spiral actually looks like at the desk: frustration, revenge trading, sizing up, and the self-sabotage talk that follows
- The specific changes David made this year, from a position-sizing guide and playbook check to refusing to “size up into a loss”
- How a big loss carries a hidden opportunity cost that can bleed into the next day and the next week
- Building guardrails that fit your own personality and risk tolerance, not someone else’s
- Why the rules you set when you’re calm will feel like “crazy dogmatism” in the heat of a trade, and why that’s exactly the point
- Separating your identity from your P&L: your account balance is not a verdict on who you are
If you’ve ever frozen at the desk, hit it, or called yourself stupid after a trade went against you, this one is for you.
A note: David speaks openly about his experience with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression, and how they shape his relationship with trading. This is his own story, shared to help others feel less alone.
Ready to work on your own trading psychology? Book a call with Kim at https://thewallstreetcoach.com/book
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:09 — 48.3MB)