Ingmar

TRUE STORY The Hardest Trader to Trust Was Myself I’ve coached some of the best traders in the world—funded, nine-figure, famous, elite performers. And for a long time, that made it harder, not easier, to trust myself in my own trading. This is a story about self-trust, not from a client—but from my own journey. When you coach elite traders, you see behind the curtain: The speed. The conviction. The massive gains. Even though I had decades of experience and success myself… Part of me always wondered: “Am I really as good as them?” That voice—subtle, persistent—kept me second-guessing. It wasn’t about trading knowledge. It was identity-level: “You’re a psychologist, not a killer instinct trader.” “You’re better at helping others than executing yourself.” ~ Imposter syndrome in disguise ~ The irony? The more I helped others develop self-trust, the more I noticed how little of it I had left for myself. I knew what to do. I taught what to do. But I didn’t trust me to do it under pressure. That’s when I realized: Self-trust can’t grow without self-acceptance. As long as I saw myself as “less than” those I coached… I’d always trade with a chip on my shoulder. Trying to prove something. And sabotaging my edge in the process. I stopped chasing their style. I started honoring my strengths—how I see flow, how I think in patterns, how I use A/VWAP, volume profile, market structure, and multiple timeframes. I stopped trying to trade like the killers. And started trading like myself. That shift changed everything: My execution became cleaner. My emotions had room to breathe. My identity no longer needed validation from performance. I wasn’t trading to prove anything. I was trading from a place of grounded self-respect. Self-trust isn’t the absence of doubt. It’s the presence of alignment. You earn it by showing up for yourself. But you unlock it when you stop needing to be someone else. To any trader secretly wondering: “Am I enough?” Yes. But only when you stop using others as your mirror. You’ll never trust yourself until you accept who you already are. If this resonates, you're not alone. Even those of us who teach this work… Still have to live it. Every day. —Dr. Andrew Menaker #tradingpsychology #selftrust #traderjourney

Sustainable success in trading is really about a journey deep into your SELF. Most traders are not prepared for this, and spend most of their time/energy on the market, not on what really matters #tradingpsychology #tradermindset

TRUE STORY: When Recognition Becomes a Trap: A True Story from the Inside In 2012, I was honored to be featured in the book Traders at Work: How the World’s Most Successful Traders Make Their Living in the Market. It was humbling to be alongside legendary names like @PeterLBrandt @LindaRaschke @AnneMarieTrades and @ToddFGordon - 16 traders in total, all with verified performance. The chapter on me focused on my trading style—anchored VWAP, volume profile, and multi-timeframe analysis. The interview captured my thinking, my process, and at the time, my results. But here's what most people don’t know: Shortly after the book was published, I hit one of the deepest drawdowns of my career. The irony wasn’t lost on me. A book about success… followed by a season of struggle. That season taught me four things I didn’t fully understand until I lived them: Pride sneaks in quietly. Recognition can puff the ego, and ego distorts clarity. Humility is a superpower—not just personally, but as an edge. It’s what keeps you listening to the market, not just yourself. Public recognition creates pressure—to maintain, to outperform, to “prove” you belong. That pressure subtly hijacks decision-making. My risk management suffered. Position sizing, in particular, became more aggressive. Not because the setup warranted it—but because the ego did. The real lesson? The market doesn’t care what books you’re in. It will always reward presence over pride… humility over hubris… and process over persona. And for any trader navigating visibility: don’t confuse being seen with being centered. #tradermindset #tradingpsychology #tradingperformanceWhenTRUE

S > Sleep E> Eat E> Exercise E> Emotions > S.E.E.E U can SEEE the mkt more clearly & improve performance when you SEEE better. #tradingmindset #tradingpsychology $ES_F $NQ_F $QQQ $SPY

U ask yourself questions: Why am I feeling this way? What's it tempting me to do & is that on plan? What do I usually do when I feel this way? And how does that usually work out? Knowing this about me, what are my options now?

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