April 24, 2025

Forged by Fire: How Loss, Identity, and Ambition Shape a Trader

Forged by Fire: How Loss, Identity, and Ambition Shape a Trader

In this episode of the Forged Trader Podcast, Gates Adams sits back down with Steve Login from Precision Trading Co. to re-record a conversation once lost.

Steve shares his origin story; from climbing the ranks in insurance to discovering the brutal beauty of trading during the 2016 crypto boom. Together, Gates and Steve explore the journey behind trading success: the emotional roller coasters, the identity crises, the days that crush your ego, and the ones that reaffirm your purpose.


This episode explores:

  • Why trading is the greatest mirror you’ll ever face

  • How losses reveal more about you than wins ever will

  • What it means to become the person your trading goals demand

  • The hidden danger of chasing a number instead of building a process

  • How daily habits, journaling, and pre-trade mindset rituals create long-term success

  • Why growth in life reflects directly in growth on the charts

“You can’t change your identity by willpower. You change it through process.


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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.