What Trading Can Learn From The Body Keeps the Score

with Steven Goldstein and Mark Randall

A trader knows the right move — and physically can’t make it. This episode is about why, and what trauma research reveals about performing under financial risk.

Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score has become required reading in trading circles — not because trading is trauma, but because the same nervous system mechanics trauma research has mapped in detail also govern how traders behave under pressure. Steven Goldstein and Mark Randall break down five lessons from the book and translate each one directly into the language of risk, drawdowns, and decision-making under threat.

What you’ll learn

• Why the rational, decision-making part of the brain goes offline under perceived threat — and why “just follow the plan” fails in the moment

• How neuroception, the nervous system’s unconscious scanning for danger, shows up as physical sensation before a trade goes wrong

• Why a single catastrophic loss can fragment a trader’s whole sense of self, not just their P&L

• Why journaling and post-mortem analysis alone rarely change behavior — and what bottom-up, body-based work adds

• Why co-regulation with another person, not solo reflection, is often what lets a dysregulated nervous system reset

“The market doesn’t care about your story, but your body is keeping score whether you’re listening to it or not.”

Timestamps

0:07 — Cold open — welcome back

1:00 — Setting up the book & Lesson 1: The rational brain goes offline under threat

13:38 — Lesson 2: The body knows before you do

30:13 — Lesson 3: One bad hit can fragment the whole story

41:20 — Lesson 4: Talking about it isn't enough on its own

50:53 — Lesson 5: Safety in relationship is what lets the system recalibrate

1:02:54 — Close & sign-off

Resources mentioned

• The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

• thealphamindpodcast.com — full back catalog and where to subscribe

The AlphaMind Podcast explores the behavioral and human side of taking and managing risk, hosted by Steven Goldstein with Mark Randall. New episodes and the full back catalog at thealphamindpodcast.com.

AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global Markets
AlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets.

Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities.

Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

In 2000, a young Japanese trader named Takashi Kotegawa (better known as BNF) began trading small-cap stocks from his bedroom with just $13,500. Eight years later, he had turned that modest stake into a staggering $153 million.

This legendary feat serves as the anchor for a recent viral X post by veteran trader Ryan Scott (aka The Flow Horse). Ryan’s post (linked below) argues a provocative truth: despite the cynics, it remains entirely possible to build a fortune in the markets. But if the opportunity is real, why do so few actually succeed?

In this episode, we welcome back veteran trader Matt "Pax" Kenah to dissect this debate. We explore the deep psychological, mental, and behavioral hurdles all traders face, specifically focusing on the challenges of transitioning to a home-trading environment and the discipline required to become one of the elite few who truly thrive.

Links:
Ryan Scott (Horse) @TheFlowHorse - The Post: You Can Make a Fortune Trading - Don't Let Anyone Tell You Otherwise

Find out more about Matt and the PAX group at https://thepaxgroup.org/
You can follow Matt on Twitter at https://twitter.com/paxtrader777

AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global Markets
AlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets.

Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities.

Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

“When a trader stops trying to fix themself, and starts understanding themself, that's when trading can really transform. “ – Andrew Menaker – The AlphaMind Podcast

In this episode, we explore how performance coaching transforms traders’ mindsets, sharpens decision-making under pressure, and builds routines that sustain a long-term edge.

Hosts Steven Goldstein and Mark Randall sit down with performance coach and professional trader Andrew Menaker to examine the psychological shifts that drive lasting improvement in trading performance.

While many view trading as a technical challenge—charts, systems, strategy—Andrew argues the greatest gains come from transforming the person behind the P&L. Through coaching, traders develop self-mastery, which produces clearer decision-making, healthier risk-taking, and greater resilience—leading to significant improvements in performance.

Andrew Menaker Links:

Website: https://andrewmenaker.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-menaker-phd-b2870323/

X: https://x.com/Andrew_Menaker/

AlphaMind Links

Website: https://alpha-mind.net

Email: info@alpha-mind.net

X: https://x.com/AlphaMind101

Linkedin - AlphaMind Hosts:

Mark Randall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrandallconsultancy/

Steven Goldstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-goldstein-060a4913/

AlphaMind Newsletter: https://alphamind101.substack.com/

AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global Markets
AlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets.

Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities.

Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.