Since 2018, Sean has served the financial community as Chief Options Strategist for All Star Charts, sharing his unique style of options trading, leveraging the best-in-class technical analysis offered by the All Star Charts research team.
In all endeavors, Sean has been consistent in building a support system around himself and for others that he wishes he had when he started out back in 1998.
Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Michael Martin on his Trader Mindset podcast for a deep and honest conversation about what it really takes to trade in volatile markets.
One of the biggest takeaways I shared — and something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately — is that these days, I’m more focused on finding strategies to keep my head on straight than I am on searching for new trading strategies with some theoretical edge.
Because here’s the hard truth: without a clear, steady mindset, even the best strategy in the world will eventually fail me.
Of course, Michael and I also dug into how volatility — especially as measured by the VIX — shapes the playing field for traders, particularly those of us in the options world. We explored how elevated VIX levels impact trade selection, timing, and risk management, and why high volatility environments demand a different, more nimble approach.
One of the key themes we kept circling back to was the psychological side of trading. Because let’s face it: when the market’s flying all over the place and my P&L is jumping around just as fast, my internal state can become my biggest...
This weekend, I shared a story about a young woman who asked me how she could set herself up for future financial success. I told her that the best education comes from living life fully—scars, stories, and all. Your response to that post was overwhelming, and I’m grateful for the thoughtful feedback. Today, I want to highlight one reader’s note that struck a chord and dive deeper into what it means to embrace our “life education.”
A reader, Julius, wrote to me with this reflection:
I agree with you about life. From my experience and perspective, the greatest education doesn’t come from school, books, courses, or TED talks but from living life to the fullest…
As you stated, the best education comes from the life you have lived and the scars to show for it. Then you’re left with the story to tell about it. Years ago, I stopped thinking of those scars as mistakes, failures, or regrets. Instead, I think of them all as outcomes…
Had I kept beating myself up over all my so-called mistakes and failures,...
