Coen Stehouwer

Peak Performance Trading Coach & Trading Psychologist

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Every trader wants the same thing:

Results.

But not every trader is willing to do what it takes to get them.

At its core, profitable trading requires two things:

A strategy with a proven edge.
The ability to execute it consistently.

And for many experienced traders, #2 is where everything falls apart.

FOMO.
Overtrading.
Revenge trading.
Hesitating on valid setups.
Taking too much risk.

Breaking rules you created when you were thinking clearly.

Having an edge is one thing.

Being able to execute that edge when money, uncertainty and emotions are involved is a completely different skill.

That’s where trading psychology comes in.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Youtube link: https://t.co/ahYnuZa5mY

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

10 years working in psychology.

3 years working specifically with traders.

Here are some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about the mind and how they apply to trading:

1. Knowing your rules doesn’t mean you’ll follow them under pressure

2. A winning trade isn’t always a good trade
Confidence built on P&L disappears when your results turn

3. Emotions aren’t the problem. Acting on them is
Your environment can make discipline easier or almost impossible

4. Your biggest trading mistakes usually have predictable triggers

Trading psychology isn’t about becoming emotionless.

It’s about understanding your own patterns well enough to make better decisions when money, uncertainty and pressure enter the equation.

I break down these lessons and how to apply them in my latest video (see link in comment)

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

@BrightFunded 🤝

[BrightFunded @BrightFunded]

What if your winning trade was actually a bad trade?

And the one that lost was exactly what you should be doing?

Judging every trade by P&L can teach you some dangerous lessons.

@coen_stehouwer, trading psychologist, explains why the outcome doesn’t always tell the full story.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

@MoneyshaFx @BrightFunded Yeah 100%

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

@BrightFunded Nice work!

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Traders spend hundreds of hours improving their strategy.

Refining entries.
Backtesting setups.
Perfecting risk management.

Then real money is on the line…
and they do the exact opposite of what they practiced.

Move their stop.
They close too early.
Take trades that aren’t in their plan.

Not because they don’t know better.

But because knowing what to do and executing it under pressure are two completely different skills.

You don’t have a strategy problem if your strategy works on paper but you can’t execute it consistently.

You have an execution problem.

And another 100 hours of backtesting won’t fix that.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

The difference between a profitable trader and a losing trader?

It’s not that one has more discipline.

It’s how they respond to their mistakes.

Most traders have a bad day and tell themselves:

“Tomorrow I just need to be more disciplined.”

“I really need to stick to my plan this time.”

“I need to be harder on myself.”

But if that worked, you probably wouldn’t have made the same mistakes dozens of times already.

Consistency doesn’t come from being harder on yourself.

It comes from understanding why you break your rules, recognizing the patterns behind it, and building systems that make those mistakes less likely to happen again.

So stop asking yourself:

“How do I become more disciplined?”

Start asking:

“What causes me to lose my discipline, and what can I change to prevent that from happening again?”

That’s the difference between hoping you’ll trade better tomorrow…

and actually becoming a better trader.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Weak impulse control, and low energy, equates to a bad life

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

One skill separates profitable traders from the losing 95%, and it doesn't have anything to do with strategy.

The skill is simple but not easy:

Emotional Recovery speed.

- Fast recovery after a loss.
- After a stressful moment outside trading.
- After a big win that makes you overconfident.

That speed is your real edge.

[BrightFunded @BrightFunded]

This is why one losing trade feels so painful...

Your brain isn't trying to make you a better trader.

It's trying to protect you.

The key is learning to judge your decisions, not just your results.

📸: @coen_stehouwer

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Overtrading feels productive.

But it’s just emotional noise in disguise.

No A+ setup?

No trade.

That’s the habit that builds consistency.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Great traders don’t fight emotions.

They use them.

Fear shows you're risking too much.

Greed shows you're not following the plan.

Emotions are signals.

Not enemies.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Demo success means nothing if you crumble live.

The problem isn’t your setup.

It’s your psychology under pressure.

Your beliefs about money.

Your fear of loss.

Your need to prove yourself.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Most traders journal their entries, exits, and PnL.

But never their emotions.

And that’s why they stay stuck.

You don’t need more data.

You need more awareness.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Your winning streak isn’t the reward.

It’s the test.

That’s when overconfidence creeps in.

That’s when risk gets sloppy.

That’s when traders fall apart.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

Perfectionism in trading doesn’t look like excellence.

It looks like hesitation, frustration, and burnout.

Let go of the need to prove something.

Focus on executing clean.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

The biggest lie in trading?

“That loss means I suck.”

No — it means you’re human.

Losses don’t define you.

But your reaction to them? That’s where your edge is built.

Journal that and learn from it.

[Coen Stehouwer @coen_stehouwer]

You think you're managing risk.

But you're actually managing emotion.

Your drawdown protocol isn’t just for your account.
It’s for your mind.

Because when your brain feels safe,
You stop sabotaging good trades.