Michael Martin: A Tribal Inner Game

Sean McLaughlin
June 28, 2024

Born with an entrepreneurial spirit and temperament, Michael grew up in a working-class community full of blue-collar, salt-of-the-earth people who worked honest days for an honest wage. And it rubbed off on him. How could it not? 

In order not to be a financial burden on his family, he knew he needed to get out there and hustle. He shoveled snow, mowed lawns, caddied, and worked as a server and waiter. He worked 15 hours a week while in college so that he could earn a degree from Columbia University.

While his peers were coasting through school with trust fund cash bankrolling their adventures, the only free time Michael had was spent in the library, reading books, writing papers, and repeating.

His blue-collar work ethic paid off to this point. But making the transition into the “white-collar” world of finance wasn’t easy.

He had to tell himself that the hard part was just getting started. “Don’t worry about Step 2 until I get there. Then I’ll figure it out.”

As an early expert in the growing spreadsheet software technology, Michael found ways to make himself usual and eventually parlayed his early data mining skills into his first jobs in finance.

But it wasn’t until he placed a cold call to legendary Market Wizard Ed Seykota that everything changed for Michael. 

Seykota eventually invited Michael to join a “Trading Tribe” that would meet twice monthly for more than two years. But it took commitment. It meant a flight and an overnight stay each time. And once he arrived at the meetings, each attendee went deep exploring feelings “to the nth degree.” This was a group of people meeting to get uncomfortable to trigger breakthroughs. Yes, they were (mostly) all traders, but rarely did they talk about trading tactics. It was about uncovering their true limiting factors so that they might be dispatched, without any money on the line.

And that’s just the beginning. 

The amount of trading wisdom learned through experience that comes through when talking with Michael is transformative.

Please enjoy this incredibly powerful chat with Michael Martin.

 

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