Stephanie Barros

Stephanie is an inspiring and passionate certified high performance coach, facilitator, speaker and international best-selling author with an insatiable appetite for continuous learning; is approachable, engaging and has a particular interest in the high performance of Trader psychology – having lived with one for the past 20 years. For over 25 years, Stephanie has created sustainable high performance cultures driving results consistently over the long term. She has worked in the corporate world with a variety of individuals, teams and functions. Stephanie is focused on the personal and professional development of individuals and teams. Stephanie has extensive experience in Information Technology, Finance as well as Human Resources. She has worked in the Healthcare, Property and Financial Services industries and has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and Master of Business (Information Technology Management) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Certified by the High Performance Institute, Stephanie coaches individuals and teams from her extensive experience, she facilitates workshops in high performance, captivating communications, personal and professional leadership development. Stephanie speaks to small and large audiences on a breadth of topics including having delivered a TEDx talk on Making Connections.
How to Control Emotions in Trading: Fear, Greed & Performance Anxiety

How to Control Emotions in Trading: Fear, Greed & Performance Anxiety

Why Emotions Are Killing Your TradesLet’s get real. If you’ve ever looked back on a trade and thought “What was I thinking?” then you’re not alone. Most traders know what they should do. But when real money’s on the line, fear, greed, hesitation, and second-guessing hijack the wheel. Emotions turn promising trades into costly mistakes. They convince you to skip that stop-loss… double down when...

What Is Trading Psychology? The Key to Consistent Profits and Emotional Control

What Is Trading Psychology? The Key to Consistent Profits and Emotional Control

It’s Not Just About the Chart PatternsLet’s start with the uncomfortable truth: Your brain, not the market, is the real battleground. You could have the sharpest strategy, the slickest software, and more screens than NASA, yet still find yourself sabotaging your trades. That’s where trading psychology steps in. It’s the missing piece most traders never realise they’ve been fighting against:...

The Silent Superpower: Why Delayed Gratification Is Every Successful Trader’s Secret Weapon

The Silent Superpower: Why Delayed Gratification Is Every Successful Trader’s Secret Weapon

If you’ve ever felt like trading was a cruel game of hurry-up-and-wait, congratulations, you’re not broken. You’re experiencing one of the most vital skills in the trader’s toolbox: delayed gratification. And if you can embrace it, it’ll do more for your trading account than any hot tip or flashy new strategy ever could.The Tension Between Now and LaterLet’s be honest, waiting is hard....

The Confidence Trap: Why Perfectionism Will Kill Your Trading (And What to Do Instead)

The Confidence Trap: Why Perfectionism Will Kill Your Trading (And What to Do Instead)

You’ve read the books. You’ve watched the videos. You’ve even highlighted a few promising strategies on your spreadsheet. So why aren’t your trades clicking? Let’s be blunt—if you’re stuck constantly researching, fine-tuning, “almost ready,” and second-guessing yourself before you hit the buy button, you're likely trapped in the perfectionism loop. It looks like productivity. It feels like...

Blame – The Hidden Saboteur Killing Your Trading Confidence (And How to Break Free)

Blame – The Hidden Saboteur Killing Your Trading Confidence (And How to Break Free)

Let’s cut straight to it: if blame is part of your trading routine, it’s quietly wrecking your results. It creeps in after a losing trade. It flares up when markets move unexpectedly. And it robs you of the one thing every successful trader needs—agency. Blame is like a slow leak in a tyre. It doesn’t explode. It just steadily flattens your confidence until one day, you’re stuck on the side of...

Why You Resist Doing What You Know You Should The Hidden Psychology Sabotaging Your Trading

Why You Resist Doing What You Know You Should The Hidden Psychology Sabotaging Your Trading

The Battle Behind the ChartsEver found yourself staring at your trading rules, nodding your head… and then doing the exact opposite? You’re not alone. The real battle in trading isn’t with the market. It’s with ourselves. We know we should cut losses. We know we should follow the system. But somehow, we still sabotage our own success. This article dives deep into the psychological tug-of-war...

Expanding Beyond a Single Trading Strategy with Confidence

Expanding Beyond a Single Trading Strategy with Confidence

Imagine this: You’ve spent months, maybe years, fine-tuning a single systematic trading strategy. You’ve backtested it, refined it, and finally—finally!—it works. You’re consistently profitable, and for the first time, trading doesn’t feel like a rollercoaster of stress and uncertainty. And then, someone suggests you add more strategies. Wait, what? Why fix something that isn’t broken? What if...

How to Stay Confident When the Market Corrects Heavily

How to Stay Confident When the Market Corrects Heavily

Imagine you’re watching the market like a hawk, and suddenly, prices nosedive. Your heart skips a beat. Should you sell everything? Should you buy more? Should you shut your laptop, pretend it never happened, and pour yourself a drink? Every trader has been there. The stock market doesn’t move in a straight line. It rises, falls, and sometimes drops like a rock off a cliff. But here’s the...

Why Willpower Is Overrated in Trading (and What to Do Instead)

Why Willpower Is Overrated in Trading (and What to Do Instead)

Most traders believe success is all about discipline and willpower. They think if they just push harder, force themselves to follow their rules, and "stay strong," they'll finally become profitable. Sound familiar? If you've tried that approach, you already know where it leads—frustration, burnout, and a string of impulsive trades you swore you'd never take again. But what if I told you that the...

Algorithmic Thinking: The Secret Weapon for Smarter Trading Decisions

Algorithmic Thinking: The Secret Weapon for Smarter Trading Decisions

Every trader, whether a beginner or seasoned professional, has faced the inner turmoil of making split-second decisions in a volatile market. Doubt creeps in. Emotions spike. And just like that, logic flies out the window. But what if I told you that the same mental algorithms that help you decide what to eat for dinner or which route to take to work could be fine-tuned to supercharge your...

Trading Confidence Starts Small – How to Overcome Analysis Paralysis and Finally Go Live

Trading Confidence Starts Small – How to Overcome Analysis Paralysis and Finally Go Live

If you’ve ever stared at your trading screen, questioning every decision, hesitating to click "buy" or "sell," and feeling like your brain is spinning in a washing machine of analysis—welcome to the club. You’re not alone. This mental roadblock is called analysis paralysis, and it’s a silent killer of trading dreams. Many traders—especially analytical ones—get stuck overanalyzing their trades to...

Unlocking Trading Confidence: Why Asking the Right Questions Transforms Your Success

Unlocking Trading Confidence: Why Asking the Right Questions Transforms Your Success

The Real Edge in Trading Isn't Just in the MarketsMost traders spend their time hunting for the right answers - what stock to buy, what strategy to follow, how to optimize their risk. But what if the real breakthroughs in your trading journey didn't come from finding the right answers, but from asking the right questions? This shift in perspective changes everything. Because here's the truth:...