Prague, December 2024 — I walked into the Vodafone PlayZone Arena and felt it immediately—the electricity, the focus, the quiet determination of traders from across Europe, all gathered for one purpose: to compete, to win, to prove something to themselves.
This was my first time experiencing a live trading competition, and I’ll be honest—I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be cutthroat? Intense? Isolating?
What I witnessed was something entirely different.
The Unexpected Energy of Competition
The Euro Trading Cup brought together traders from Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and beyond. Some came with friends and family cheering from the sidelines. Others came alone, headphones on, ready to lock in. But here’s what threw me off, yet made me feel proud to be part of this moment:
They celebrated each other.
Even as they competed for $10,000 in prizes and 100K funded challenges, there was a sense of camaraderie I didn’t expect. When someone made a great trade, you could see others nodding in respect. When someone got knocked out of a round, their competitors would pat them on the back, offer words of encouragement.
This wasn’t just about winning. It was about being in the arena together—facing the same fears, the same market volatility, the same internal battles that every trader knows too well.
And as I watched these traders, headphones on, eyes glued to their screens, bodies tense with focus—I was reminded of the importance of the work I’m doing along For Traders.
Before I get into the competition results and what happened at the event, I need to tell you something I shared for the first time at the Euro Trading Cup.
My brother, Luis, passed away almost five years ago.
He was one of the top baseball pitchers in Venezuela, representing the country internationally and earning scholarships to play in the United States. After three arm surgeries ended his playing career, he pivoted. He became one of the top scouts in Major League Baseball in Latin America—working for teams like the Blue Jays, the Mets, and the LA Dodgers. He earned three World Series rings.
But in our last conversation before he passed, I could hear it in his voice: the anxiety, the stress, the weight of it all.
His life, his family, depended on his performance. He had to be laser-focused—looking at stats, velocities, projections. One bad decision, one missed prospect, could cost a team millions of dollars.
And lately, I’ve been wondering: Did he ever have someone to talk to?
When you’re dealing with that much pressure, that much at stake, you need the right people around you to process what’s happening. I often wonder if I had the professional capacity back then to help my brother. Maybe it would have made a difference. Maybe not.
But I do know this: When I sit down with traders, I hear that same anxiety, that same stress, that same tone in their voice.
And that’s why I’ve made it my mission not just to help high performers, but to accompany them in finding balance. Because focusing only on winning—on that one big trade—while ignoring everything else? It’s not sustainable.
You will crash. Or something in your life will crash.
New Year, New Trader: The High-Performance Reset
After the competition the second round, I had the honor of presenting to the traders and audience: “New Year, New Trader: The High-Performance Reset”—a framework for mastering your mind, breaking old patterns, and making 2026 your breakthrough year.
I’ll be honest—I was nervous. This was the first time I publicly shared the story about my brother. But as I looked out at the room full of traders—some exhausted, some defeated, some on top of the world—I realized: They’ve all been there. They understand.
The Framework: Three Parts to Sustainable Excellence
Part 1: The Audit (Looking Inward)
The first step is getting real with yourself. No sugarcoating. No excuses.
I walked them through questions like:
- What story am I telling myself about my trading?
- What emotions come with those stories?
- Who is the person telling these stories?
Then we challenge those answers. We interrogate. We dig deeper. Because this is where the magic happens—where you give yourself permission to see a different reality.
Part 2: The Architecture (Redefining Success)
This is where I introduced what I call The Success Circle—and it visibly shifted something in the room.
We’ve been told our whole lives that Success = Winning. But elite performers who sustain excellence over years, not just moments, know that success is actually three things working together:
- Outcome — The trophy, the profit, the recognition
- Performance — Your personal growth (Am I better than yesterday?)
- Process — The tiny, unsexy habits no one sees
The Success Circle moment that changed everything:
This circle isn’t a hierarchy but a balance that shifts depending on context, ALWAYS CONTEXT!
For example, during this competition for some traders all they cared about was the outcome, and that is totally ok, because in that moment, their circle might be 80% outcome-focused. But two weeks ago in practice? It was probably 70% process-focused, building the foundation for this moment.
Part 3: The Revolution (Moving Forward)
The final piece: Understanding what YOUR circle needs to look like right now, and how to get there.
When you have a balanced approach, you build:
- Resilience — Setbacks become stepping stones, not roadblocks
- Mental Well-Being — Lower anxiety, less stress, less burnout
- Sustainable Growth — You last decades, not just years
Real Talk with Javi Figueroa: The Panel That Got Vulnerable
Right after my presentation, we sat down for a panel discussion with Javi Figueroa from Spain—a finalist who had just been knocked out in the second round.
The timing was raw. He was still feeling all the emotions: disappointment, frustration, but also pride for making it that far.
What struck me most wasn’t what he said (honestly, the specific details blur together)—it was the feeling of that conversation. Here was a trader who had just lost, sitting in front of a room full of his peers, willing to be open and vulnerable about it.
We talked about the importance of having a routine. About his journey as a trader. About how patience—something he didn’t naturally have—became something he had to consciously work on.
And we talked about celebrating the win of just getting there, even when you don’t get all the way.
That conversation embodied everything I had just presented: The courage to show up, even in defeat. The willingness to look inward. The commitment to the process, not just the outcome.
Slovakia Dominates: The Final Showdown
The competition itself was structured in three intense rounds:
- Round 1: 8 warriors entered
- Round 2: Top 6 advanced
- Final Round: 2 Slovak traders battling for the crown
And then it happened—the final round between two traders from Slovakia, both laser-focused, both fighting for everything.
I was right there watching. And what hit me was this: All that hard work, all those hours in front of the screen, all the losses and lessons—it all came down to this moment.
And regardless of who won, they had both already won by being there.
The Champions:
🥇 1st Place – Jakub Šimo (Slovakia) 19 years old. A scalping beast who trades NQ & Gold. He came just to test himself… and left with the title, $5,000 USD, and a 100K challenge.
🥈 2nd Place – Tomas Kucma (Slovakia) 35 years old, 5 years grinding Gold intraday, built his own trading community. Pure determination earned him $3,000 USD and a 100K challenge.
🥉 3rd Place – Gergely Meláth (Hungary) 30-year-old bank manager by day, high-volatility hunter by night (XAU, DJ30, USDJPY). Discipline on another level—$2,000 USD and a 100K challenge.
Slovakia dominated the podium this year. Congratulations to all three, and to every single trader who stepped into the arena.
What's Coming in 2026: AI, Innovation, and Coaching
After the competition, Jakub Ross, CEO of For Traders, took the stage to unveil what he’s calling “2026: The Year of AI and Innovations.”
For the past six months, the team at For Traders has been working on a complete upgrade of the trader experience, set to launch in Q1 2026:
- AI-powered tools to enhance decision-making
- Increased speed and platform performance
- Crypto trading integration
- Prediction markets for diversified strategies
- And the piece I’m most excited about: High-Performance Coaching
Introducing: High-Performance Coaching
Starting in 2026, traders will have access to:
✅ One-on-one video coaching sessions with me ✅ Personalized trading psychology assessments ✅ Custom mental training exercises tailored to your challenges ✅ Performance tracking and goal-setting frameworks ✅ 24/7 email support for questions and breakthroughs
And here’s the best part: Elite Funded Traders will receive one complimentary coaching session every quarter as part of their For Traders benefits.
This isn’t just about strategy. It’s about accompanying you in finding balance—the kind of balance I wish my brother Luis had access to. The kind of balance that helps you sustain excellence without burning out.
I hope traders experience clarity through this coaching. I hope they find a partner who’s ready to help them navigate whatever challenges they’re facing. Because you don’t have to do this alone.
Final Words...
This event reminded me why I do this work.
The traders I met in Prague aren’t just competitors. They’re a special breed of humans who face mental and emotional challenges most people will never understand. Your determination, your resilience, your willingness to keep showing up even after devastating losses—that’s what makes you extraordinary.
I got to sit with traders. I got to hear their struggles, their wins, their fears. I got to be real with them—and they got to be real with me.
And here’s what I realized: I want to show up more. Not just in coaching sessions, but in creating content that traders can immediately take and act on. Practical tools. Real strategies. No fluff.
If the Euro Trading Cup taught me anything, it’s that we’re stronger together. Trading can feel isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. When we share our stories, our struggles, and our breakthroughs—we all rise.
I’m deeply grateful to Jakub and Lenka Roz for giving me this incredible opportunity, and to the entire For Traders team for being so supportive and believing in this vision.
As We Head Into 2026, Remember This:
Big performances are nothing more than thousands of tiny pieces, all put together.
Your breakthrough year won’t be one big moment. It’ll be the accumulation of small, consistent choices—made even when you didn’t feel like it, even when the world felt like it was against you.
Allow yourself to celebrate your journey. Celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Because if it wasn’t for all those stepping stones, you wouldn’t be the person you are today.
Keep going. You’re not alone in this.
Let’s make 2026 legendary—not because we have to, but because we get to.
Your Turn: Ready to Reset for 2026?
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I need this. I need to look inward. I need to find my balance”—I’ve got something for you.
You picked up this playbook for a reason. Maybe you’re exhausted. Maybe you’re hungry for more. Maybe you’re tired of the same patterns holding you back.
Whatever brought you here—that’s your starting point.
This isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming the most sustainable, resilient version of YOU. The trader who doesn’t just survive the markets, but thrives in them for years to come.
Inside the playbook:
- The Audit: Questions to challenge your current stories
- The Success Circle Framework: Find your balance
- Daily High-Performance Rituals: Practical habits to implement immediately