In Episode 10 of the Pipped Off Podcast, Mike and Alex finally meet in person for the first time and record live from a pub in Holborn, London, just before Christmas. Over pints of Guinness and a bit of background noise (not helped by them eating crisps!), they look back on a wild year of trading, prop firm payouts, blown accounts and crypto disasters.​Across this chaotic, honest pub chat, they dive into:🔴How they first met, the ABL education community, and the infamous Trump/Melania meme coin punt that cost Alex nearly his life savings.​🔴The reality of prop firms in 2025/2026: FTMO warnings, Funding Rock promos, fivers discounts, small vs big accounts, and why rinsing and repeating prop challenges can work if you stay disciplined.​🔴AI, jobs and trading: will AI kill retail trading or just make markets more efficient while human emotion still creates opportunity?​🔴Why community matters more than ever as trading gets lonelier, and how in‑person meetups, masterminds and groups can keep traders sane.​🔴Anonymous trading confessions: chasing the “first win high”, blowing payouts in anger mid-argument, fake female trader accounts, S&P leveraged “money managers”, and dads getting scammed by 18‑year‑old “gurus”.​The audio isn’t studio‑perfect, but the conversation is raw, unfiltered and very on‑brand: trading, mistakes, laughs, crisps and Guinness.

Episode 9 is heavy. Mike's 100k FTMO account that he rescued last week? Blown on Friday afternoon on gold. Then we go deep on identity, life purpose, and whether money actually matters when you're profitable but miserable.

Topics covered:
🔴 Mike blew his 100k account RIGHT AFTER we stopped recording (leverage addiction is real)
🔴 Mike's done trading until 2026 (hard stop for the year)
🔴 Live podcast episode plans for London (pub recordings, Guinness, chaos incoming)
🔴 Gold at all-time highs – is it a trap or the real move?
🔴 Should you trade futures instead of CFDs? (complexity vs. opportunity)
🔴 Steven Vickers funded AGAIN in one day (risk management vs. risk-taking)
🔴 The 9/21/50 EMA strategy that actually works on gold
🔴 Why EMAs work better than 100 indicators
🔴 Copy-trading: Making $67k with zero effort (but is it sustainable?)
🔴 The dark side: Profitable trader who hates his life (depression after success)
🔴 BRUTAL story: Dad lost everything trying to pay for son's medical bills, contemplating suicide
🔴 Trading addiction is REAL and often hidden
🔴 Identity shifts: Corporate ladder climber → pandemic father → trader (mental breakdown real)
🔴 Becoming a parent changes EVERYTHING (why Alex isn't ready yet)
🔴 Social media algorithm feeding you rage bait & negativity
🔴 Mental Wealth Trader curating positive content (Good News Movement, MD Motivator)
🔴 The $1.7M account retired at beach vs. suicidal profitable trader – same money, different outcomes
🔴 Tiny habits compound: CO2 levels, ashwagandha, daylight lamps, water intake
🔴 Never Have I Ever trading edition planned for Christmas pub episode
🔴 Why the UK isn't as bad as social media makes it seem
🔴 Buying his mum a house as a real goal from prop trading payouts
🔴 Relationships, attraction, and why Alex loves the chase

Raw, vulnerable, and honest about the cost of chasing money in markets.

It's Friday and gold is absolutely choppy. Alex told Mike to short, then switched to long himself. Both got wrecked. But the real issue? Discipline and knowing when to STOP trading.

Topics covered:
🔴 Why you shouldn't trade on Fridays (chaos on lower timeframes)
🔴 The dangers of copy-trading your friend's signals
🔴 Monkey brain vs. discipline: Why greed ruins winning days
🔴 Going from +0.5% profit to -4% loss in one session
🔴 The 10R win that made him greedy (and cost him)
🔴 Standing desk podcast moment (Alex's hair mullet revealed)
🔴 Win rate vs. risk-to-reward: The real debate
🔴 Why 0.1 risk on a 100k account might actually work
🔴 Prop firm disaster: Retroactively changing payout rules (30/70 split)
🔴 CME outage chaos & traders who made millions vs. lost everything
🔴 Customer service IS your business (the Thunder Pro fail)
🔴 Why Fivers gets it right (no toxic payout flexing, real community)
🔴 Email vs. face-to-face: Why communication matters
🔴 Trader confessions: Millionaire who hates his life, $1.7M account living in a small apartment
🔴 Why underestimating 10-year progress kills traders

A raw episode about self-sabotage, risk management, and why the prop firm industry needs a serious culture shift.