Today's episode is all about the quiet moments that can change everything. When you're under pressure,

nobody's watching and you have to decide who you are going to be. My guest today is Tom Harden,

also known as Tipper X. He's a former Wall Street analyst who got pulled into an insider trading case

and then spent two years working with the FBI, wearing a wire,

helping build cases against some of the biggest names in finance. What makes Tom's story hit

is how it starts. Not with one huge mistake, but with small choices and a conversation

in his own head that sounds believable. Tom breaks down the fraud triangle,

pressure, opportunity, and rationalization, and shows how smart people can talk themselves into

decisions that they never thought they would make. He also shares a practical framework he calls

Trace for how to get others to talk and how to catch yourself before you cross a line. This one is

eye-opening, real, and honestly, a little bit scary, but in the best way. Let's get into it.

I'm a lawyer, so I think about the ethics classes that we have to take, and it's just kind of like

a lot of finger wagon, you know, go do this.

I'm like, okay, I guess I want my license. But they don't talk about what leads people to do these

things. And I think that's what makes your story so unique. Yeah. And with lawyers, I talk to law firms,

timesheet fraud is actually pretty common where, oh, you know, I spent 30 minutes on this with the client, but I'll just book an hour because they can afford it. And then it's that one first decision, that one first negotiation in your head. I'm a good person. I work really hard. And then you do it dozens of times over years.

And the partner comes in and all of a sudden, hey, you got years of time sheet fraud.

We can't trust you anymore.

You're done.

So it starts with those really small decisions initially.

I think that's what's so fascinating about your approach and your story because it's real.

And it starts with those small decisions because

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