Indicators are just a sub-category of TA. Maybe you've been studying/learning/applying the wrong type of TA especially considering you've said you've "always have incorporated indicators into a system". Simply, many traders are using TA but not all are using the same type of TA and others don't even use indicators while using TA. Many threads here at ET involving a few traders sharing their TA and it has nothing to do with indicators. It just may be worth your time & energy to try something different.
To get the same result for trading you'd have to completely eliminate trends and momentum. A coin flip is truly random but price action is not capricious.
Finished in terms of managing institutional money. Whatever he wants to do with his personal dough ...