Future Business Leaders: Are You Ready to Embrace Your Fresh-Start Moment?
Summer 2025 is more than a chance to leave that backpack – textbooks sprawled – languishing for a few months on the floor. It’s an opportunity to change and grow.
When Angel R., a senior at Southwest Miami Senior High School in Florida, U.S., began exploring Wharton Global Youth summer programs, he thought, “I’ve always been the type of person to jump into the fire and throw myself into new experiences. What better way to gain more business experience and financial knowledge than going to another country, adapting and learning everything I could?” Ultimately, Angel attended our Strategy and International Management program in Cambridge, U.K.
“Research shows that once people are taught the truth of the malleability of almost every trait and that they are growable, they can improve their performance.” –Katy Milkman, Professor, the Wharton School
Angel embraced the possibilities on his path to business leadership by doing something entirely new. Katy Milkman, a professor of operations, information and decisions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, says summer is a perfect time to make a fresh start.
“These are the moments in life when we perceive chapter breaks in our stories,” notes Milkman, who co-directs the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of the book How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. “Chapter breaks motivate us to pursue our goals, because they give us a sense of a discontinuity. We feel like we’re separated from who we were before the chapter ended — that was the old me and this is the new me. That separation gives us a sense of optimism that whatever wasn’t quite clicking for us before or that we hadn’t quite achieved, is no longer holding us back. We can do it in this new chapter. We have all sorts of data showing that in every domain, from exercise to healthy eating to educational, environmental and financial goals, upticks happen at fresh-start moments.”
Here are a few data-driven strategies that Dr. Milkman and her colleagues have studied to make the most of those moments:
- Set specific, measurable goals that stretch you slightly beyond your current abilities. Dr. Milkman points to SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
- Create detailed action plans with clear triggers and cues for when you’ll pursue your goals, because vague intentions are easy to procrastinate on. “A bad goal would be: Get healthy. A good goal would be: Exercise three times a week for 30 minutes after class, at 5 p.m. at the gym on the elliptical while watching my favorite TV show,” says Milkman.
- Build social support by finding partners or mentors who can help you stay accountable (this might even be new friends you meet in a summer business program). “The social support piece, a partner in goal pursuits, can help with your confidence,” notes Dr. Milkman. “Ideally, it’s a partner who’s a little ahead of you on the course, so you’re being pushed by them, but who also can learn from you to some degree, so that you’re not just the mentee.”
- Adopt a growth mindset and begin acknowledging setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures. “We can intentionally recognize and adopt a mindset that believes missteps are not a mark of our incompetence or our abilities, but rather opportunities for growth,” notes Milkman.
- Break larger goals into smaller, manageable weekly or daily tasks.
- Choose goals that are challenging but not exhausting, maybe 10% harder than your current performance. Think of this as leveling up. “It should stretch you a little bit beyond what you’re already achieving, but not to the point of collapse,” suggests Milkman.
As you chase new opportunities, it’s essential to believe in your capacity to grow. “Ideally, people want to intentionally adopt a growth mindset when pursuing their goals,” stresses Professor Milkman. “Research shows that once people are taught the truth of the malleability of almost every trait and that they are growable, they can improve their performance in things like math at school. It’s helpful to understand that you’re not born with innate intelligence or innate anything. Almost everything is growable with work and effort, and recognizing that gives you a leg up in goal pursuit.”
How will you make the most of your fresh start this summer?
Conversation Starters
Dr. Milkman’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative uses the science of behavior change to help individuals and organizations achieve goals that are good for the world, and it speaks to her deep interest in behavioral economics. Read this past Wharton Global Youth interview. How do Dr. Milkman and her colleagues use the mega-study methodology to study business? What do you find interesting about their research?
Which of Dr. Milkman’s fresh-start strategies resonates most deeply with you and why?
We often label ourselves or believe the labels that others give us. Does this concept that all traits are growable surprise you? How does it change the way you will approach new opportunities?
How did you make the most of your chapter break this summer and how did it help shape your path toward business leadership? Share your story in the comment section of this article.
After reading this article, I have come to understand that goal targeting is not just ambition but also strategy. Using various triggers like time and place really highlighted how much success is based on these factors. I used to make vague goals such as “be more productive”. Looking back now, this was a structure I feel I was setting myself up for failure because I could always just postpone or forget about something if I did not have a defined structure. I thought the advice to focus on goals that are only marginally more difficult than things you already do was also interesting, since it shifts the ideology of making progress slowly and steadily, rather than taking shortcuts and missing the value of the work that is done. I think it also offers a unique perspective when the world we live in seems to match burnout and tiredness, with immense progress and growth. Overall, I think this framework for goal targeting is balanced, realistic, and could be motivating.
The idea that leadership a lot of times begins in times when people are uncertain really resonates with me. I just started a small business called NoteLift, where I sell my notes from the classes I took in high school each year to help other students excel in difficult subjects like precalculus and AP classes. It began as a way to support classmates during exam season, but it has quickly became something a lot more meaningful. It’s now a platform where I’m learning how to lead and adapt to the real world.
Like many student entrepreneurs, I had doubts: would anyone pay for notes? How would I organize my business? There were countless moments where I thought to myself that I could have stopped. But as the article points out, fresh starts aren’t always flashy, they’re usually when we choose to move forward and stay persistent instead of just giving up. Starting NoteLift was my fresh-start moment. It really pushed me to think outside the box and to most importantly, lead with a purpose. I also connected with Malcom Gladwell’s ideas about discomfort and how it’s fueling innovation. I have found that when I learn into what feels uncertain, no matter if it’s learning of a new subject area or responding to customer feedback, I’m growing as both a leader and a learner. I see challenge not as setbacks but more as an invitation to learn to be the best version of myself.
This article reminded me that leadership isn’t just for big companies, it begins wherever you are, even with an idea as simple as sharing notes to help others succeed. I’m really excited to continue developing this business and experiencing every fresh-start moment that comes with it!
Dr. Milkman’s point that “almost everything is growable” really stuck with me. I used to think people were either naturally good at something or not, but now I see how much growth comes from being intentional. This summer, I’m focusing on improving in areas I’ve struggled with before, like time management and consistency. I’m treating this as a reset, not just a break, and setting goals I can actually follow through on.
This article explores the concept of “fresh-start moments” that are the points in time that offer individuals the opportunity to reset and pursue new goals. Drawing from behavioral science, it highlights how these moments can lead to improved outcomes in various areas, including health, education, and finance.
Dr. Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, emphasizes that fresh-start moments create a psychological separation from the past, fostering optimism and motivation. She suggests that individuals can capitalize on these moments by setting specific, measurable goals and creating detailed action plans to guide their efforts.
The article encourages future business leaders to recognize and seize these opportunities for personal and professional growth, leveraging the momentum of fresh-start moments to achieve their aspirations.
This article made me think differently about how I can use my summer to grow. I realized that I don’t need to do something overwhelming or extraordinary to make progress. What matters is believing that I can grow and improve with intent and effort, even if it’s just a little above what I’m doing now. I liked how Dr. Milkman explained that traits like intelligence or confidence aren’t fixed-they can grow, and that really motivates me. It makes me feel like I don’t have to be perfect right away, just willing to try and keep learning. I also found it helpful that support from others can make a big difference-it shows me I don’t have to do everything alone, and having people around me can actually help me reach my goals faster. This summer, I want to set clear and achievable goals that won’t burn me out and spend more time with people that inspire me.
The article’s introduction of “fresh-start moments” as both a mindset and a strategy couldn’t be more opportune for new leaders today. I especially appreciated the distinction between emotional resets and practical pivots—how we move forward with intention, not just optimism.
I especially enjoyed the reference to temporal landmarks. In work, quarterly profits, fiscal year resets, and product cycles seem to have a way of acting as default times to review and recharge. I adore thinking about personal development in precisely the same way—where milestones aren’t just symbolic, but structural. Can we design our own performance cycles, feedback loops and reflection checkpoints included?
This idea reminded me of how I’ve approached learning technical skills. When I was studying AWS Data Engineer training, I planned my progress in OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)—just like a company would. I measured development not in terms of completion, but in terms of mastery and impact. Similarly, when I was interning with a nonprofit this summer, I treated each campaign review like I would a product postmortem: What went well? What didn’t? How can this be re-purposed or improved?
I also found the article’s link between fresh starts and leadership particularly resonant. Real leadership, as the article suggests, often shows up after a pivot—when you’ve made the decision to begin again, rebuild, and take others with you. In writing my novel, switching from linear storytelling to nonlinear formats was frustrating at first. But that “restart” gave my story depth and re-energized my process.
My takeaway: New beginnings aren’t so much about moving on from the past as they are about translating lessons learned into more focused, intentional forward motion.
What I’d like to know from others: How do you decide when you need a clean slate—and how do you balance experimentation with discipline?
I absolutely loved this article! As a person creating my own app, NeuroEd, while preparing for the CFA Investment Foundations, the concept of having a “fresh-start moment” resonates with me deeply. I can see how doing a fresh start—like making my app or preparing for CFA—allows me to have clear objectives and remain motivated. Katy Milkman’s SMART-goal concept is one that I already practice: I dedicate two hours each week after school to working on NeuroEd’s AI capabilities, for instance. Reading this made me reflect on how much of a difference it makes to combine that plan with a growth mindset—to celebrate small victories, think ahead to when things go off track, and have guidance from mentors and team members. It has motivated me now to take each step as its own chapter break—prepared to continue.
By reading this article, I realized that the idea that resonates most with me is choosing goals that are challenging but not overwhelming, similar to “leveling up” in a video game. I’m a big fan of gaming, and nothing motivates me more than the fun of reaching a goal. This article has helped me understand that fresh starts can happen at any time; it’s never too late to embark on something new. Whether you’re starting a small business, enrolling in courses, or pursuing any new endeavor, what truly matters is that you grow as you work toward the goals you set for yourself. Treat your goals like quests you need to complete and have fun along the way!
In the past, I set goals that didn’t truly motivate me or were too challenging, which led to burnout. I often discouraged myself by thinking, “Oh, it’s too late,” or “I can’t do this, it’s too difficult.” However, I’ve found that aiming for goals that are “10% harder” and gradually growing feels realistic and empowering. This approach allows me to stretch just a bit beyond what I’ve already achieved, pushing my limits in a healthy and intentional way without jeopardizing my mentality.
This summer, I plan to apply a strategy that involves setting specific goals designed to challenge me just enough for personal growth. I’ve decided to organize these goals in a table, similar to quests in a game, where I can complete each task to earn points and level up, becoming a stronger version of myself. By taking small but steady steps forward, I will build both my skills and confidence while maintaining momentum. I want to encourage other people who are reading my comment to think of reaching their goals as a game rather than a boring way to add things to their resume. This focused approach to growth seems like the ideal way to make my fresh start, and others’, meaningful. I want to thank Dr. Milkman and her colleagues for helping me adopt this mindset through their article.
What I identified with most in this article was the idea of “fresh-start moments” like summer or a major life transition. Dr. Katy Milkman explains that these moments represent a psychological break from the past, where the “old me” is left behind, making space for a “new me” filled with optimism and motivation.
The part that impacted me the most was when she talked about the practical steps to make the most of this fresh-start phase: setting SMART goals, creating actionable plans with clear triggers, relying on social support, adopting a growth mindset, and breaking big goals into smaller, manageable steps. That deeply resonated with me.
For example, in my NeuroEd project a study support app I’ve been developing alongside my preparation for the CFA Investment Foundations I try to apply exactly those principles. I’ve already set specific goals, like dedicating two hours a week to improving the app’s AI features, and I’ve established fixed days and times to work. I’ve also been seeking mentors and partners to help boost my motivation and keep me focused.
The article reinforces the idea that by embracing this “restart” mindset, I can face challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than as failures. Even more, I feel that my current experiences like improving the app, studying for certifications, and getting involved in innovation are exactly the kinds of transitions Dr. Milkman describes.
In summary: the article not only strengthened my personal strategy but also inspired me to make even better use of these “fresh-start moments,” especially during natural cycles like the end of a semester or during more intense learning phases. It makes me feel more confident and energized, with clear goals and a realistic plan to achieve them.