New Year’s Resolutions Fail Because We Set Them Wrong

About this episode

This episode discusses the pitfalls of traditional New Year’s resolutions and offers healthier alternatives for goal-setting.

New Year’s resolutions promise hope, but for many people, they quietly deliver shame, stress, and self-blame instead. If resolutions leave you feeling worse about yourself every January, this episode explains why — and what actually works. Host Gabe Howard is joined by returning favorite Jodi Wellman to unpack why traditional goal-setting often backfires, especially when it comes to mental health. They explore the psychology behind the “fresh start effect,” how all-or-nothing thinking sets us up to fail, and why massive lifestyle overhauls rarely stick. More importantly, they offer practical, compassionate alternatives; Like shifting from rigid goals to identity-based habits, process-focused wins, and restarting without guilt when things go off track. Listener Takeaways The mental health cost of setting outcome-based goals Why smaller, process-focused goals actually create lasting change How to restart a goal without guilt or self-punishment Whether you’ve already ditched your New Year’s resolutions or never believed in them to begin with, this episode explores a healthier, more realistic way to create change—without harming your mental well-being. “What is really common, which…

People in this episode

Host: Gabe Howard

Guest: Jodi Wellman

Topics covered

• New Year’s resolutions
• goal-setting
• mental health
• psychology
• identity-based habits
• self-compassion

Keywords

• New Year’s resolutions
• mental health
• goal-setting
• self-compassion
• process-focused goals
• fresh start effect

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Healthline Media

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