Failing Successfully Summit

Embrace failure and empower your future

Success doesn’t come without setbacks. Whether it’s a disappointing exam grade, an internship rejection, or a mistake made in a leadership role, these experiences can feel isolating and discouraging—especially in a high-achieving environment.

The Failing Successfully Summit creates space for meaningful conversations around mental health, navigating obstacles, building resilience, and developing coping tools. Through guided reflection and personal stories from peers, alumni, and professionals, students are encouraged to reframe failure—not as a flaw, but as a catalyst for innovation, growth, and future success. This half-day event helps normalize failure, reduce stigma, and empower students with strategies to thrive academically, personally, and professionally.

How the summit helps you grow

Develop a growth mindset
As a Kelley student, you’re immersed in a demanding and fast-paced environment. The summit teaches you how to bounce back from academic, personal, or professional setbacks by building emotional agility, perspective, and long-term resilience—skills critical to both career and life success.

Learn from real-world experience—and from each other
Hear from accomplished alumni, business professionals, and fellow Kelley students as they share honest stories of rejection, setbacks, and personal growth. These candid conversations help normalize failure, highlight the non-linear path to success, and offer practical tools for moving forward with greater confidence, purpose, and self-awareness.

The Failing Successfully Summit is more than an event—it’s a mindset shift.

Be part of the next summit

2026 Failing Successfully Summit

Event date: Friday, February 6, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Frangipanni Room, Indiana Memorial Union
Registration deadline: January 27

The summit is organized by KelleyWell: Office of Well-Being & Support with support from the Student Wellness Advisory Council.

Contact ksbwell@iu.edu to learn more.

Keynote speaker

Aamir Malik, BS’97

Executive Vice President, Chief US Commercial Officer, Pfizer Inc.

“You have to try to fail, and you have to fail to win.”

About the summit

With support from Kelley alumnus Tom Cole in memory of Drew Miller (BS’18), the Failing Successfully Summit was created to help students reframe failure and strengthen mental well-being. Today, the program is coordinated by Kelley’s undergraduate office, KelleyWell: Office of Well-Being & Support, and continues to evolve based on student feedback.

Held annually on the first Friday in February, the summit features a dynamic schedule that includes:

A keynote address from a prominent speaker
Guided reflection activities
Peer panels and storytelling
Catered lunch and networking opportunities

Each element is designed to encourage honest conversation and foster a sense of community.

Past keynote speakers have included Katharine Finn (BS’14), Director at Armitage Advisors; Natalie Brown, CEO of Mesirow; and C.L. “Shep” Shepherd, motivational speaker and former student-athlete. Their stories—along with interactive activities like the “failure pitch”—help students reframe setbacks, build resilience, and carry those lessons forward into interviews, career conversations, and future leadership roles.

“Knowing that there are people who have had the same failures as you and have found success from them is a really important way to find resiliency from failure.”

2024 Participant

How do Kelleys turn student failure into success?

See how the Failing Successfully Summit offers Kelley students perspectives on navigating failure, embracing a fresh mindset, and achieving success.

Description of the video:

WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.952 [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:00:03.952 --> 00:00:04.940 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:07.490 The Failing Successfully Summit is an annual summit 00:00:07.490 --> 00:00:09.950 hosted by the Kelley Mental Health Task Force 00:00:09.950 --> 00:00:11.840 with the Kelley Student Government 00:00:11.840 --> 00:00:13.830 and support from the Kelley School of Business. 00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:16.280 So the summit was created in order 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.580 to take that idea that failure is something 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:23.210 you need to avoid and transform it into something that you can 00:00:23.210 --> 00:00:26.270 learn how to be resilient from and actually get 00:00:26.270 --> 00:00:28.810 more opportunities because of those failures. 00:00:28.810 --> 00:00:32.180 The Mental Health Task Force is a student delegation 00:00:32.180 --> 00:00:35.630 that provides students in the Kelley School of Business 00:00:35.630 --> 00:00:38.880 with resources for mental health and wellness, 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.560 helping students learn day-to-day wellness 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.470 practices that you can implement into your life 00:00:45.470 --> 00:00:48.470 and take that pressure and that academic rigor 00:00:48.470 --> 00:00:51.050 that you feel and slowly distill it down to something 00:00:51.050 --> 00:00:52.530 that's more manageable. 00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:55.100 We on the task force put together this summit 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:57.920 by inviting guest speakers, student panelists, 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.510 to speak to attendees in order to show these stories 00:01:02.510 --> 00:01:05.430 and make sure students understand that failure is not 00:01:05.430 --> 00:01:07.660 something that you should avoid completely. 00:01:07.660 --> 00:01:11.550 It's actually a door opening to grow and achieve 00:01:11.550 --> 00:01:12.780 more opportunities. 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:16.050 During the 2024 summit, our guest speaker 00:01:16.050 --> 00:01:21.810 was IU Alumna and current CEO of Mesirow Natalie Brown. 00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:24.610 When I look back and doors closed to me, 00:01:24.610 --> 00:01:27.330 the right door always did open later. 00:01:27.330 --> 00:01:28.110 It did. 00:01:28.110 --> 00:01:31.330 And so when I think about those nine jobs that I didn't get, 00:01:31.330 --> 00:01:33.490 I was disappointed time and time again, 00:01:33.490 --> 00:01:36.510 but now I know I can look back and see that I was supposed 00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:38.260 to be the CEO of Mesirow. 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:41.100 It was really cool to hear that because we want students 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:44.580 to hear these tangible stories and see how it correlates 00:01:44.580 --> 00:01:46.680 to them as students and how it might 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:50.280 match with what they envisioned for their future careers. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.170 Our group activity was we decided 00:01:52.170 --> 00:01:57.480 to do an elevator pitch for turning a failure into a success 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:58.210 story. 00:01:58.210 --> 00:02:00.690 We shared student failures to success stories 00:02:00.690 --> 00:02:02.730 and then opened the floor up for volunteers 00:02:02.730 --> 00:02:05.230 to share their stories with other attendees. 00:02:05.230 --> 00:02:07.710 I shared that I had an internship 00:02:07.710 --> 00:02:09.990 that I thought was where I was going 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:11.650 to end up after graduation. 00:02:11.650 --> 00:02:14.250 I got a call from the recruiter that I 00:02:14.250 --> 00:02:17.800 thought would be a job offer that was not a job offer, 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:20.440 and that was what I considered my big failure. 00:02:20.440 --> 00:02:22.540 But because I didn't get that internship, 00:02:22.540 --> 00:02:24.750 I was able to re-recruit and find 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.910 a full-time job that is actually a better fit for me. 00:02:27.910 --> 00:02:30.420 Someone sitting at the table next to you 00:02:30.420 --> 00:02:32.640 might have just experienced that failure, 00:02:32.640 --> 00:02:35.770 and they might not know how to turn that into an opportunity. 00:02:35.770 --> 00:02:39.310 But when you hear someone else authentically share that story, 00:02:39.310 --> 00:02:42.510 you might be able to find a path forward. 00:02:42.510 --> 00:02:44.850 I think knowing that there are people 00:02:44.850 --> 00:02:47.460 who have had the same failures as you before 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:50.940 and have found success from them is a really important way 00:02:50.940 --> 00:02:53.840 to build resiliency to failure. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:59.000

A summit that builds community

Summit keynote speakers take you through their career journeys and share how their personal or professional setbacks helped them build the emotional intelligence skills to lead others. You'll gain insights to navigate the ups and downs of your college journey from a supportive community of mentors and peers.

Scroll through summit scenes for a glimpse of the meaningful connections forged between students and speakers.

Resources for building resilience and failing forward

Resilience is an individual’s ability to positively cope with stress and failure—bouncing back to a previous state of normal functioning or using the experience of adversity to enhance flexibility and overall functioning.

Explore these recommended resources:

Read Portraits of Resilience, by MIT Professor Daniel Jackson, to examine the relationship between resilience and vulnerability.
Check out these insightful TED talks to pick yourself up after a setback and grow toward success.
Choose from a selection of resilience-building activities.
Get tips for failing forward.

Overcoming failure: students’ stories

Hear the challenges Colin faced and how he worked through them and made a unique impact at Kelley.

Description of the video:

WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.920 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:06.140 align:middle line:84% I came to the Kelly School with a specific expectation of what 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:07.940 align:middle line:90% the experience might be like. 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:10.460 align:middle line:84% One of my biggest role models, my oldest brother, 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:13.640 align:middle line:84% had gone here and he had done just awesome things here 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.190 align:middle line:84% and our whole family was really proud of him. 00:00:16.190 --> 00:00:18.230 align:middle line:84% And he continued to be one of my mentors 00:00:18.230 --> 00:00:19.860 align:middle line:90% throughout the Kelly experience. 00:00:19.860 --> 00:00:22.160 align:middle line:84% But what I quickly learned was that trying 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.520 align:middle line:84% to follow a set path isn't the best way 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:30.320 align:middle line:84% to achieve the personal growth that is so vital to Kelly. 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:34.040 align:middle line:84% Failure to me is a divergence from what 00:00:34.040 --> 00:00:35.570 align:middle line:90% your expectations were. 00:00:35.570 --> 00:00:38.300 align:middle line:84% And so when I wasn't getting into a couple of clubs 00:00:38.300 --> 00:00:40.250 align:middle line:84% that I expected to be getting into, 00:00:40.250 --> 00:00:42.200 align:middle line:90% I felt lost pretty quickly. 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:44.330 align:middle line:84% I think I was certainly afraid to fail. 00:00:44.330 --> 00:00:46.850 align:middle line:84% And what it caused me to do is not 00:00:46.850 --> 00:00:49.970 align:middle line:84% take advantage of the opportunities that are here. 00:00:49.970 --> 00:00:52.850 align:middle line:84% Having a support network here was 00:00:52.850 --> 00:00:56.570 align:middle line:84% extremely vital in my ability to overcome failure. 00:00:56.570 --> 00:00:59.150 align:middle line:84% Professor Emily Dutton did a great job 00:00:59.150 --> 00:01:02.750 align:middle line:84% of seeing something special in me when I didn't really 00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:04.160 align:middle line:90% see that in myself. 00:01:04.160 --> 00:01:06.680 align:middle line:84% And that really propelled me, especially freshman year, 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:10.610 align:middle line:84% to continue to find where I can make a unique impact. 00:01:10.610 --> 00:01:12.800 align:middle line:84% The greatest tool that the Kelly School 00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:15.830 align:middle line:84% has for helping students who are overcoming failure 00:01:15.830 --> 00:01:17.300 align:middle line:90% is its organizations. 00:01:17.300 --> 00:01:20.960 align:middle line:84% They allow you to make changes or to follow 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:22.490 align:middle line:90% your specific passion. 00:01:22.490 --> 00:01:24.350 align:middle line:84% There's a ton of different committees 00:01:24.350 --> 00:01:26.270 align:middle line:90% that you can become involved in. 00:01:26.270 --> 00:01:29.090 align:middle line:84% And then I think what really topped it off was the chance 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:32.540 align:middle line:84% to be a mentor and to share the challenges I've 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.307 align:middle line:84% faced with younger students who might 00:01:35.307 --> 00:01:37.640 align:middle line:84% be going through some of the same challenges I was going 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:38.390 align:middle line:90% through. 00:01:38.390 --> 00:01:41.300 align:middle line:84% I think failure at Kelly is becoming something 00:01:41.300 --> 00:01:43.310 align:middle line:84% that more folks are talking about. 00:01:43.310 --> 00:01:45.050 align:middle line:84% And I think what we found is that there's 00:01:45.050 --> 00:01:48.440 align:middle line:84% a bonding in the struggles that we've gone through. 00:01:48.440 --> 00:01:51.980 align:middle line:84% Success is becoming content with who you are, 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:55.700 align:middle line:84% it's becoming happy for the achievements of the others 00:01:55.700 --> 00:02:00.350 align:middle line:84% around you, and it's being OK with the strengths that you've 00:02:00.350 --> 00:02:04.670 align:middle line:84% been given and the opportunities that you've taken advantage 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:06.080 align:middle line:90% of along the way. 00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:08.570 align:middle line:84% Finding a way to make your own unique impact 00:02:08.570 --> 00:02:10.309 align:middle line:84% is what's really important at Kelly. 00:02:10.309 --> 00:02:13.659 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:17.000 align:middle line:90%

See how Caroline realized the importance of asking for help when overwhelmed by new challenges.

Description of the video:

WEBVTT 00:00.610 --> 00:02.020 - [Caroline] I would say the first time I failed 00:02.020 --> 00:05.140 I definitely felt inadequate. 00:05.140 --> 00:08.020 Once I kind of looked around and saw that other people 00:08.020 --> 00:09.390 were struggling just like I was, 00:09.390 --> 00:12.160 I realized that it's just a difficult environment 00:12.160 --> 00:14.330 and I was gonna have to learn to adjust 00:14.330 --> 00:15.840 so I reached out to professors 00:15.840 --> 00:18.920 and I reached out to peers to see what they were doing 00:18.920 --> 00:21.550 that was making them successful at Kelley 00:21.550 --> 00:23.570 and I started following those steps 00:23.570 --> 00:27.020 that they had laid out, things like going to office hours 00:27.020 --> 00:30.100 and getting peer tutors and doing study group 00:30.100 --> 00:31.110 with your friends. 00:31.110 --> 00:34.910 It's better to reach out before you have a problem 00:34.910 --> 00:36.990 rather than after the problem occurs. 00:36.990 --> 00:39.470 So building relationships earlier on 00:39.470 --> 00:41.080 can really help you out in the long run 00:41.080 --> 00:43.100 because if a problem comes up 00:43.100 --> 00:44.840 or there's a concept you don't understand, 00:44.840 --> 00:47.070 you already have the relationship to go reach out 00:47.070 --> 00:50.150 before it escalates and you don't do well on a test 00:50.150 --> 00:52.770 or you feel like you're beginning to struggle in the class 00:52.770 --> 00:55.240 and aren't understanding concepts building off 00:55.240 --> 00:56.230 of each other. 00:56.230 --> 00:59.160 Reaching out for help was definitely one of the biggest 00:59.160 --> 01:01.620 things that helped me overcome failure. 01:01.620 --> 01:04.890 If I had dealt with any sort of failure on my own, 01:04.890 --> 01:07.050 I wouldn't have had the tools that I needed 01:07.050 --> 01:08.690 to ultimately succeed. 01:08.690 --> 01:11.040 It's more rewarding having failed a lot 01:11.040 --> 01:13.420 than having never failed at all 01:13.420 --> 01:16.341 because overcoming difficult circumstances 01:16.341 --> 01:19.730 and failures through your years at Kelley 01:19.730 --> 01:22.260 makes it that much sweeter when you do succeed 01:22.260 --> 01:25.570 because you know you've overcome a lot to get there. 01:25.570 --> 01:27.920 Pressure to succeed can be great, 01:27.920 --> 01:31.420 but I have strengths and weaknesses just like everybody else 01:31.420 --> 01:33.623 and my weaknesses don't define me.

Voices of experience

“Your best life will not be by taking the easiest path...it’s most fulfilling when you do the hard things to get to the best result.”

Tom Cole, BS’82Tom led a 37-year career on Wall Street and, before he passed in 2023, founded the Failing Successfully Summit. We are grateful for his vision and generosity.

Embrace failure and empower your future

How the summit helps you grow

Be part of the next summit

Keynote speaker

Aamir Malik, BS’97

About the summit

How do Kelleys turn student failure into success?

A summit that builds community

Resources for building resilience and failing forward

Overcoming failure: students’ stories

Voices of experience

Social media