It’s high time for a reset

7 cross-industry pros reflect on how they’re mentally preparing for fall

CHERRY ON TOP 🍒 is our monthly newsletter exploring the ins and outs of everything that modern businesses need to truly shine. We dive into topics that live at the intersection of our two companies – ORCHARD STREET, a venture studio + angel fund & DALY, a comms+ agency –  as both help founders get the best ideas out into the world, through outstanding operations, comms, and culture-building.

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Alex here! Summer has that delicious looseness to it. Late nights, flexible routines, extended vacations. But as soon as the air shifts, there’s this collective urge to reset. Not in the “New Year New You” kind of way (we’re all smarter than that by now), but in the subtle, personal rituals that keep us grounded through the last sprint of the year.

We asked a mix of marketers, strategists, chefs, consultants, and creatives what their version of a fall reset looks like. The answers are wide-reaching: some lean toward discipline and structure, others toward creativity and connection. What ties them together is their intention: choosing to feed into the rhythms that will fuel them for the busy time ahead. 

Why this matters right now should be clear: Q4 is notoriously relentless, and it’s right around the corner. End-of-year goals, holiday madness, ever-shortening days. These resets aren’t about white-knuckling through, they’re about designing the season to work for you.

After reading through these, I urge you to take a beat and think (and comment!): What does an intention-driven fall reset look like for you? 

My reset energy is this photo of my son, sprawled on the floor at the science museum, staring up at the expansive ocean

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1
Summer loosens us up, in the best way. We linger longer, talk to strangers, try new things just because they sound fun. My fall reset isn’t about tightening the reins – it’s about bottling that openness and pouring it into the rest of the year. This season, I’m prioritizing connection. Deeper conversations. More IRL coffees. More texts that start with “thinking of you.”  More showing up with curiosity, not just a calendar.

- Kasia Leyden, Chief Marketing Officer at Acorns

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2
Fall is my favorite time of year, but undoubtedly, when summer comes to a close, I always feel a little sad. And that’s no way to head into a busy and exciting Q4! So this year, I got ahead of things and booked a Friendsgiving trip with some of my closest friends. Being intentional with how I spend my time and who I spend it with gives me more purpose and energy to get through the busy moments in between.

- Caragh O'Connor, Communications Director at Yahoo

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3
I'm feeling immense dread as I'm typing this out, but here it goes: my fall reset is cleaning out all of my drawers and closet. I do this twice a year, usually around the start of fall and spring, when my folding gets sloppy and I'm hit with pure overwhelm by the sheer amount of stuff I own. I spend a weekend afternoon (or two) systematically dumping out my drawers, separating into piles "what I actually wear," "what's worth the effort of selling," and "what I should donate." While I'm already agonizing over this process, I know that I'll feel 100x better — physically lighter — after it's done.

- Katie Stone, brand consultant, writer, and the creator of Plant Based

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4
My fall reset: 15-minute piano sessions! I just bought my first piano after a 5-year hiatus (turns out my parents' decade of piano lessons wasn't wasted after all!) Not to become the next Chopin, but as my secret weapon for focus and creativity this fall. There's something about those short 15-minute sessions that acts like a reset button for my brain: hands busy, mind clear, and suddenly I'm approaching creative briefs from completely fresh angles. My goal is to make it my new go-to way to transition between deep work sessions — trading Instagram scrolling for something that actually feeds my creativity instead of depleting it.

- Delphine Salvan, Head of Marketing & Creative at Egyptian Magic

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5
By the end of spring, the mind has fully forgotten how crazy the summer can be. 

Kids have no structure. Clients are on vacation. The office is busy, but not fully staffed. 

It's insane. 

I love the fall. Goals get set for the new year, routines are reengaged, and the frivolousness of the warmer months start to fade away. 

For me, fall is about saying "see ya next summer" to over-socializing and getting back to discipline; exercise, early birding, and engagement with harder, more meaningful work. 

- Brennan McGrath, Partner at Combo

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6
It feels so fitting to talk about a fall reset, especially with the industry I’m in, because right now, I’m going back to school in full force! Every fall gives us a chance to push ourselves to be even just a little bit better. Logistically, that means retraining staff, identifying areas where I can offer better support to our school leaders, and aligning with the schools' goals to best serve our community of young adults. Because at the end of the day, the kids are the priority!

- Persefoni Vordokas, Brigaid Program Chef for DREAM Charter School

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7
Less of a hack and more of a reorientation: The best career advice I’ve ever gotten was to stop thinking of my work as a career, and start thinking of it as a craft. What is my craft? How am I deepening and honing it? Maybe it’s the whiff of new school year energy in the air, but for some reason, early fall is when I return to these questions and reorient my projects around the answers. 

— Colette Keane, marketer, editorial strategist, and ghostwriter