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Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health for Tired Perfectionists

Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health for Tired Perfectionists

Written by: Jennifer Walter
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About this listen

Scenic Route is a mental health and social change podcast for perfectionists, overthinkers, and high-achievers who are tired of holding it all together.

If you're burned out from performing, people-pleasing, and pretending everything's fine — this is your space to finally exhale.

Hosted by sociologist and recovering perfectionist Jennifer Walter (MA Sociology, University College Cork) — navigating chronic illness whilst rebuilding life in her 40s and rethinking what resilience actually means.

We talk about:
Mental health without the toxic positivity
Real tools for anxiety, burnout, and the inner critic

Social change that starts within
Feminism, capitalism, and how your healing is political

Mindfulness for sceptics
No crystals, no BS, just what actually works

Expect solo deep-dives, expert guests, and the occasional bit of potty humour because healing doesn't have to be so damn serious all the time.

This podcast is for you if:
You're questioning so many things and trying to stay hopeful
You're done with perfectionism but still want to grow
You believe inner work and activism go hand in hand

New episodes every Tuesday.

The longest way round is the shortest way home. That's why we're taking the Scenic Route.

Start with the latest episode — or jump into whatever speaks to you.
The view here is chef's kiss 🫶

© 2026 Scenic Route by Jennifer Walter
Science Self-Help Social Sciences Success
Episodes
  • Weekly Affirmation – Rest
    Jan 23 2026

    Exhale. TGIF

    This weekly affirmation is for you if you've been told that you need a five-year plan when you can barely figure out what you want for lunch.

    This week's affirmation:
    "I release the belief that I have to earn my rest."


    New Soft Landings every Friday. Save this. Share it. Come back to it when you need the reminder. 🤍



    About Soft Landings:
    Every Friday on The Scenic Route, one grounded affirmation to help you rest, reset, and remember you're way back home to yourself.


    Send me a DM

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy tree house where tired perfectionists and those done pretending to be fine find space to breathe, dream, and create real change.

    💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

    • Follow on Instagram
    • Follow on TikTok
    • Follow on Threads


    🔮 DAILY DOSE OF CHILL
    The Scenic Route Affirmation Card Deck is your online invitation to trust your inner voice again. What does your card say? Share it with me!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. It helps other women find their way to the Scenic Route.

    Show More Show Less
    2 mins
  • ADHD Superpower? Gifts, Capitalism, and Who Really Benefits
    Jan 20 2026

    "Everyone has ADHD now."

    You've heard it. Maybe someone said it to you — with a half-joke, half-accusation edge. Like, neurodivergence is just the trend of the season.

    But what if that reaction tells us less about ADHD and more about the systems we're living in?

    In this conversation with Kristina Kyser — psychotherapist, educator, and creator of the Neurodivergent Rising course — we pull apart the "ADHD superpower" narrative that's everywhere right now. Because yes, there are gifts: innovation, nonlinear thinking, deep passion, hyperfocus. Those are real.

    But who benefits when we only talk about the parts of capitalism that it can extract?


    What We Cover:

    ADHD masking: the invisible labour of appearing "normal"
    From childhood, neurodivergent people — especially women — calibrate to a world that says: you're too much, you're wrong, you're different. Kristina breaks down what masking costs and why perimenopause often unmasks ADHD in midlife.

    The construction of "sanity" and who it was built to serve
    Normalcy isn't neutral. The DSM, psychiatry, the witch burnings — all of it is tangled with patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism's need for compliant workers. Kristina traces the historical roots of how neurodivergence gets pathologised.

    The superpower question: what's true, what's missing, who profits
    Yes, ADHD comes with strengths. But when we only celebrate the traits capitalism values (innovation! hyperfocus! productivity!) while erasing the lows, the burnout, the 13-year shorter life expectancy, the systemic barriers — who does that serve?

    Why ADHD is a disability under capitalism — and that's not your fault
    ADHD isn't a medical deficit. But in a society built for neurotypical brains, it is disabling. Kristina explains the difference between individual healing and systemic change, and why we need both.


    Meet Kristina Kyser:

    Kristina (she/her) is a late-diagnosed AuDHD educator, former psychotherapist, and course creator with a PhD in English Literature and over 13 years of clinical experience. Her work bridges trauma healing, animist practice, and systems-level critique. She creates initiatory spaces that blend science, soul, and lived neurodivergence in service of collective remembering and repair.

    Learn more:
    Neurodivergent Rising Course
    Connect with Kristina on Instagram

    Recommended Resource

    Send me a DM

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy tree house where tired perfectionists and those done pretending to be fine find space to breathe, dream, and create real change.

    💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

    • Follow on Instagram
    • Follow on TikTok
    • Follow on Threads


    🔮 DAILY DOSE OF CHILL
    The Scenic Route Affirmation Card Deck is your online invitation to trust your inner voice again. What does your card say? Share it with me!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. It helps other women find their way to the Scenic Route.

    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • Weekly Affirmation - Purpose
    Jan 16 2026

    Exhale. TGIF

    This weekly affirmation is for you if you've been told that you need a five-year plan when you can barely figure out what you want for lunch.

    This week's affirmation:
    "I release the pressure to figure out my purpose. I start with listening inward what I need in this moment."


    You don't have to have it all mapped out. What you need right now matters more than what you think you should want five years from now.

    New Soft Landings every Friday. Save this. Share it. Come back to it when you need the reminder. 🤍



    About Soft Landings:
    Every Friday on The Scenic Route, one grounded affirmation to help you rest, reset, and remember you're way back home to yourself.

    Send me a DM

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy tree house where tired perfectionists and those done pretending to be fine find space to breathe, dream, and create real change.

    💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

    • Follow on Instagram
    • Follow on TikTok
    • Follow on Threads


    🔮 DAILY DOSE OF CHILL
    The Scenic Route Affirmation Card Deck is your online invitation to trust your inner voice again. What does your card say? Share it with me!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review. It helps other women find their way to the Scenic Route.

    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
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