Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health for Tired Perfectionists
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
– Social change that starts within
– How healing is political
– The systems that shape us
– Mindfulness for sceptics
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 🫶
Episodes
121 episodes
Weekly Affirmation – Rest
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 hav...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 120
•
1:51
ADHD Superpower? Gifts, Capitalism, and Who Really Benefits
"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 AD...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 119
•
49:15
Weekly Affirmation - Purpose
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 figu...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 118
•
2:58
You Can't Even Pick What You Want for Lunch. Let's Talk About That feat. Jillian Reilly
Here's the thing nobody tells you: the way you order at a restaurant says A LOT about how you move through life.Are you the person who waits to hear what everyone else is getting before you decide? Do you need everyone's opinion before y...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 117
•
53:36
When Everything Feels Too Much: One Small Change Still Matters
There's a particular moment many of us know well — when everything feels like too much. Not dramatically, but quietly, heavily, relentlessly. You're still functioning, still showing up, but inside, something is fraying. And the most painful par...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 116
•
15:03
Weekly Affirmation – Letting Go
Pause for a breath you didn't know you were holding.This soft landing is for the woman who's been holding it together so well that no one thinks to ask if she's okay.This week's affirmation:"The strategies, steps, d...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 115
•
2:05
Something's Off And It's Not Your Vision Board: The Capacity Conundrum
You've done the vision boards. Set the goals. Showed up with discipline. And still – something feels off.If you're a high achiever who's done all the things and still doesn't feel like you've arrived, this one's for you.Jessica El...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 114
•
1:00:05
Weekly Affirmation – The Good Daughter
Pause for a breath you didn't know you were holding.This soft landing is for the woman who's been holding it together so well that no one thinks to ask if she's okay.The affirmation: "I am allowed to disappoint peop...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 113
•
2:18
12 Nights of Magic: Tarot, Rauhnächte & Intentional Planning for 2026 ft. Nadia Gabrielle
Tired of entering a new year already depleted? This 35-minute conversation is your invitation to something slower, softer, yet powerful.Nadia Gabrielle returns to The Scenic Route to talk about the 12 Nights of Magic – her ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 112
•
38:49
Luck, Burnout & Lemon Cake: What 3 Years of The Scenic Route Taught Me About Slowing Down
Three years, 111 episodes, and countless conversations later — host Jennifer Walter sits down for a full-circle moment with Lauren Best to celebrate The Scenic Route’s third birthday.They flip the mic to talk about...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 111
•
1:07:00
Why “Getting Your Life Together” Might Be Making You Less Resilient
The Words You Need to Hear When Perfectionism Is Running Your LifeEver find yourself thinking: “I should be further along by now”? Our society is so OBSESSED with finishing things… what if strength lives in what’s still taking ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 110
•
21:52
Body Image, Burnout & Belonging: Unlearning the Shame We Carry
We inherit shame like an unspoken family heirloom — stitched into our bodies, our ambition, our idea of enough. It’s the quiet undertone behind so many brilliant women asking, “Why do I still feel like I’m not enough?”...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 109
•
57:31
Flourish > Happy: The Positive Psychology Shift You Didn’t Know You Needed
Gratitude journals. Green juices. Meditation apps. We've been taught happiness is a checklist, but what if that's only half the story?In this episode, we dive into the world of Positive Psychology and the concept of flourishing– ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 108
•
21:17
Stop Falling for Pretty Cookbooks That Lowkey Hate You aka Food is Political
Tired of buying cookbooks that collect dust (or shame you for not owning grape molasses)? Same. In this episode, we’re talking about how to choose a cookbook that actually fits your real life and not some Pinterest-perfect fantasy.I’ll ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 107
•
25:11
Freedom Inside the Edges: How to Build a Life That Holds You
What if freedom isn’t the absence of limits, but the presence of form?In this episode of The Scenic Route, Jen explores the paradox of constraints – why the boundaries we resist might be the very thing that saves us. Draw...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 106
•
29:00
Default Male Lens and Abortion Myths: Two Feminist Snapshots That Fired Me Up
Why do people still say women make “careless” decisions about abortion – and how can you shut that argument down fast? And what does it have to do with a shocking PhD thesis on endometriosis?In this episode of The Scenic Route, ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 105
•
19:55
Self-Sabotage Isn’t What You Think: Why It Happens and How to Change It
Why do we procrastinate, overthink, avoid, or hold back just when things matter most? Your social media feed at 2 am calls this self-sabotage, but is it?In this episode of the Scenic Route, we unpack fresh psychology research th...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 104
•
16:24
SMART Goals Don’t Work (Here’s What Does)
September rolls in and suddenly life speeds up – school runs, work deadlines, holidays on the horizon. And with it comes the pressure to “get organised,” “finish strong,” and set bigger, better goals.But here’s the truth: SMART goals ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 103
•
16:15
Does Body Size Affect Your Grades? The Latest Truth About Fat Bias in Education
Can a student’s body size affect their grades? Research says yes. In this episode of The Scenic Route, Jen explores how fat bias and socioeconomic bias shape grades, opportunities, and self-worth.You’ll hear:A...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 102
•
18:50
The Knowing–Doing Gap: Why Smart Women Stay Stuck (and How to Finally Change)
You know what to do. You’ve read the books, journaled the insights, maybe even coached others through the same thing. But when it comes to your own life, something still isn’t shifting.We’re diving into the psychology of the knowing–d...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 101
•
26:42
Who Were You Supposed to Be? The Ache of Doing Everything Right
You did everything right.So why does it feel so wrong?In this episode of The Scenic Route, we dive into the quiet ache so many of us feel after building the life they thought they were supposed to want, only to realis...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 100
•
20:15
What Makes a Woman (And Who Gets to Decide?)
In this fierce and timely episode of The Scenic Route, we unpack the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that redefines “woman” based solely on biological sex, excluding trans women from legal protections, political representation, and basic rec...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 99
•
20:44
The Weight We Carry: How Our Bodies Hold Stress – And What to Do About It feat. Michelle Sabatini
Why do we feel exhausted even when life looks “fine” on the outside? In this episode of Scenic Route, we explore the quiet, invisible weight so many of us carry—and how our bodies often hold onto stress, tension, and emotional...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 98
•
1:11:29
Smiles and Sacrifices: The Modern Motherhood Performance
Why are women punished for being honest about motherhood?When Chappell Roan said her friends with kids are “in hell,” the backlash wasn’t about the words but about breaking the performance. In this episode of Scenic Route...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 97
•
21:51
Your Brain’s Blind Spots: How to Think Critically in the Disinformation Age with Dr. Brie Kara
We are living in the Disinformation Age — a time unlike any other in history. Never before have we been bombarded with so much information, yet so little clarity. Our feeds are flooded with misleading headlines, personal opinions disguis...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 96
•
59:04