Claim OwnershipScenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health for Tired Perfectionists
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© 2025 Scenic Route by Jennifer Walter
Description
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 🫶
115 Episodes
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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 Eley breaks down why smart, driven women stay stuck even when they know what they want. Spoiler: it's not your vision, your strategy, or your discipline. It's your capacity – your ability to handle not just what you want, but everything that comes with it. We talk ab...
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 people and still be good." Goodness isn't measured by how much access others have to you, but by how honestly you honour your limits. We examine why performance – the relentless yes, the full calendar, the reflex to fix – feels like safety, yet slowly erases our needs. And why bound...
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 annual program that guides hundreds of participants worldwide through the liminal space between December 25th and January 6th. Rooted in the European Rauhnächte tradition, these nights create a portal where each day reveals the energetic theme of a month in the year ahead....
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 what really happens when you stop hustling and start listening: to your body, your luck, your burnout, and your joy. From viral posts to creative dry spells, from slow living to self-trust, this episode explores how to create — and live — at your own pace in a world that keeps sho...
The Words You Need to Hear When Perfectionism Is Running Your Life Ever 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 shape? I’ve been taking an adult learning programme on resilience at my old university, University College Cork, and spending more time in my friend Juli’s clay studio. There, I noticed: the clay pieces I tried to make perfect felt lifeless. The ones with flaws...
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?” In this conversation, Jennifer Walter sits down with therapist and facilitator Kyira Wackett to unpack the hidden ways shame shapes our lives — from body image and burnout to perfectionism and belonging. Together, they explore how shame isn’t just a feeling — it’s a lear...
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– living deeply, not just lightly. We explore the PERMA‑H model (Positive Emotion • Engagement • Relationships • Meaning • Accomplishment • Health) and what it really means to feel alive even when life isn’t easy. If you’ve done all the “right” self‑care ...
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 show you how to spot the red flags (hello, pancetta prep on a Tuesday night 😵💫), how to tell if a cookbook is for beginners or pros, and what makes a recipe book actually useful. This isn’t just a rant – it’s a full-on guide to picking the best cookbooks ba...
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. Drawing on the work of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman and his idea of liquid modernity, she unpacks how modern life’s obsession with flexibility and endless options has left so many of us overwhelmed, exhausted, and floating without structure. You’ll hear: Why too much freedom can m...
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, you’ll get: A toolkit to counter the “careless abortion” myth from three angles: logic, evidence, and power.Evidence-based insights you can drop in conversation to cut through opinion with data.A clearer lens on structural bias – why women’s pain is underfunded and di...
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 that flips the story of self-sabotage on its head. You’ll discover three hidden patterns that shape how we repeat harmful choices: Sensitives: quick learners who adapt after mistakesUnawares: people who miss the cause-and-effect until it’s explainedCompulsives: those wh...
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 don’t work for most women juggling kids, work, and real life. They focus on outcomes you can’t fully control — which often kills momentum before you even get started. In this episode of The Scenic Route, we’re rethinking goal-setting from the end of summer to th...
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 personal story of how weight stigma shows up in healthcare.A German study of 14,000 students showed that overweight and lower-income kids receive lower grades than equally capable peers.Why grades often reflect compliance, neatness, and bias more than actual learning.How to judge whet...
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–doing gap, that frustrating space between insight and action, and unpacking why even the most emotionally intelligent among us get stuck. Rooted in behavioural theory, trauma-informed coaching, and real-life experience, we explore the invisible forces blocking ch...
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 realise it doesn’t feel like theirs anymore. We explore: Why “success” often leaves women feeling hollow instead of wholeHow Symbolic Interactionism explains the silent shaping of your identityErving Goffman’s Front Stage vs. Backstage selves—and when the performance becomes unbearab...
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 recognition. But this isn’t just a courtroom debate. It’s a culture war dressed in legal robes. We follow the funding behind the ruling, expose the billionaire feminists fueling the backlash, and dismantle the persistent myths about biology, gender, and identity. T...
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 labor in ways we don’t even notice. Zurich-based body therapist Michelle Sabbatini joins Jennifer Walter to discuss the difference between having a body and being one and how tuning into our physical sensations can be the first step toward healing and resilience. ...
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, sociologist and coach Jennifer Walter unpacks the emotional labour, mental load, and societal expectations that define modern motherhood. Why do we praise men like Seth Rogen for opting out of parenthood while vilifying women who name the cost of caregiving? Why do tradwif...
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 disguised as facts, and viral narratives designed to manipulate us. Even the sharpest minds can fall for misinformation—so how do we learn to see through the noise? In this episode of The Scenic Route, I sit down with Dr. Brie Kara, a psychologist specializing in dis...
For decades, empathy has been celebrated as the glue of human connection— but what if it’s actually burning you out? In this thought-provoking episode of The Scenic Route, we unpack why empathy alone isn’t enough and why it’s time to shift toward something more sustainable: compassion. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✔️ Why empathy is exhausting—and how it leads to burnout, anxiety, and emotional paralysis ✔️ The three ways empathy has been weaponized in modern life ✔️ How selective e...
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