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Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health Conversations for Perfectionists

Scenic Route, Social Change and Mental Health Conversations for Perfectionists

By: Jennifer Walter
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About this listen

You’ve outgrown perfection, but not your desire to grow.
This is the place where high-functioners, deep feelers, and quiet rebels come home to themselves.

We explore:

  • Mental health wisdom (minus toxic positivity)
  • Social change (that starts from within)
  • System critiques (with actionable solutions)
  • Inner wisdom (over external validation)
  • Mindfulness for minimalists (no crystals required)


Join Jennifer Walter, sociologist (MASoc UCC) and recovering perfectionist, for weekly conversations that blend critical thinking with oh-so-much compassion.

If you’re questioning everything – or just trying to stay grounded in a chaotic world – this space is for you. We make room for your inner critic and collective action. Because personal healing and social change go hand in hand (with a side of potty humour).

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

The longest way round is the shortest way home – and that's exactly why we're taking the Scenic Route.

Ready to walk the scenic route?
The view here is *chef's kiss.*

© 2025 Scenic Route by Jennifer Walter
Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Does Body Size Affect Your Grades? The Latest Truth About Fat Bias in Education
    Sep 2 2025

    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 whether a study is credible using reliability, objectivity, and validity and why validity is the trickiest.
    • Practical steps for parents, teachers, and students to challenge fatbias in schools and beyond.

    Grades don’t just decide report cards. They decide futures. When body size and class bias affect grades, kids are taught that some people matter less.

    This episode is a call to question those systems and to push for a world where all kids can thrive.

    👉 Listen now and share this with another parent, teacher, or friend who cares about equity in education.

    Mentioned study
    Nennstiel, R., & Gilgen, S. (2024). Does chubby Can get lower grades than skinny Sophie? Using an intersectional approach to uncover grading bias in German secondary schools. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0305703. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305703

    All other mentioned resources are listed on scenicroutepodcast.com

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy corner where recovering perfectionists, misfits, 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 permission slip to trust your inner compass again. What does your card say? Share it with us!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    Leave a rating and review. Your words help other wandering souls discover the Scenic Route podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • The Knowing–Doing Gap: Why Smart Women Stay Stuck (and How to Finally Change)
    May 6 2025

    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 change, even when we’re desperate. You’ll hear about internal conditioning, emotional safety, nervous system responses, and the quiet ways our culture rewards burnout and self-abandonment.

    This isn’t about pushing harder.
    It’s about creating inner and outer infrastructure that finally supports the life you already know you want.

    We'll cover:

    • The surprising origins of the knowing–doing gap (and why it’s not your fault)
    • Why self-awareness is necessary – but not enough – for behaviour change
    • The role of emotional resistance, cognitive dissonance, and nervous system protection in keeping you stuck
    • Four powerful barriers that block action and how to gently dissolve them
    • Why change disrupts social dynamics, and how to hold your ground when others push back
    • Somatic and practical tools to help you pause, realign, and take brave, value-aligned action
    • Why midlife (or any life crossroads) is often the beginning of true freedom

    This episode is for you if:

    • You’re deeply self-aware but still repeating patterns that exhaust or resent you
    • You crave rest, clarity, boundaries—or visibility—but can’t seem to follow through
    • You’ve been told you’re “so strong” for too long, and you’re ready to be real
    • You want to understand not just why you’re stuck, but how to move forward


    👥 Desire support?
    This is the exact work I do with clients in 1:1 coaching. We build safety, structure, and clarity around your inner resistance so you can actually live what you know.

    → Learn more or book a call

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy corner where recovering perfectionists, misfits, 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 permission slip to trust your inner compass again. What does your card say? Share it with us!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    Leave a rating and review. Your words help other wandering souls discover the Scenic Route podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Who Were You Supposed to Be? The Ache of Doing Everything Right
    Apr 29 2025

    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 whole
    • How Symbolic Interactionism explains the silent shaping of your identity
    • Erving Goffman’s Front Stage vs. Backstage selves—and when the performance becomes unbearable
    • What happens when applause stops feeling like affirmation and starts sounding like a trap
    • How to begin untangling the scripts you inherited—and start writing your own

    If you’ve ever thought, I don’t remember choosing this life,
    If you feel the weight of doing everything “right” but still feel wrong inside –
    This conversation is for you.

    ✨ To go deeper, sign up for my monthly letter, Soft and access the bonus self-reconnection exercise: https://jenniferwalter.myflodesk.com/ta75zo6jqm

    🎧 Follow The Scenic Route for more slow, soul-centred reflections on identity, midlife, social change and finding your way back to yourself.

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Visit jenniferwalter.me – your cosy corner where recovering perfectionists, misfits, 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 permission slip to trust your inner compass again. What does your card say? Share it with us!

    👉 Pull Your Free Card


    LOVE THE SHOW?
    Leave a rating and review. Your words help other wandering souls discover the Scenic Route podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
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