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 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 InstagramRecommended ResourceSend 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.

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.

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 you can choose? Are you picking what you want, and it feels weirdly vulnerable?Yeah. We need to talk.In this episode, I sit down with Jillian Reilly, author of Ten Permissions: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living, to talk about why so many of us can't make the smallest choices for ourselves, and what that says about the bigger life we're (not) living.We dig into:Why approval-seeking starts at lunch and ends with your whole identityThe terror of wanting something no one else validatesHow to build choice-making muscles before you blow up your lifeWhy pleasure isn't selfish (and might be the most strategic thing you can practice)What happens when the old rules stop working, and there's no new manualThis conversation is for the overthinkers, the people-pleasers, the ones who've spent decades being "good" and are now sitting in the rubble of what that actually got them.About Jillian ReillyJillian Reilly is a founder, author, and keynote speaker. Having spent her 30-year career working in social, organisational, and individual change across Africa, Asia, and Central Europe, Jillian’s focus is on helping people unlock their ability to navigate change and accelerate growth and learning. Jillian’s book, The Ten Permissions, guides readers in permitting themselves to update how they operate in the 21st century and design lives that fully leverage the possibilities of this disruptive world. Jillian is a TEDX speaker and podcast host who has been published on international affairs in the Washington Post, Newsweek and the LA Times. Find JillianWebsite: tenpermissions.comSend 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.

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 part? The story you tell yourself about it: I should be able to handle this.In this episode, we explore why overwhelm isn't a personal failure — it's a predictable outcome when multiple vulnerabilities align. Using insights from the Swiss Cheese Model and Paul Gilbert's three emotional systems, we unpack why your nervous system can't "just cope" when recovery is structurally unavailable.This isn't about becoming stronger. It's about understanding why one small change can still matter — even when everything feels impossible.We'll explore:Why overwhelm is rarely about one thing — it's an accumulation of pressures that alignHow the Swiss Cheese Model explains why burnout happens when recovery becomes impossibleThe three emotional systems (Threat, Drive, and Soothing) and why modern life keeps two constantly activatedWhy your nervous system needs recovery cycles, not just more willpowerHow one small change can close one vulnerability — and why that mattersWhy resistance to small changes is often a sign of how depleted you areSend 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.

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, decisions that got me here served their purpose — I release them with grace."You don't have to carry what no longer fits. You don't have to make letting go mean you failed.What got you here won't always get you where you're going. And that's okay.This weekend, ask yourself: What am I holding onto simply because it once worked?Thank it. And let it go.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 who you are.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.

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 about:Why "I don't know what I want" is about being unpracticed, not brokenThe real reason you might be more afraid of success than failureWhy labelling things good/bad keeps you smallHow your nervous system determines your income ceilingThe balance between owning what you want and having the capacity to handle itThis Episode Is For You If:You've done the vision board thing and you're still stuckYou hit your goals and felt... nothingYou want more but can't seem to let yourself reach for itYou're tired of being the strong one but don't know how to be differentYou keep trying new strategies but the same patterns keep showing upYou're doing everything right and still feel like something's missingYou're starting to wonder if the problem isn't your plan — it's something no one's named yetThis isn't about manifesting harder or the next manifestation hack. It's about meeting yourself where you are and building from there.Guest: Jessica Eley: coach for high achievers creating success on their own terms Connect: @iamjesseleySend 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.

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 boundaries aren't conflict. They're clarity.For perfectionists, oldest daughters, people-pleasers, and women unlearning the performance of strength.Choose yourself without apologising, so your next yes can be wholehearted.About Soft Landings: Every Friday on The Scenic Route, one grounded affirmation to help you rest, reset, and remember who you are.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.

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.In this episode, we explore:What the Rauhnächte actually are (and why they're more than Instagram witchcraft aesthetic)How to use tarot or oracle cards for year-ahead planning without making them "tell you what to do"The power of street cleaning (literal and metaphorical) before crossing into a new yearWhy some months show up as literal "NO" cards — and what that protection actually meansReal stories: When pulled cards predicted the exact energy of months ahead (Jennifer's viral January, her creative drought in April-May)Wish fulfilment practices backed by participant feedback spanning yearsThe radical permission to do nothing: why "it's safe to potter" might be the most revolutionary advice for burned-out womenThis isn't a course. It's not homework. It's permission to breathe.Whether you go full ceremonial with candles and altars, or just pull a card each morning with your coffee, the 12 Nights of Magic meets you exactly where you are.Perfect for: Perfectionists, overthinkers, oldest daughters, women who've been the rock for everyone else, anyone craving a year-planning practice that feels like self-trust instead of strategy.Listen now to discover how a centuries-old tradition can help you enter 2026 lighter, more aligned, more yourself.Join 12NOM with Nadia GabrielleSend 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.

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 shouting “more, faster, better.”If you’ve ever wondered how to build a life that feels honest, sustainable, and still a little rebellious, this one’s for you.In this episode, we talk about:✨ What burnout taught Jennifer about rest, creativity, and play 🍋 Why luck matters (more than hustle) — and how to make space for it 💬 The power of Honest (Self-)Talk in work, art, and mental health 🌿 Learning to trust the process (even when it’s messy) 🎧 What it really means to “slow down” without giving up ambition 🔥 Why slow living is not an aesthetic — it’s a quiet rebellionPerfect for you if…You’re a smart, thoughtful woman juggling too many tabs open — craving more meaning, less noise, and permission to do life differently. Think: academic brains, creative hearts, recovering perfectionists, and quietly radical feminists.About LaurenLauren Best is a Transformation Designer, Wellness Facilitator, Certified Hypnotherapist, Multi-Best-Selling Author, Founder of Possibilities Universe, and Writer of Possibilities In Between on Substack. After navigating her own experiences with perfectionism, overwhelm, and burnout, she now guides people to trust themselves, take aligned action, and expand what’s possible in their work and lives.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.

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 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 felt alive. This naturally led me back into the world of Wabi‑sabi — the Japanese aesthetic of imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness — and how it mirrors resilience. In this episode, I walk you through:The cultural myth of “completion” and why we still chase itHow wabi-sabi challenges that mythWhat resilience really is — and how it shows up in softness not hardnessA short practice you can use this week to lean into being unfinishedIf you felt even a flicker of recognition in this episode, share it with someone who might need a reminder that perfection isn’t the point — being alive is. And if you’re ready to lean into being imperfect and resilient, head to my site and check out my coaching options → jenniferwalter.me/coachingSend 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.