In episode 385 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dr Jennifer Weber.

Jennifer, like friend of the pod Carolyn Gorman also currently works as a Fellow at The Manhattan Institute.

The Manhattan Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank whose scholars and journalists are dedicated to advancing opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in America and its great cities.

They cover a range of policy issues including policing and public safety, housing, education, law and economics and many more.

Jennifer’s work builds on educational research and behavioural science to inform systems change and connect research with practice and policy.

Jennifer’s academic areas of interest include K-12 education policy in the USA, behaviour and discipline, literacy rates and AI.

Jennifer completed her BSC Undergraduate degree in Education at Townson University in 2011, before completing her Masters in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Columbia University and finally, completing her PHD in the same degree from Columbia in 2016.

She spent the first part of her career working at various universities and consulting roles, before landing at the MI in 2026.

She says the MI has allowed her to influence policy, which she is passionate about.

In this episode we chart her professional journey, from academia, to consulting and now in the think-tank space.

For Jennifer’s mental health journey, we discuss multiple surgeries she had to have as a child, first in 1999 and then several more from that point onwards.

When she entered Townson University, one day she passed out and ended up in intensive care for four days in 2009 and required blood transfusions to survive.

We talk about the shock of that event, how she got through it, and the importance of her family and support system which helped her recover and excel to the point she is in life now.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can read all of Jennifer's articles we discussed in full below:

• Students Need Consequences, Not “Restorative Justice”
• A Step-by-Step Guide to AI in Schools — How Much to Use and When

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In episode 384 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Georgie Mumford.

Georgie is a freelance journalist and commentator who has previously worked for Spiked magazine.

We came across her through her appearance on friend of the pod Elliot Bewick’s The Next Generation podcast.

Georgie had aspirations to be a fiction writer and even spent a few years in a performing arts school.

When she was 16, the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016. She wasn’t informed on the debate and her political curiosity was piqued as a result to learn more.

She began engaging in debates around abortion and when she entered university, she took part in an essay competition called the Edinburgh Enlightenment Award in 2023. The task was to argue for or against the argument: ‘transwomen are women’.

After graduating, she saw an internship role advertised at Spiked, applied for it and got it, thus landing her first job in journalism.

In this episode we discuss Georgie’s journey in journalism so far and her ambitions for what she wants to achieve in it going forward.

We also discuss a range of issues affecting Gen-Z that she writes and opines about.

This includes the relationship between Gen-Z men and women, the faith revival amongst her generation and Georgie’s own conversion to Catholicism herself.

For Georgie’s mental health journey, we discuss her rural upbringing which caused her some isolation and loneliness. She was also very shy and struggled to socialise with her peers.

We also discuss why she is interested in the relationships between men and women and some negative experiences in dating which she thinks might have contributed to it.

This includes one traumatic incident of bullying when she was around 16/17 years old when she took part in a summer school activity with her theatre group and we discuss the scars that left her and how she overcame it, which was through her Christian faith.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can read all of Georgie's articles we discussed in full below:

• Why Gen Z converts are flocking to the Latin Mass
• Why young women fear men

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In episode 383 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Sam Maclean.

Sam is a firefighter by day but also the Founder and host of The Lonely Chapter Podcast (TLCP).

TLCP bills itself as “a podcast for people doing okay on the surface, but still figuring life out.”

Sam started the podcast in May 2024 because of his love for listening to podcasts but increasingly, as he was listening to them, he “wanted to be in the room and ask the next question”.

Since launching it, he has done over 110 podcasts at time of recording, and has interviewed friends of the pod George from TheTinMen and Dr Susie Bennett amongst a host of other great and inspiring guests.

In this episode we discuss how and why he launched the podcast, what he’s learned along the way, how the skills he’s learned as an interviewer has helped him in his firefighting job and vice-versa.

We also discuss how he’s been able to set up a men’s mental health support group in the Fire Service as a result of the podcast and through speaking to Susie in particular.

For Sam’s mental health journey, we discuss burnout he’s experienced whilst being a firefighter, volunteering with the charity Samaritans from January 2024-March 2025 and the skills he learned there, and the detachment skills he’s implemented in firefighting and running the podcast.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can listen and subscribe to The Lonely Chapter Podcast, as well as where follow them on social media here.

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