Join us this week for our season 8 finale as we recap some of our favourite episodes and discuss how far we've come...as well as talk about the future of Car Chats.

In this episode we have an extended personal update as we catch you up what we've been up to the last couple of weeks as well as our feelings over lockdown easing, international borders opening and the ability to go out and catch up with friends and family.

We also unpack some recent headlines such as: The tragic death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust', The TGA's push to allow pharmacist to prescribe the 'pill' without needing a prescription from your GP, The Save our Scene campaign to restore life back to Australia's highly impacted gigging and live music community, Scomo's super secret plan to get Australia to become carbon neutral by 2050 through technology not 'yet' invented, as well as the upcoming COVID-19 booster shots.

As usual we end with our weekly recommendations and a massive thank you to all our lovely listeners who have stuck with us on this journey...See you on the other side!  

Dave Chappelle is famous for his uncomfortable, boundary-pushing comedy. Has he taken the jokes too far in his recent Netflix special ‘The Closer'? Then, what on earth is going on between Jesy Nelson, Nicki Minaj and Leigh-Anne Pinnock in the recent ‘blackfishing’ controversy? Make sure to tune in live every Tuesday at 5pm on Radio Monash and check us out on our Instagram @carchatspodcast. We would love to hear your thoughts on the episode!

We are back baby after a two week break and hell yeah we're excited for this ep. A lot has happened over the break and WE ARE READY to talk about it. We deep dive into Gladys Berejiklian's surprise resignation and then we chat about Rancid Eddie and their controversial new single. Make sure to tune in live every Tuesday at 5pm on Radio Monash and check us out on our Instagram @carchatspodcast. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the episode!

This week we discuss the most talked about event of the year and fashion's big night out: The Met Gala.

Join us as we talk about the origins of the event, the exclusivity (invite-only), the themes, the dresses (our favourites), and of course the controversies and drama.

Later on we talk about FITSPO... #thinspiration's sinister but subtle younger sister. Many of us would remember thinspiration from our high school days; images shared on social media of (almost impossibly) thin bodies overlaid with inspirational quotes promoting "health and fitness". It sparked conversations about 'thigh gaps' and promoted almost impossible thinness as the benchmark for women. 

The goal of fitspo (short for fitspiration) was to motivate people to pursue fit and healthy lifestyles by promoting body positivity over weight loss... however the rise of fitspo has been closely aligned with the rise of fitness influencers who have gained mass following online by posting toned and slender athletic bodies attached with motivational quotes. So join us as we discuss the potential dangers and harms of this growing online phenomena. 

We all know what it’s like to be scrolling through LinkedIn, seeing the successes of your network, and feeling like you're falling behind in comparison. We've labelled this feeling 'career dysmorphia'. Join us as we share personal experiences and unpack the reasons why these feelings are so widespread.

Then, we switch gears and discuss all things pronouns: what they are, what they mean, how we should use them moving forward. 

Make sure you check out our socials if you'd like to get involved in the conversation @carchatspodcast on Instagram and Car Chats with Tess, Kat and Shaun on Facebook. 

On this week's episode, we discuss the Triple J tweet that got musicians and their audience talking about how the Aussie music scene isn't up to scratch with representing people from all backgrounds. We then chat about the good, the bad and the ugly of reality TV. Yes, that's right... listen in to hear us talk about all the reality TV shows we're obsessed with, we're disappointed with and we're frustrated with. Make sure you check us out on our socials if you'd like to get involve in the conversation @carchatspodcast on Instagram and Car Chats with Tess, Kat and Shaun on Facebook.

This week join your favourite hosts (and special guest Olivia) for one roller coaster of an episode where we debunk some common COVID-19 myths and vaccine misinformation. We also take a look at the vaccine rollout in other countries and how their governments are handling re-opening boarders and travel. We then switch gears entirely and talk all things period! We've asked you, our lovely listeners, for your pressing period questions so join us (hosted by Shaun) as we get candid and discuss our own personal experiences and opinions (Kat, Tess & Liv). 

BRITNEY'S BACK! We touch base with our favourite pop queen and discuss recent developments in her legal battle to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from his role as her conservator. Then, we revisit the #FreeBritney movement and unpack the highlights and criticisms of the New York Times' documentary titled 'Framing Britney Spears'. 

WE'RE BACK BABY! Car Chats is officially back for another season and boy we're excited. After a much needed break, the gang is back and better than ever. We give you all the personal updates you never asked for and a quick run through of what's been going on in the world over the past week. We then dive into a discussion about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; all the ups and downs, the weird and the wacky. And later, we unpack the ABC's recent investigation into TikTok and how the new social media app is causing more problems than you think. If you'd like to join in on the conversation, check us out on our instagram @carchatsmonash or on Facebook at Car Chats with Tess, Kat and Shaun.

***Trigger Warning: Emotional abuse, manipulation, gaslighting***

For our season finale we are taking a little trip to gaslit city and unpacking gaslighting within intimate relationships and friendships; how to recognise and how to shut it down. Have you ever asked yourself "am I being sensitive?" multiple times a day, often feel confused or crazy in a relationship, you're always apologising, or you feel like you're constantly not good enough... you might wanna listen as these are often the symptoms of being gaslit. As gaslighting is a form of abuse we would also like to urge our listeners to reach out to 1800 RESPECT or Lifeline on 13 11 14 should you feel uncomfortable or relate to any of the content discussed. 

In the second half of the show we get into queer-baiting; a form of profiting from attention from the LGBTQI+ community by hinting at on-screen same-sex couples or queer characters without actually confirming or following through with it. LGBTQI+ representation is super important, and often when these representations are implied, authors, artists, and producers profit from buzz within the LGBQTI+ community without actually providing proper representation.

PSA: This is our last show of the season, so we will be back to regular programming in the coming months, in order to stay up to date please follow our socials on instagram (@carchatsmonash) or facebook (Car Chats with Tess, Kat and Shaun).