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It is Sister chat time. This week Emma’s in Rome eating all the chestnuts, while Carla’s on the Gold Coast juggling two kids, a house move and a late-night website security scramble. We chat about the latest beauty trend (dissolving fillers, apparently), why ageing is a privilege, the unsolicited “are you in a mothers’ group?” question, and how Pilates finally fixed Carla’s lower back pain. Plus, a sneak peek at the brand new teacher training app and heavy weight sessions coming to MerryBody!Key takeawaysBusiness means pivoting fast. When a crisis takes over your plans for the day, having a Plan B (and C) makes all the difference.Beauty trends come and go, and someone is usually profiting from your insecurity. Choosing not to jump on the train is a lot less tiring.Admiring beauty in older women helps undo our own fears about getting older. What a lucky thing it is to age!We all need a village, but it doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Even one person counts.Consistent Pilates with a focus on glute re-engagement took Carla’s postpartum lower back pain away. Strength holds everything in place.In this episodeThe global PHP and Node.js security vulnerabilities, and what it taught us about worst case scenariosFuel protests, empty supermarkets and student protests in ItalyThe Fourth Wing cast drama and AI-perfect beauty standardsBringing back recipes (Carla’s peanut butter cookies are coming to Instagram)Raising two high-energy kids and the backhanded “worried about you” judgementThe Rocca di Papa chestnut festival and why sagre belong on your Italy itineraryBuilding the new teacher training app and hitting the halfway mark with our fourth cohortCarla’s new apartment (no mortgage!) and adding heavy weight sessions to MerryBodyJulia Stiles’ Heath Ledger tribute on Dancing with the StarsResources mentionedSagra delle Castagne (chestnut festival), Rocca di Papa, Castelli RomaniNemi’s strawberry festival (June) and its little strawberry tartsFourth Wing series (Prime Video)10 Things I Hate About You (1999)Julia Stiles’ Dancing with the Stars tribute to Heath LedgerAustralian Cyber Security Centre updates on the PHP vulnerabilityCarla’s peanut butter cookie recipe, coming soon on our InstagramMove, breathe and build your strength with MerryBody Yoga, Pilates and meditation classes you can do anywhere, from 10 minute sessions to full flows. Pilates is what got Carla’s back feeling good again, and heavy weight sessions are coming soon! Start your free trial: geni.us/merrybodyBecome a Yoga teacher (or just become more you) Our Yoga Alliance approved trainings are confidence builders at heart. As our trainees told us at the halfway mark, they help you quieten that inner critic, connect with your body and step out of your own way, whether you want to teach or not.200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training: themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Yin Yoga Teacher Training: themerrymakersisters.com/yin-yoga-teacher-training/If you love the episode let us know. Or leave a review!Emma + CarlaThe Merrymaker Sisters

In episode five of our Sorelle Sessions, Emma’s in Rome, Carla’s on the Gold Coast, and the chat goes everywhere. From what Savasana teaches us about death (and living), to meeting one of our teacher training grads in Testaccio, to what the new Yoga Alliance changes actually mean (spoiler: less has changed than the internet thinks). Plus two very long Italian family lunches, a $17.60 smoothie, and Carla’s first solo outing with a toddler and a newborn. GO CARLA!!! Yep, she is amazing! In this episode:Why the whole point of yoga is to contemplate death, and how Savasana helps us live more present livesEmma’s visit to the Pyramid of Cestius and the cemetery where John Keats is buried (plus a brave attempt at reading Keats aloud (hahahaha, yes we need to educate ourselves)Meeting MerryBody YTT grad Barbara for pizza and pasticcini at Testaccio Market, and why we want more real-life meet-upsA chat about racism, migration, identity and respecting First Nations culture in AustraliaThe Yoga Alliance update explained: registered yoga schools now hold “designations”, and the 200 hour is still hereWeek 8 of our 2026 200 hour cohort, and celebrating Louise, our newest Yin Yoga Teacher Training graduateCarla’s week: weaning, chaotic packing (wine glasses in a nappy box, anyone?) and a solo walk, park and café trip with both boysItalian feasts, €10 Tavola Calda and Carla’s “dinosaur pasta”The new 3 Day Arms & Abs Challenge inside MerryBodyKey takeaways:Yoga is so much more than down dogs. Remembering life has an ending helps us let go of the grasping and focus on what brings joy, peace and calm.Real-life connection matters more than ever. In a world full of screens and AI, putting a face to a name deepens everything.Don’t panic about Yoga Alliance. The 200, 300 and 500 hour designations still exist. Mostly, the naming has changed.Your body is built differently, literally. Yin yoga (taught the Paul Grilley way) shows how our skeletons shape what we can do, making it a powerful practice of self-acceptance.When life changes, start small. Time and new seasons of life are the biggest exercise hurdles. A short challenge rebuilds momentum without waiting for Monday.Resources mentioned:John Keats, Ode to a Nightingale and Bright StarElizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, LoveBaz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996)Pyramid of Cestius and the Non-Catholic Cemetery, RomeTestaccio Market, RomeYoga AlliancePaul Grilley’s approach to Yin YogaGold Coast Greeks Facebook groupMerryBody 3 Day Arms & Abs ChallengeReady to get moving again?If time or a new season of life has knocked your routine off track, the 3 Day Arms & Abs Challenge is your perfect restart. Three classes (9, 10 and 21 minutes) you can do one a day or as a triple stack. New to MerryBody? Start your free 7-day trial and do the whole challenge for free.themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody-yoga-pilates/ or download the app: geni.us/merrybodyFeeling the pull to go deeper?The School of MerryBody Yoga Teacher Trainings are Yoga Alliance approved and built so you graduate actually able to teach. By week 12 of our 200 hour, trainees are designing and teaching their first class. Prefer to go at your own pace? Our self-paced Yin Yoga Teacher Training is the one we loved building most, and it might just change how you see your body.200 Hour: themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Yin Yoga: themerrymakersisters.com/yin-yoga-teacher-training/Emma + CarlaThe Merrymaker Sisters

Okay, this one goes everywhere. Actually... everywhere!Emma's just back from a week in Puglia (and yes, she ate all the bocconotti), and Carla's had a five-day birthday fesitval on the Gold Coast. Even though she organised it herself... virgo dream, right?So we start with pasta, figs and beach days… and then somehow end up in an existential crisis about social media, AI yoga teachers and all the bad news in the world. Then we swing right back to fictional dragons.Basically, it's exactly what our coffee catch-ups sound like. Grab a coffee or a spritz and come sit with us. Or walk with us. Or drive with us!Denny also makes a little surprise appearance at the end, CUTE!Warning: we chat about sexual assault, violence against women and some heavy world news in this one, so please look after yourself while listening. If you need support in Australia, 1800RESPECT is there on 1800 737 732. Oh, and a few little Fourth Wing spoilers too! If you have not read book 1, block your ears when we get to that part! haha.What we chat about:Emma's Puglia must-eats: bocconotti for brekkie, orecchiette with cime di rapa, bombette, octopus panino and figs straight off the tree (maybe don't do that last one)The cutest towns: Martina Franca, Ostuni, Locorotondo, Monopoli, Lecce and CisterninoWhy the late-night passeggiata is the most Italian thing everWatching five groups doing photoshoots at lunch… and then scheduling our own reels like, what are we doing?!The AI yoga accounts taking over our feeds (so weird)Why we really want to bring back in-person eventsSpeaking up about the hard stuff, and raising little boys who step inCarla's birthday week, newborn life and 2am squats while rocking LeoEmma's local chestnut festival and a bike ride on the Via Appia AnticaThreshing Day is out!! Our fave stories so far (Xaden, obviously)Our takeaways:Live it first, photograph it second. Take the pic, sure, then put the phone down.Real humans matter more than ever. Especially when half your feed is AI.If you're safe to speak up, speak up. Be the one who calls it out.The hard seasons pass. Dinnertime chaos won't last forever (and maybe it's the whole point anyway).Stuff we mentioned:Bar Adua, Martina Franca (THE bocconotti)La Pasteria, Martina Franca (fresh pasta, so good)Threshing Day by Rebecca YarrosFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosWindy City series by Liz TomfordeSherele Moody and Australian Femicide Watch: australianfemicidewatch.org1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732Come hang out with us in MerryBody Like we said in this ep: if you need a bit of yoga or Pilates, a reminder that you're already amazing, or just a break from all the "fix yourself" stuff online, come join us! MerryBody is yoga, Pilates and meditation with real teachers and real bodies. No before-and-afters here, promise. Quick classes for busy days, longer flows when you've got time, and lots of positivity but also embracing reality.And if you're loving this little series, please tell a friend. It really helps us so much.Join us direct via the app store: http://geni.us/merrybodyHave a read: https://themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody-yoga-pilates/Thinking about teaching? Our Yoga Alliance approved 200 Hour and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings are open too: https://themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Thanks for tuning in, see you next week!Emma + CarlaThe Merrymaker Sisters

Sorelle Sessions #2 is here! Emma is in Rome, Carla is on the Gold Coast. We hit record on the chat we would have had anyway. No script, no plan, just sisters catching up. Grab a coffee (or a spritz) and enjoy!In this episode:The full play-by-play of the Tuscan wedding menu, from the aperitivo to the never-ending courses to the cake.Why Emma wore her Year 12 formal dress (bought at 17, worn again at 38) and why it looked even better this time.The sisters' teenage hair eras, thanks to one very persuasive hairdresser in Canberra.Radicchio, breadcrumbs on baked veggies, and other Italian kitchen tricks worth stealing.Dance floor lifts, near misses by the pool, and the group chat wedding song.Carla on life with a toddler and a newborn.Sorelle Sessions Italian lessons, how to actually say Fiumicino, and the best pizza al taglio near the airport (called Sancho).For extended Europe stays, car lease option.Why Emma regrets not making the Puglian wedding bigger (but the 40th birthday party idea that might fix it).Links mentioned:The Tuscan wedding food.The dress! Worn at 17 and 38.Join us on the matWhether you're in Rome, on the Gold Coast, or somewhere in between, MerryBody is your home for Yoga, Pilates and meditation. Move in a way that feels good, with two sisters who get that life is busy and bodies change. Try it here: http://geni.us/merrybodyReady to go deeper? The School of MerryBody Yoga Teacher Trainings are Yoga Alliance approved and fully online, so you can study from anywhere (even between courses at an Italian wedding). Choose from the 200 Hour, Yin Yoga or Yamas and Niyamas trainings.200 Hour YTT: https://themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Yin Yoga YTT: https://themerrymakersisters.com/yin-yoga-teacher-training/Got questions for the next Sorelle Session? Send them our way. We'll be back in your ears next week!Always merrymaking,Emma + Carla The Merrymaker Sisters

Welcome to our very first episode of the Sorelle Sessions! I am (Emma) in Rome (well, Rocca di Papa, a town just outside of Rome), Carla is on the Gold Coast, and we thought, why not hit record on the catch ups we'd be having anyway? No plan, no script, just the two of us talking about what's really going on. Grab a coffee or a spritz, depending on your time zone.  In this episode we chat:Italy vs the Gold Coast: 11pm piazzas full of kids vs cafés closing at 2pm, and why Italians don't need a name for "the third place"The real cost of living comparison: €2 chicken Marylands, €7 pizza and €4 spritzes vs $22 spritzes and $26 margheritas back home.Why we chose to buy a little house in Italy instead of renovating in Australia.The ongoing cost of living crisis, small business closures and the hard part of being "in touch with reality" without being consumed by it.Parenting from Instagram: praising effort over "you're so smart," and the "you can walk or mummy carries you" trick that actually worked on Denny.Postpartum recovery done properly the second time: rest, the recovery pants Carla swears by, and why the "bounce back" pressure does more harm than good.Why we'll never sell MerryBody with before and after photos, even though it would probably make us more moneyMum at 68 doing 2 to 3 classes a day and racing Denny down the flying fox. This is what MerryBody is for.Resources mentioned:Emma's blog post on her pituitary gland tumour diagnosis, read it here!The skincare Carla is loving (not sponsored): Froya Organics.The film Emma watched on the plane: HamnetMerryBody snack size classes, the physio-approved sessions Carla is easing back in with: sign up to a 7 day trial!Got a question for next week's Sorelle Session? Italy, small business, Gold Coast life, Yoga, Pilates, teacher training, anything. Send us an email or a DM and we'll add it to the list. And if you have a sister, send her this one. Apparently Harvard says it's good for you.Join us inside MerryBodyYoga, Pilates and meditation classes you can do at home, in your PJs, in 10 minutes or 60. No before and afters, no bounce back pressure, just movement that makes you feel good and keeps you strong enough to run down the flying fox at 68 *( you will get this reference when you listen!). Start your free trial here!!Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaThe Merrymaker Sisters

This one's a wild ride (literally!). In this episode Carla shares her Leo James birth story for the very first time... and it could not be more different to her first birth with Denny.What started as a calm morning of contractions at home turned into a very speedy, very dramatic dash to the hospital… and baby Leo arrived in the car, right out the front of the hospital, with an audience.The hypnobirthing breathing, the birth affirmations, the M1 traffic drama, and the rip... and recovery that followed.A reminder of just how amazing the female body is.  (Please note: this episode includes detailed descriptions of childbirth and bodily fluids.)In this episode:This birth was very different to the first birth with DennyWhy she wanted to avoid an induction and go into spontaneous labourThe tools that helped: the TENS machine, pranayama breathing, hypnobirthing and birth affirmationsRecognising the "I don't want to do this anymore" transition momentThe dramatic 13-minute drive, Gold Coast drivers and waters breaking in the carLeo's arrival in the car, a BBA (Baby Before Arrival!) — right outside the hospitalThe tear, the stitches and Carla's speedy recoveryWhy the second newborn bubble has felt so different (in the best way)What a birth story! We'd love to hear your thoughts... come say hi over on Instagram or send us an email.Ready to move, breathe and feel good in your body? Come join us inside the MerryBody app for yoga, Pilates and meditation you'll actually look forward to — start your free trial here: http://geni.us/merrybody.Emma + Carla,The Merrymaker Sisters

Well, we're on a roll! With baby number two still keeping us waiting (any day now!), we've squeezed in another podcast, and this one goes everywhere (as usual haha). We start with the bump update and Carla's wild nose job saga (two surgeries, a skin graft from her bum, and a two-year swelling situation no surgeon ever warned her about).It turns into a real conversation about why we've normalised changing our faces, and how a society so obsessed with "fixing" bodies got this far from self-acceptance.Then we dive into Off Campus, th show everyone's talking about... and what it's teaching us about emotionally intelligent men, healthy relationships, and supportive friendships. We get into men's mental health, the pressure to "achieve" and s much more!Heads up: we briefly touch on suicide and men's mental health in this episode. Please skip or come back to it if you need to. A few things we chat about:Plastic surgery is never "just" a procedure. Carla's story is a real reminder that surgery is major, healing can take years and the before-and-afters never tell the whole story.Our bodies are meant to change... bloating, puffiness, swelling, all of it. Recognising it as completely normal (periods, pregnancy, travel, being human) is so good for us.Off Campus is displaying emotional intelligence, its leading men celebrate the women in their lives, hold space for feelings and show us what supportive, healthy relationships can actually look like.Men's mental health matters... so many men were raised to bottle it all up, and creating safe spaces to feel and talk can literally save lives.Money won't buy happiness (but we keep having to relearn it!)... chasing achievement and external validation is part of life... but real happiness and wellbeing comes from within (as long as you have the essentials).Stuff we mentioned:Off Campus — the hockey-romance series on Prime Video, based on Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus books (starting with The Deal)Coop on YouTube — the creator whose plastic surgery reaction videos kicked off the chat. He's so funny! Probably the coolest and most decent Gen Z guys we've seen online. Admittedly we don't follow many (haha).Emily in Paris — on NetflixA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — our current Romantasy obsession (no spoilers… mostly haha)"Boys" — the upcoming book on raising boys we mention, will chat more about this soon.Episode 444 — Ozempic, Botox & binge eatingEpisode 443 — our Romantasy book recommendationsBefore you go… Next time you're feeling puffy, premenstrual, or just plain over it, press play on a Yin Yoga class and feel the magic. That's exactly what MerryBody is for... Yoga, Pilates and meditation you can do anytime, anywhere, without the external pressure to look like anyone else but YOU. Start today! Find us in your a store over HERE!Always merrymakingEmma + Carla 

Ever get that feeling that everyone else has it all figured out and you're somehow running late on your own life? In this episode we chat about that "I'm so behind" feeling... the milestones we think we should have hit by now, the comparison spiral, the endless should-be's and the ancient Yoga practice that helps us let it all go: Santosha, or contentment.We chat about why fixing one thing only ever reveals the next thing to fix, why acceptance isn't toxic positivity (it's simply letting things be as they are), and how true contentment comes from the inside out, not the outside in.We talk through money fears, relationship timelines, the "good life vs good day" reminder, and how shifting your energy, shifts your results. In this episode:Why the "I'm behind" feeling is so universal, and a little pointless once you really look at itSantosha (contentment + acceptance) and why it's a daily practice, not a one-and-doneHow acceptance isn't positivity, it's letting reality be as it is, so you can move through it with less sufferingReleasing the "should-be's": milestones, money, relationship timelines and everyone's different path"Don't get so obsessed with a good life that you forget to give yourself a good day"How shifting your energy and mindset shifts your actions, and your resultsWhy diving into Yoga philosophy ripples out into every corner of your lifeMentioned in this episode:Santosha — the second Niyama, contentment, from the Yoga Sutras of PatanjaliThe Daily Guide to the Yoga Sutras by Susan FendlerEddie Stern's One Simple ThingSteve Jobs on connecting the dots looking backwardsByron Katie's "Is it true?" questionEpisode 444 — our binge eating, Ozempic + Botox chatOur earlier podcast episodes on the Yamas & NiyamasReady to go deeper?  If this episode lit something up in you, our School of MerryBody Yoga Teacher Trainings are where this philosophy really comes alive. Our next 200-Hour Training (fully online and Yoga Alliance accredited) begins 23 August 2026 and right now there's an early bird offer plus a 12-month payment plan to make it doable around real life, families and work.Come learn the practices that changed everything for us: 200-Hour Teacher Training themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Got questions or wondering if it's for you? Reach out anytime, we love a chat. Always merrymaking,Emma + Carla