Get Merry

Emma’s in Rome with two weeks to go, Carla’s settling into her new apartment on the Gold Coast, and we’re catching up across a nine-hour time difference. From Giotto and regional Italian food to downsizing and the new MerryBody class everyone’s loving, this one is a proper sister chat. In this episode:Why Rome is Roma, and how Italy’s regional dialects came to be (another faulty history lesson)Padova and Bassano del Grappa: Giotto, Donatello and the Basilica of Sant’AntonioStumbling across a peaceful protest of 20,000 peopleEating by region: baccalà, butter up north, olive oil down south, and a persimmon and chestnut mousseEmma’s wobbly (helmet-free) e-bike ride on the Appia AnticaFlashback to our first Rome trip at 20 and 23, with no phones and a broken pair of thongsFast trains in Europe and dreaming of one from the Gold Coast to BrisbaneCarla’s new apartment and why small living feels so much betterThe scary side of tech and AI right nowBook chat: the new ACOTAR and the Windy City seriesInside our Yoga Teacher Training: sequencing weekSuper Balance Yoga and why balance matters for longevityA parent reminder: anchor your chest of drawers to the wallKey takeaways:Travel opens your eyes. Stepping outside your own bubble shows you how much more there is to the world.Small is good. Less space means less stuff, less clutter and less stress.Adaptability is a superpower. Getting annoyed at things outside your control doesn’t make life any better.It’s never too early or too late to work on your balance.Resources mentioned:Giotto’s frescoes, PadovaBasilica of Sant’Antonio (with Donatello’s sculptures), PadovaBassano del GrappaVia Appia Antica, RomeA Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. MaasFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosThe Windy City series by Liz Tomforde, including Rewind It Back (Rio and Halle) and In Her Own League (Monty)Super Balance Yoga and the posture reset class, in the MerryBody appThe MerryBody Treasure Map, our class sequencing formulaCome move with us Want to work on your balance with us? Super Balance Yoga is waiting for you in the MerryBody app, along with yoga, Pilates and meditation classes for every body and every day. Our member Sue is making it her Wednesday ritual. Join her! Join MerryBody: https://themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody-yoga-pilates/Download the app: http://geni.us/merrybodyDreaming of teaching yoga?Inside The School of MerryBody, you’ll learn our Treasure Map formula and sequence your very own class with us cheering you on. Our trainings are Yoga Alliance approved, with 200 Hour, Yin Yoga and Yamas & Niyamas options. 200 Hour YTT: https://themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Yin Yoga YTT: https://themerrymakersisters.com/yin-yoga-teacher-training/Emma + Carla, The Merrymaker Sisters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grab a spritz (it's always spritz o'clock somewhere) and join us across an eight hour time difference, with Emma in Rome and Carla on the Gold Coast. This week we wander through a 102-year-old wine festival, debate whether romantasy writing is "bad" (spoiler: we don't care, we love it), we chat about pesticides in Aussie produce, and share a proud moment about why MerryBody does not use before and after photos. Plus a very special guest appearance from Denny singing Five Little Ducks. HAHAH.Content note: this episode includes discussion of domestic violence and eating disorders. Please look after yourself while listening.In this episode:The Marino Grape Festival, 50 kinds of spritz and why the little towns outside Rome are our favouriteCastel Gandolfo, souvenir shopping regrets and the Florence coin purse that disappearedCarla's week: weekends at Mum's, Leo's milestones and a new apartment on the wayWhat it's like running our Yoga Teacher Training with a brand new cohort (week seven already!)Why meditation is where yoga philosophy actually starts to transform youFinishing Threshing Day, the hero's journey and why every great story shares the same bones (warning spoilers)Pesticides, BPA-free bottles and choosing glass and organic where we canSmall business, AI and finding gratitude when the world feels heavyOur stance on before and afters, and the Instagram post that made us proudKey takeaways:Knowing isn't doing. You can know every benefit of meditation, but nothing changes until you actually sit and breathe.Presence is the big lesson of yoga. Mess in the house and imperfect days matter far less than the moment you're in.Gratitude helps, and so does a walk. When things feel heavy, finding one thing to be thankful for (and getting outside) helps you move again.Your before is just as worthy as your after. The wins that matter most, like better sleep, less back pain and feeling calmer, can't be photographed.Values over trends. We've got things wrong before, but we'll always choose what feels right over what sells fastest.Resources mentioned:Sagra dell'Uva (Marino Grape Festival), Castelli Romani, ItalyCastel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa and Lake AlbanoVilla Borghese and the Pantheon, RomeAperol Spritz (invented 1919)Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros, a collection of thirteen Empyrean stories, released 29 September 2026Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm by Rebecca YarrosTwilight by Stephenie MeyerThe Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (the hero's journey, 1949)Carl Jung's archetypesHarry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Throne of Glass (the giant spiders)Gossip GirlThe Dirty Dozen list of high-pesticide produceOur MerryBody Instagram post: "Why you'll never see before and after photos from us"Feel good in your body, without the before and aftersMerryBody is our yoga, Pilates and meditation app built on self-acceptance, not shame. Short classes that help you sleep better, feel stronger, ease back pain and actually want to move, even if it's just 10 minutes a day.Start your free trial here: http://geni.us/merrybody Or learn more: https://themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody-yoga-pilates/Ready to go deeper? If this week's chat about meditation and philosophy lit something up in you, the School of MerryBody Yoga Teacher Trainings are for you. Fully online, Yoga Alliance approved, and full of the kind of connection you'll remember forever.200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training: https://themerrymakersisters.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/Yin Yoga Teacher Training: https://themerrymakersisters.com/yin-yoga-teacher-training/Always merrymaking,Emma + Carla, The Merrymaker Sisters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.