451: Sorelle Sessions #4 | Italian Wine Festivals, Threshing Day, Where are People's Values?

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 favourite
• Castel Gandolfo, souvenir shopping regrets and the Florence coin purse that disappeared
• Carla's week: weekends at Mum's, Leo's milestones and a new apartment on the way
• What 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 you
• Finishing 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 can
• Small business, AI and finding gratitude when the world feels heavy
• Our stance on before and afters, and the Instagram post that made us proud

Key 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, Italy
• Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa and Lake Albano
• Villa Borghese and the Pantheon, Rome
• Aperol Spritz (invented 1919)
• Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros, a collection of thirteen Empyrean stories, released 29 September 2026
• Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (the hero's journey, 1949)
• Carl Jung's archetypes
• Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Throne of Glass (the giant spiders)
• Gossip Girl
• The Dirty Dozen list of high-pesticide produce
• Our MerryBody Instagram post: "Why you'll never see before and after photos from us"

Feel good in your body, without the before and afters

MerryBody 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

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