At 23 and 26, Canberrans Carla and Emma Papas (aka The Merrymaker Sisters) have done what most of us will only ever dream of. They’ve quit their 9am-5pm desk jobs to follow their dreams or as the girls would say, “to follow our bliss”!

If you haven’t heard of The Merrymaker Sisters yet then you’re in for a treat. The girls live and breathe the paleo lifestyle and have built a global online audience of more then 50,000 people. They’ve sold over 2,000 copies of their first e-book, Let’s Eat Paleo, and  on the weekend they released a new series of e-books full of paleo recipes and nutritional tips.

What I love most about these girls is that they radiate positive energy and it’s pretty contagious. I recently caught up with the girls for a chat and a delicious almond milk chai latte – paleo of course – at Me and Mrs Jones in Kingston. I found out what’s next for the delightful duo, got their top social media and success tips, and even scored a recipe that I tested and have shared with you from their new e-book, Make it sweet – Minus the Sugar.

The girls have taken a huge leap by quitting their office jobs to pursue their passion and next month their adventure truly begins. They’re heading on a paleo pursuit to the Gold Coast, Whitsundays, New York and California where they’ll take part in blogging conferences, paleo conferences and camps, eat good food, explore and meet with other paleo and health enthusiasts including The Healthy Cook Dan Churchill.

Not only do the girls love what they do, they love making an impact on other people’s lives just as much.

“We feel so blessed that we’ve found something we are so passionate about. We speak to a lot of people who haven’t found that yet, so we’re so glad and happy that we have.

“We feel amazing and we want to share that with people. We get great feedback and beautiful messages and emails all the time and it’s amazing to know that we are impacting people’s lives, people that we don’t know, people from across the globe. That’s amazing and that brings us happiness and a sense of knowing that we’re doing something good on this planet,” Carla said.

“Our goal isn’t a monetary figure; our goal is to have enough money to keep going and to be happy,” Emma added.

The girls want to continue to build their online audience but are going to focus on working with individuals and groups of people who are interested in becoming the best version of themselves.

“We also offer holistic health coaching for people who want to improve their health but are also interested in paleo. We already have a few clients but we’re planning on offering online Skype and group consultation for friends or gym groups who want to do paleo together. It’s great to do things online but it will also be good to do things face to face.

“We want to help people to believe in themselves and know that anything is possible. It’s hard work and it’s going to take time but you will get there in the end if you want it bad enough,” Emma said.

The girls are already a major success in my eyes and I was interested to know their top tips for social media and success. So I asked and here are their top 3’s.

Merrymaker Sisters top 3 social media tips

1. Consistency. Be consistent with your posts and keep a number of posts you want to share and do the same each day so your followers know when to expect them.
2. Be authentic. People want to know you, the real you and its easier to be the real you then someone else so get on there and just be yourself. People will connect with you and like what they see when you are yourself.
3. Collaborating. Share and collaborate with other people. Tap into other people’s audience and don’t compare yourself and be competitive. Work together with other people and have fun.

 Merrymaker Sisters top 3 tips for success

1. Follow your bliss and do what you love.
2. Persistence and hard work. There’s going to be lows so expect to have them. You just have to work through them and not let them get you down. Don’t let it stop you and keep pushing through. When the low is over your going to come out on top and learn something that you can then share with other people.
3. Network. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there or to ask for help. Most people want to help and the worse thing that can happen is that people say no. Create those networks, talk to people and learn from what they’ve done.

Here’s the Double choc coconut cookie recipe from one of their new ebooks. I had most of the ingredients already in the cupboard so it was pretty easy for me to whip these one bowl cookies up. Verdict = they are delicious. Not sweet and sugary like regular cookies but they were rich, had a great texture and are quite moorish. A great healthy alternative and my other half even enjoyed them so that’s a win!

Double choc coconut cookies

Serves: 12

Prep time: 10mins

Cook time: 15mins

Stuff you’ll need

1 1⁄2 cups almond meal

1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

1⁄2 cup coconut oil melted

1⁄3 cup cacao nibs

1⁄3 cup raw cacao powder

2 eggs

2 tbsp Natvia

…now what?

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs and coconut oil together.

Add all of the other ingredients and mix until it forms a cookie dough.

Take tablespoons of mixture and place on to the prepared baking tray, 1 cm apart.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool before serving and store in an airtight container.

These girls have fire in their tummies and are blazing a red-hot trail in their path. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of a very fulfilling journey for The Merrymaker Sisters. I can’t wait to see what fab ideas they are going to share with us in Canberra when they return from the US in full merrymaker mode. Watch this space!