To truly release your Inner Loca, you have to be in touch with your Inner Wisdom. How many times have you gone against that intuitive knowing sense inside of you...

only to find out later that you should have listened to it in the first place!!!

This episode of RYIL explores new territory: instead of focusing on the success of celebrities and others, the focus is on YOU!

www.ComadreCoaching.com

She's glamorous, outspoken, smart, and pura loca! She's Cathy Areu, the charismatic (and did I say outspoken?) founder of Catalina magazine.

Find out how this intelligent, inspiring, entrepreneur/journalist runs a great magazine, keeps her life in balance, and stays creative. Bonus feature: real life dish on super guapo Mario Lopez!

runtime 19 minutes

Meet Chica Lit superstar Mary Castillo, author of the groundbreaking "Hot Tamara". Find out how a successful novelist spends her day (bon bons or laptop?), plans her next hit book, and supports other writers in a circle of comadres. Get the lowdown on screenwriters, growing up on the Cal-Mex border, and the state of Chica Lit. www.innerloca.blogspot.com

Martha Montoya is the creator of Los Kitos, a syndicated bilingual comic strip that appears in over 300 publications.

Martha is an artist with a business sense and has made a name for her company through strategic licensing agreements. As a result, her characters have appeared in print, on clothing, and even in live characters. At heart, she is a teacher and every creative and business decision she makes reflects her values of community empowerment and commitment to children.

runtime: 22 minutes

Cynthia Sommer is a Chicana learning to trust her intuition- and her story will inspire you to delve deeper into the meaning of your own roots, purpose, and intuition.

Her essay, Learning to Trust My Intuition, was recently featured on NPR's series This I Believe. In an eloquent first person narrative, she explores the dance her life takes between left brain logic and right brain feeling. She holds degrees in Business from Stanford and Wharton, yet is pulled to the arts and community. How does she do it? Well, listen up and you'll find out! Get the link to Cynthia's essay on the RYIL site, www.innerloca.blogspot.com

As Linda Castillo was about to receive her Masters Degree, the keynote speaker at her graduation ceremony said words that would fuel a new direction for Linda's life.

"Make a difference."

"Spark change."

Linda realized that she needed to do something that supported her vision for the community, and before you know it, www.ModernLatina.com was born! Meet Linda as she tells Nancy about Modern Latina, where she sees it going, and how YOU can turn an idea into a rewarding accomplishment.

Marta Acosta writes Chica Lit with a bite... literally!

Meet this talented author of *Happy Hour at Casa Dracula* a romantic comedy of manners starring Milagro de los Santos and an uppity band of genteel vampires.

Learn about Marta, her background, and the next in the Casa Dracula series!

Buy the book! I promise you won't be able to put it down.

Her website is www.MartaAcosta.com

What do you get when you take an unabashed Boricua from NYC, load her up with a law degree, and give her an online voice? You get Jennese Torres, the founder and publisher of La Diva Latina. Part political commentator, part activist, part loca (in a good way!), Jennese is a dynamic woman who shares her passion and vision on this episode of Release Your Inner Loca.

Meet Marisa Treviño, blogger, journalist, and the brains behind Latina Lista (http://www.latinalista.blogspot.com) In Spanish, lista can mean many things: ready, smart, bright... and Marisa is all these and then some.

A syndicated journalist and local public radio commentator, Marisa has been writing about family, education and other social justice issues for 10 years. Learn about Marisa's background, what fuels her work, and where she's headed.

Ruth Kunstadter, a Spanish teacher from Montclair, NJ, grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of age appropriate materials for middle school students. Rugrats in Spanish wasn't going to cut it, neither were the more adult edu-novelas.

After filming una amiga venezolana making hallacas in her kitchen, the chispa of an idea struck Ruth: What about making educational media that not only teaches the language, but reinforces culture, traditions, and identity? AND... most importantly, entertain and engage middle school kids!

Ruth flew with the idea and now is the Chief Creative Officer of Chispa Productions, an educational media company that specializes in bringing culturally authentic, academically sound language instruction to youth. Meet Ruth as she drives around East LA in Nancy's car, and find out first hand how the chispa of an idea turned into a mighty flame.