UCA alumna, Claret Alcalà Collins has launched a digital magazine titled “My Life Essentials Magazine”.

The magazine, “My Life Essentials”, is a quarterly digital magazine that teaches people how to live intentionally. “Living intentionally is all about having a purpose,” Founder and Editor- in- Chief, Claret Alcalá Collins said. “If you’re doing something but you don’t have a reason why you’re doing it, then why are you doing it at all?” 

The magazine provides readers with educational tools and information to help them live a more intentional life.” My Life Essentials” has a team of professionals that give guidance in areas like health, finances and personal development..

Collins studied film and marketing at UCA and graduated in the spring of 2018. After she graduated, Collins began working as an associate producer at Arkansas’ PBS. It wasn’t until March of this year, when she began working at home, that she became inspired to turn this idea of a magazine into reality.

“I lost a sister to cancer in 2017 and ever since then I felt like she showed me that you have to take advantage of every single day in your life and that you have to do what makes you happy and you have to have a purpose in life and you really just have to live your passion,” Collins said. “After that, she inspired me to create this magazine. This was an idea that I’ve had for a really long time and I decided to actually do it this year.”

The magazine released its first issue in June and its second in September. Before she officially launched, she reached out to several professionals to give expert opinions to readers. “I asked my friends, I even reached out to people I haven’t talked to before and surprisingly they said yes!” Collins said. “It kinda just all fell into place.” The team of writers and professionals includes certified financial coach Anita Grote and systemic therapist and wellness coach Ligia Vásquez.

The magazine is also available in English and Spanish. Being that Collins is a latin woman, born and raised in Venezuela she felt that it was only right to have it available in her first language. “I felt like I wasn’t going to be true to myself if I didn’t offer the same information in Spanish because hispanic people are my people,” Collins said. 

Collins said that her education and experience at UCA benefited her in creating this magazine. “I went to school for film and I feel like it was a very creative degree. I learned a lot of stuff that I definitely put into practice,” Collins said. “I made a lot of connections when I was there and all those connections definitely got me something,” Collins said.

Collins hopes to soon take her magazine out of the digital world and bring it into the physical by hosting in-person workshops and dinners for readers and staff to connect with each other in a safe space. “[I want to] create a safe space for people to just be themselves and learn from each other and create a community where we can just learn how to live more intentionally,” Collins said.

You can purchase issues of My Life Essentials at mylifeessentialsmag.com. A subscription to the magazine cost $15 a year.