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Community Corner

Meet Sayville's Maria Capp, Life Coach

From actor to mom to coach to fundraiser, this resident wears many different hats.

Sayville resident Maria Capp is not just your ordinary coach.

Yes, she’s an acting coach as well as a life coach, but she’s also involved in a lot more. And Capp is passionate about what she believes in, “walking the talk” and following the beliefs she delivers as a life coach.

Capp is an actor, teacher, coach, mentor and parent advocate for the arts. She has supported Kids for Kids Productions, Inc., as director, choreographer, volunteer and board member over the last seven years. 

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“Kids for Kids is celebrating its 33rd year; it was founded by parents creating a creative theatre enrichment opportunity for their children,” she said. “Founded, based and supported by parent volunteers is still the fundamental structure of the organization. I joined Kids for Kids in 2003 while my children performed in the production of the King and I. Kids for Kids is the first of its kind with many of the other theaters now offering similar programs. Kids for Kids served as the model of charging a production fee, hiring a director, musical director, and choreographer and providing students ages five to 18 with an opportunity to learn, participate and perform in a full-scale theatrical production.”

Capp has taught, casted and directed children and adults in a series of workshops and staged readings for the stage, live television and film. A strong parent advocate for the arts, Maria is a member of NYSTEA, EdTA and a supporter of the .

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Capp is a second generation actor. Her mother Millie D’Agostino performed on a regular basis on many of the Long Island stages.

“My dad was pursuing his graduate degree in the evenings so instead of getting a babysitter, my mom brought my siblings and I to the theater,” Capp said. “Some of my fondest childhood memories are as one of the Snow children in Carousel, a villager in Tea House of August Moon, Liesel in the Sound of Music and stage crew for South Pacific.”

As a young adult, Capp took a different direction, embarking on a career in Human Resources recruiting, training and consulting.

“I owned my own employment agency for a while and put myself through college even on a graduate level majoring in psychology," she said. "I put my grad studies and career on hold to raise my family. At 29, I went back to the city to study with Robert McCaskill and at HB Studios. I got the headshots, took some on camera classes and booked my first of three corporate training videos and over the next year developed a favorable reputation with a production company that produced industrials for major corporations.”

Capp’s husband is a writer and his career took them to Los Angeles, which she thought would be a great career boost.

“I got an agent, auditioned, networked and shot a USC grad film that is a 1999 Sundance film festival winner," she said. "I also participated in a series of workshops at Stellar Adler in Hollywood where I taught workshops, casted and performed in staged readings.”

When her husband’s job brought her back east, she jumped into the local theater community as an actor, as a parent of children actors, a director, choreographer, writer and acting coach.

“Not too different than my mom in that my children loved performing so any and all opportunities were a family affair,” Capp said.

After the birth of her third child, Capp’s career shifted more toward coaching.

“I have always been a natural coach, motivating and inspiring others through my teaching, acting, workshop training and more recently as a motivational speaker," she said. "When I decided to finish my graduate studies, becoming a certified coach was where I landed.”

Capp is a graduate of the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching (iPEC) and earned her degree as a Certified Life Coach from the International Coach Federation. She specializes in Life Purpose Coaching working with passionate individuals and groups in connecting to their “It Factor” and turning Dreams into Reality.

“The coaching process is a special and unique process of asking empowering open-ended questions that lead the client to trusting that the answers lie within themselves,” Capp said. “It’s similar to the process of being a great teacher, being a nurturing parent or just being human in its truest form. The difference is the synergy that is created between the coach and client. As a coach, I learn a great deal from my client. Whether I’m working with a young student, aspiring actor or professional business person everyone has a dream -- something they are passionate about and I help them realize that. Anything and everything I’ve desired, thought about and wished for has manifested itself in some way. I believe that one is capable of living their life exactly as they desire, wish and dream.”

Capp isn’t just a teacher; she lives by her own words.

“I am first and foremost passionate about living my life with purpose,” she said. “I’m committed daily to ‘walking the talk.’ When I learn a new lesson, I share it with others. There is an ethical responsibility as a coach to raise the energy to a higher level instead of letting the low energy bring you down. I am passionate about being human instead of doing human and enjoy when others are inspired to do the same.”

So what exactly does a life coach do? And who needs a life coach and why?

Capp explains: “The process is simple. Most folks come to me for a specific need or goal. The process involves inner work first and then the outer work or setting up action steps. Let’s say a client desires to lose weight. The outer work is creating the obvious steps to achieve that goal: diet and exercise. In order for the client to achieve long term sustainability results, one must do the inner work first – uncover the blocks, thoughts and inner critic that may get in the way for their success. The client knows the answers. The coach coaches the client to uncover the answers from within.”

Capp is also an advocate for breast cancer awareness. After losing her cousin to breast cancer, she became involved with the local organization Breast Cancer Help. In 2009, Capp was awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Town of Islip for her fundraising efforts on behalf of Breast Cancer Help. She is a speaker and presenter on a national level as well as an advocate for arts in education and women surviving cancer.

Capp’s website is www.CoachingTheCoachWithinYou.com. She can also be reached via Twitter (www.twitter.com/cappricielli) or e-mail at mariacapp@optonline.net. Capp offers a short complimentary session for anyone interested in finding out more about coaching. She will also be conducting a series of workshops at St. John’s University, Oakdale campus in April and May.

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