I benefited enormously from her innate sense of which battles to pick and what matters most. Mary Jo will help you thrive in your role and, with her natural warmth and empathy, she will make sure you’re surviving and thriving on the inside as well.

Whether you are at the beginning, a crossroads or at the peak of your career, a trusted mentor can be the key to unlocking the potential of your future.

Mentoring is something I’ve always been passionate about. I’ve had many mentors in my own career, including my greatest, Mary Vallentine AO, who taught me what ‘leading from the middle” is all about.

The leadership elements I learned from my mentors, networks, training, research and experience have been applied throughout my own career, remaining the touchstones I share with my own mentees.

It’s an enormous joy to be a mentor and the process offers so much to everyone involved. Mentoring work within the arts and culture sphere is where I am most adept, adding value for individuals and organisations alike.

Client: Early career administrator at a major Symphony Orchestra 

My client was in the early stages of their career in music administration, full of great ideas and energy to bring much-needed change to the sector.

They came to me because there was a danger this could be lost during that difficult period of trying to work out how a new young person in the sector can best succeed.

We had such fun working together, building networks and strategies for success – which they have gone on to do extremely well. I helped them balance the achievable with the aspirational, without losing sight of core values.

We keep in touch – they will be running something big one day!

I felt heard, challenged, understood and supported… [she was] pivotal in building my self belief.

In a mentoring relationship with Mary Jo, you will be treated as an equal and your perspectives will be valued.

Client: Career-long relationship including recent appointment as leader of major Symphony Orchestra

I have felt hugely honoured to work with this client, watching them grow from a junior staff member to one of the most inspirational and successful leaders in Australian arts management.

Even someone as smart and energetic as they are needs a safe place to ask dumb questions, a trusted confidante who can help temper the everyday frustrations and guide the focus onto the next step.

Mary Jo Capps has been a phenomenal mentor for me throughout my career and most especially during my first year as a CEO.

She instils perspective and insights derived from her deep experience at the apex of arts leadership in Australia. In addition to the healthy doses of normalisation, I benefited enormously from her innate sense of when to step forward, when to step back, which battles to pick and what matters most.

Mary Jo will help you thrive in your role and, with her natural warmth and empathy, she will make sure you’re surviving and thriving on the inside as well.

Clients: Artistic Directors in the small to medium performing arts sector

Over recent years I have enjoyed the privilege of working with several of the most dynamic founder/Artistic Directors in the country. Each one is incredibly talented and renowned – and each had different challenges facing them, for which they were seeking an objective person in the wings to help.

We have worked to help define the opportunities in their already impressive careers, expand their thinking as well as networks, and ground their aspirations.

Mary Jo’s mentoring has been incredibly important to me, and to the development of the company I have founded.

It has absolutely helped us get to the next level. She helped us unpick thorny issues, find important new networks, and face our challenges and opportunities with new energy.

For me personally, it has been exactly the support I needed, and I can’t tell how much it means to know that MJ and her wisdom are just a phone call away.