About Me

Sara Kapadia

If Sara Kapadia was not a human she would be a thylacine, an extinct creature made up of seemingly contrasting and wildly fascinating parts. Sara is an academic, writer, artist, educator, yoga teacher, dancer, farmer, survivor, and trauma informed practitioner who uses a transdisciplinary approach in all her projects.

Sara lives with two rescue cats, Mowgli - a Bengal tabby mix rescued from Inland Valley Shelter (website), Aslan - a Norwegian Forest Maine Coon mix saved by Grandma Pat from Purrfect Solutions (website) and then adopted by Sara and her husband. Sara rescued Muffi Mamaji and married him in 2012, Muffi Mamaji is an Indian born gentleman whom she met in California. Dory, Sara's medical service cocker spaniel was adopted by Sara and Muffi and saved by Alison Eastwood at the Eastwood Ranch Foundation (website). In 2022 Sara and Muffi welcomed two foster brothers who were aged 2.5 years old and 4 years old through Extraordinary Families (website) and the Department of Children and Families (DCFS website). In 2015 Sara's Father Abdus Sattar Kapadia passed from colon cancer. In 2024 Sara's mother Mahfuza "Munni" Kapadia suffered a stroke and after much encouragement she agreed to live with Sara her menagerie of rescue creatures! Sara has plans to grow her family on her future farms!

In her essence Sara Mehrangiz Kapadia is a storyteller who utilizes a myriad of tools, experiences, and textures to tell her stories with a trauma-informed lens. Sara's storytelling and trauma-informed practice intersects in a multitude of ways.

Storyteller

As an academic Sara utilizes her multiple degrees to stitch together quantitative and qualitative research in her two main questions: how early childhood experiences inform adulthood, how art and science intersect. Sara graduated from the University of Cambridge with an undergraduate degree in science education, from the University of London with a master's degree in social justice, social work and education, and from Claremont Graduate University with a Ph.D. in education. Sara completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Sara is the founder and past editor and currently sits on the advisory board of The STEAM Journal, an art-science, scholarly, peer reviewed publication, which can be found at: scholarship.claremont.edu/steam. To see more of Sara's academic work connect with her on LinkedIn.

As a writer Sara writes fiction, and non-fiction. Science, fantasy, and culture intersect in many of Sara's stories. Sara is currently working on several manuscripts, several picture books, and non-fiction books. Sara was selected for a six month diversity mentorship at MacMillan for her South Asian Alice in Wonderland retelling based in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. Sara's non-fiction writing is mainly scholarly works drawing from her research. Here are two samples of Sara's fiction and non-fiction writing:

  • The Sanuk Chronicles - The Beyond
    in Prachya Review, 2017 - Link

  • Childhood Into the 22nd Century: Creativity, the Finland Example, and Beyond
    In Childhood Education Vol. 90, Iss. 5, 2014 - Link

As a transdisciplinary artist, academic and South Asian British and American researcher, Sara explores different themes in her work. Sara's PhD explored the interaction of art and science and Sara is the founder of The STEAM Journal, an open access art-science publication based out of Claremont Graduate University. During her undergraduate degree at University of Cambridge Sara began her study of both existing and fantasy creatures through art. Sara utilizes various textures including man-made recycled materials and natural objects in her paintings. Sara has taken part in exhibitions and has donated several of her artworks to non-profits. At the moment Sara is exploring the following themes: Art-Science, Textures in Nature, Nostalgia from British India, and Fantasy Storytelling through animal-human interactions.

As a dancer Sara uses story-telling from her Bengali folk dancing training from her Mother (Mahfuza "Munni" Kapadia), who was trained from masters in Bangladesh and performed all over the world including being filmed by the BBC in England. Sara's first public performance was when she was 4 years old. At 11, Sara and Munni danced for Sheikh of UAE's International Cultural Show in Abu Dhabi. Sara most recently designed a resiliency dance course for her Mother who suffered a stroke in March 2024. In May 2024 Sara, her Mother, and her foster children performed a Bengali folk dance about a lotus and held an art-science workshop at the Pan-Asian Pacific Arts and Cultural Festival at The Museum of San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month.

Trauma Informed Practitioner

Sara is an educator who has taught individuals from age 3 months all the way to adults (nursery/preschool, primary/elementary, secondary/middle and high school, community college, undergraduate and graduate) Sara's teaching philosophy is rooted in a thorough understanding of child development, positive psychology, and the study of creativity and resilience.

Sara is a survivor. Sara was born and raised in London, United Kingdom to an Indian born Bangladeshi Mother and Indian born Pakistani Father. Both Sara's paternal and maternal grandparents kept their children safe during the partition of India which led to the creation of East and West Pakistan in 1947. Sara's parents later survived the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. See Sara's interview in this NBC news article (link). Sara Kapadia is a recipient of President Joe Biden's Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Green Card, she survived a short lived (less than a year) violent marriage (that was not arranged). Sara was inspired to be resilient by remembering how strong her maternal grandmother "Naanu" was after her husband was killed during the partition of India and she saved her 3 young children and went on to become a doctor, please read this article about Sara's grandmother in STEM (link).

As a yoga teacher Sara uses her heritage and centuries old cultural practices from India. Sara is a triple certified Yoga teacher. She holds a certification in trauma informed Yoga from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles California. Sara has been trained under Gemini Adams (website) from whom she directly learned Somatic Trauma healing. Sara has her family and kids Yoga teaching certificate from Kidding Around Yoga (website). Sara has utilized yoga in her voluntary work at Mattel's Children Hospital UCLA (website), preschool yoga at several schools, community parks, for foster children at Camp Harmony Malibu California (website),and for foster families for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Growing up South Asian, Sara was immersed in multiple sacred meditation practices which she imbues into her yoga teaching and community offerings. Please contact Sara if you are interested in hiring her or have a volunteer opportunity for her to share her skills.

As a farmer Sara believes that growing food, and tending to earth is healing for all creatures and the environment. Sara learned farming from her Father who has since passed from colon cancer in 2015, Sara has embarked on a farming journey which she hopes will lead to fruition of her idea for multi-modal transdisciplinary farms. Please see Sara's website Essence Farm

"I liked the texture the brush created; I would run my fingers over the uneven ridges, sensing microcosms just beneath my fingertips – imaginary cities made up of dust particles."

Sara Kapadia, 2017 para.2

"Whether the melting of disciplines occurs because disciplianary experts merge their ideas, or individuals merge their ideas from different disciplines, at the very core interdisciplinary thinking is flourishing."

Sara Kapadia, 2018 p. 494