Their Mission Is To Improve Your Health on All Levels
If you're looking for guidance to manage your anxiety and stress during this coronavirus pandemic, look no further: BB&R Wellness Consulting, the health and wellness company founded by sisters-in-law Doro Bush Koch and Tricia Reilly Koch has what you need. BB&R – which stands for Bright, Bold and Real – was formally launched over ten years ago, but it's been in the making much longer than that through the founders' work in mindfulness and healthy living.
For over twenty years Doro has found mindfulness to be a powerful practice to cope with the many demands she faced as the daughter and sister of a U.S. president, not to mention the daily stresses and challenges of being the mother of four children. Today, she shares her passion about the power of mindfulness through the BB&R platform.
Sister-in-law Tricia Reilly Koch, also a mother of four, was inspired by her maternal grandmother who introduced Tricia to meditation and the importance of the mind-body connection. Tricia is a certified holistic health coach, a student of ayurvedic living and a nutritionist. She is also the owner of The Georgetown Gourmet Market in Reagan National Airport, which offers healthier food options to hungry travelers intent on eating well.
Together, these two dynamic women are sharing through their consulting company their knowledge of how to live a healthy and mindful life to individuals, schools, businesses and other organizations.
The BB&R blog provides information and advice on health and fitness, nutrition and mindfulness practices. For example, Doro's most recent blog post has suggestions on how to stay positive during the COVID-19 outbreak, including practicing meditation, reading, working on jigsaw puzzles, going out in nature and checking on elderly neighbors.
In addition to their blog, BB&R hosts a popular podcast “Health Gig” which features engaging and insightful conversations with leaders, writers and experts about health and wellness. A few of their many inspiring guests have included golfer and TV host David Feherty, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, television newscaster Dan Harris and even former President George W. Bush. To date 70 episodes from Health Gig are available at the BB&R website, as well as on iTunes, and anywhere else you listen to your favorite podcasts.
BB&R offers a nutrition guidance program, called “The Mind Body Reboot”, which provides hands-on planning tools to help individuals reset routines and acquire lifelong healthy eating habits. For $99 this program includes a sample shopping list, workbooks, daily emails and recipes for detox drinks and tea.
A fundamental belief at BB&R is that change is easier, more fun and far more likely to succeed long-term when undertaken with others. Among BB&R's many exciting programs is their new "Citizen-Scientist Lab" where participants share their health successes with each other to inspire one another and establish best practices. You can stay informed and connect with the BB&R community on Facebook and Instagram.
Inspired by a conversation Doro and Tricia had with the Dalai Lama and meeting the spiritual teacher Amma, known throughout the world as “the hugging saint,” they've created the Co-Mindfulness Project. Co-mindfulness is about bringing our attention, integrity and compassion to our relationships and our communities to create more joy and love in our lives. With more and more scientific studies revealing how important our relationships are to our well-being and happiness, Doro and Tricia are particularly excited about this new endeavor. To help people experience greater intimacy and fulfillment in their relationships, they've created an online curriculum based on the "10 Principles of Co- Mindfulness". The principles include practices such as "Deep Listening", "Leading with Curiosity Not Judgement" and "Breathing to Avoid Reacting". You can sign up for their Co-Mindfulness Project on their website.
Finally, since 2011 BB&R has been hosting the Achieving Optimal Health Conference, a one-day event featuring speakers who address health and wellness for the mind, body and spirit. “We want to educate people on how to create a life full of joy,” explains Doro, adding, “People have told me their lives have been changed from attending the conference.” Partnering with GU Wellness at Georgetown University, the 2020 conference will take place on Saturday, October 3rd from 9 am to 4 pm. The conference has become a sold-out event with over 400 attendees.
To find out more about BB&R's many programs, including its blog and podcast, go to the website https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/ . To purchase tickets for the 2020 Achieving Optimum Health Conference go to http://www.aohconference.com.
Racing for the Families of our Country’s Heroes
For Beverley Bosselmann, the head of the Potomac Hunt Races, horses and racing have been a lifelong passion. Growing up on a 100-acre farm outside of Toronto, she and her five siblings rode horses bareback. Looking back on this idyllic childhood she remembers that “every day was an adventure.” She started foxhunt racing with her father in 1972 and hasn't stopped since, racing in Canada, Ireland, and then Potomac and North Carolina. (It is important to note that today the purpose of fox hunting is not to kill the fox but only to chase it.)
Beverley and her husband Rainer Bosselmann, a stockbroker who emigrated to Canada from Germany, moved to Maryland with their two children Kyla and Kirk in 1990 and bought a 50-acre farm in Dickerson. At that time Beverly became increasingly more involved in the Potomac Hunt Club as a Master of Foxhounds and with the running of the Potomac Hunt Races, taking on the chairmanship of the event in 1999. The annual races consist of a series of steeplechase races, which started in 1952 in Potomac and now takes place on the Kiplinger estate in Poolesville. They feature flat and jump races over hurdle and timber fences.
Beverley retired as Master of Foxhounds in 2019 after twenty years but marks this year as her twenty-first year as head of the races. When she first took on the task of running the event she did everything but slowly developed committees to take on creating and maintaining a website, selling the various passes, advertising and banners, and vendors. Beverley's duties still involve the overall running of the event and taking care of sponsors.
Beverley's chairmanship of the races hold a deeper meaning for her and her family: every year since 2004 a pony race has been held in honor of her late son Marine Cpl. Kirk J. Bosselmann, which benefits a non-profit that helps the families of service members who have passed away. The Potomac Hunt Races has partnered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors for the past five years to raise funds to provide “healing and hope for the families and loved ones who have lost a hero in our Armed Forces.” Kirk Bosselmann died in Iraq in 2004 in the battle of Fallujah at the age of 21.
By all accounts Kirk was an outstanding young man who gave of himself to his community from a very young age and who also enjoyed the many opportunities offered to him living on a farm. Growing up he not only rode in the hunt races but was a hunter, surfer and bull rider. A 2001 graduate of Poolesville High School he joined the Upper Montgomery County Fire Department before he even graduated.
After moving to California Kirk enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was sworn in as an American citizen before being accepted in the Scout Sniper Platoon and sent to Iraq. He received many accolades during his three years of service including a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and a Humanitarian Service Medal for aiding the Iraqi people. In her own words Beverley views this the pony races as dedicated not only in honor of her son but “In honor of all those who have given their lives for their country.”
This year the Potomac Hunt Races are scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 17th. Go to http://www.potomachuntraces.com/ for more information.
Women Meeting, Growing and Helping Neighbors
Several years ago long-time Potomac resident Joanne Zinsmeister realized that her neighborhood had changed from the households she knew when her kids were growing up. Her local community was in transition and she wanted to meet and connect with new friends. Then she found the Potomac Area Neighbors Club, PANC, a social club of women that has existed for over 53 years. It offers long-time residents of the area as well as newcomers a wide variety of activities and opportunities to socialize, learn new skills and give back to the community. Monthly general meetings may include luncheons and dinners with speakers, visits to historical homes, pot lucks and workshops. Members can be involved in many different activity groups ranging from card groups to a writers group, theater group, film buffs group and book group. Joanne, PANC’s president, is interested in seeing the membership grow more multi-generational and attracting more working women. To accomplish this she is planning on holding additional events in the evenings and on week-ends. She also is working on offering more community service opportunities to members, such as the Interfaith Women’s Center in Rockville which they now support. Currently 176 women are members. Membership costs $40 annually and new members are accepted year-round. For more information or to join visit potomacneighbors.com.
