Body Bliss Sponsors KiliClimb 2016

[Image: Courtesy of Body Bliss]

The event helps empower women to break down barriers.

Leading natural product manufacturer, Body Bliss, recently sponsored KiliClimb 2016, a trek inspired by the charity No Barriers USA, a nonprofit organization that empowers people of all walks of life and abilities to overcome obstacles and live a life of purpose. This past September, a group of 18 women from all walks of life set out to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa-the world’s highest freestanding mountain at 19,341 feet. The message behind the climb was to show the world what happens when women support each other to break down barriers and overcome life’s challenges. Approximately 35,000 people attempt to summit Kilimanjaro every year, but only about half make it to the top.

“Body Bliss was proud to sponsor KiliClimb 2016. Our team was inspired by this group of women as they pushed themselves to their limits,” said CEO Nick James. “These women chose to climb a mountain because it’s the perfect metaphor for the challenges that women face in society. It is powerful that these women banded together to break through their barriers. We resonated with the climb’s theme, ‘Together we are stronger than we could ever be apart, and we are stronger than whatever is in our way.'”

The catalysts for the climb were TV personality and fashion designer Heather Thomson, and Remembrance (Memmy) Staber, a personal trainer and No Barriers Ambassador. The final group also included Yvonne Heib (a retired military veteran), Angie Shireman (a mastectomy and brain surgery survivor), Amilya Antonetti (entrepreneur and CEO) and 11 other women from a variety of backgrounds.  Body Bliss was proud to sponsor hiker, Edie Magnus (a previous correspondent for Dateline, a journalist, and professor at Mercy College), a media consultant.  Body Bliss also provided a variety of therapeutic aromatherapy products to provide much needed relief for all the intrepid hikers.

“In the long climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro you’re always looking for moments of sweet relief. Thank goodness for Body Bliss.  Their refreshing Neroli Hydrosol Mist made me smile every time I spritzed my face, and the Ocean Dew Magnesium Gel soothed my muscles head to toe,” said Magnus. “In a journey of many firsts, they were a great discovery. Body Bliss is now a permanent part of my routine.”

The group was led by Jeff Evans, Discovery Channel star, who led the first blind man to climb Everest. Brought together through a call to adventure and an opportunity to instigate change, the group of climbers explored new ideas and paths individually and as a team.

“Jeff Evans taught me a quote,” said Thomson. “It says, ‘The mind is like water. When it is still, it becomes clear.’  It’s really true if you can experience it.  It was a metaphysical and incredible experience on the mountain, and I came down with a lot of clarity that I did not expect to have. The experience was brave, real and tangible,” said Thomson. “It makes sense that the spa industry resonated with our quest. The need to practice self-care, de-stress and unplug is universal, and one of spa’s core messages.

At the end of their climb, the women gave back to the community that helped them reach their goal by donating supplies to the Tanzanian porters and their families.