THE TEACHINGS OF SUPERBLUE

from Club Braman Spring/Summer 2023

i4 THE M50

EVERY HERO NEEDS THEIR MENTOR. Batman has his butler, Alfred. The X-Men have Professor X. No matter how amazing their abilities, even the bravest and strongest need someone to guide and advise them from time to time. For West Palm Beach’s own SuperBlue—a masked, thunderbolt-wielding superhero who draws his power from lightning to protect the city from bad guys and catastrophic hurricanes—that mentor is Valerie Komar.

Out of respect for secret identities, it can only be alleged, though not confirmed, that Valerie is SuperBlue’s mother.

Upon graduating from The Juilliard School, Valerie moved to Paris where she pursued her career as a professional opera singer.

It was here she welcomed her son Adrien into the world. While she loved the Parisian culture and lifestyle, it soon became apparent that the French school system was not ideal for children with autism and other exceptionalities. Summoning her own inner hero, Valerie established KidJam, a musical association focused on music and language education through a neurodiverse environment. At its height, KidJam grew to welcome over 1,000 students each year.

Still, Valerie felt that the best place for Adrien was back in her native United States. Though not without its own challenges, the US education system and resources were far greater than those in Paris, and ABM Neuromovement® practitioners were more easily accessible stateside. With some prodding from her son’s practitioner, Valerie began studying to become an ABM® NeuroMovement® practitioner herself. Though originally meant as a year-long course, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lengthened her “Class of 2020” studies into a rich three-year long online education. After earning her adult certification in 2022 and thus becoming the first practitioner in South Florida, Valerie began working with infants and children—especially those who had experienced various brain traumas such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and strokes, as well as those on the autism spectrum.

In her practice, Valerie implements an holistic approach which helps to upgrade the brain’s functioning in all its facets. NeuroMovement focuses on creating new connections to overcome pain and limitation, so as to reach new levels of physical and cognitive performance. By meeting the child where they are at in their current abilities rather than “fixing” their limitations, their brains can become the incredible learning machines they were built to be. Valerie insists that acceptance of special needs should not be confused with lowered expectations, as all of us require challenge in order to grow and thrive.

It was through this process that SuperBlue came to be.

Of course, no superhero can take on villains without a trademark vehicle. Fortunately, “MINI McQueen”—an Island Blue MINI Cooper Countryman—is always at the ready. Having fallen in love with the original diminutive people-movers she spied on the narrow streets of Oxford, one of Valerie’s first stops stateside was Braman MINI of West Palm Beach. While the move to Florida necessitated daily commutes, she insisted they be fun rather than a chore. The Countryman’s deceptively large cargo hold fits everything the duo needs—including 80 bags of mulch on one occasion—and its turbo-charged engine quickly dispatches with stoplights and onramps, especially when there’s a storm on the horizon.

Thanks to a smooth purchase process from Braman Motorcars, SuperBlue now has the perfect crime-fighting mobile, and fortunately, one in which Valerie loves driving him on his missions.