Brittany Foti Turned $500 Into Award-Winning Valor Massage

A nurse came to Brittany Foti unable to walk. Brittany worked with her for 4 to 6 hours at a time, pausing for breaks as needed. When the nurse took her first unassisted steps, they were both crying. That moment gave Brittany the conviction to keep building.

Brittany Foti is the CEO and founder of Valor Massage, a sports and medical massage clinic in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The clinic serves veterans, active-duty military, healthcare workers, first responders, and their families, helping them manage pain and move more comfortably. A member of the Entreprenista League, Brittany is now taking Valor’s work beyond the treatment room.

“Your past can shape what you bring to the world without deciding how far you can go,” Brittany says.

Since 2019, Brittany has been building a clinic where every patient is treated with dignity. Here’s how far she’s come.

The clinic started with $500

Brittany started Valor in 2019 with $500, while rebuilding her life after her marriage ended. She brought her training as a licensed massage therapist and her own lived experience with trauma to shape how she listens, builds trust, and approaches care. She has since added training in medical massage and manual lymphatic drainage.

She set out to create a place where people feel heard, respected, and supported, including people living with PTSD, who often feel dismissed, misunderstood, or judged when they seek care. “I want to challenge the idea that PTSD has one look,” she says.

Those first steps brought it all into focus. “I felt like life had handed me a purpose, and I could finally see it clearly,” Brittany says. “I was doing something good. My work mattered.”

Trauma-informed care for people who care for others

Many of Valor’s patients spend their lives looking after other people. They are veterans, service members, healthcare workers, and first responders whose pain is affecting their work, their families, and their daily lives. “We create space for them to receive care and be heard,” Brittany says.

The clinic pairs sports and medical massage with a trauma-informed approach. Therapists take time to understand how pain affects someone’s day, what they want to regain, and what helps them feel comfortable receiving care. That shapes how they communicate, adapt treatment, and respect boundaries.

“Being able to move more comfortably can change someone’s day, their independence, and their quality of life,” she says.

Community Votes winner 3 years running

Valor has won Community Votes Fayetteville 3 years running, in 2024, 2025, and 2026. “That recognition means a lot because it reflects the trust we’ve built with the people we serve,” Brittany says.

She has also shared her founder story and her work challenging PTSD stigma on Women in Power TV.

Learning to trust the team

The hardest part of growing Valor has been sharing responsibility for it. “After what I had been through, relying on myself felt safer,” Brittany says. “Letting others take responsibility for something I had worked so hard to build was difficult.”

She learned to delegate and trust that delegation, set boundaries, and create clear expectations while protecting the quality of care that made Valor successful. As a single mother, she knows the stakes reach past her own bills, because her team’s families rely on the company, too. “Resilience can get a business started, but systems and shared accountability help it grow,” she says.

Valor Reset Theory and a physical therapy department

Brittany is building a physical therapy department so Valor can offer more comprehensive care. She is also developing Valor Reset Theory into education, digital products, workshops, and immersive experiences that will reach people beyond Fayetteville and give them practical ways to support their well-being between appointments.

She is strengthening the leadership team and systems so the business can grow beyond her own treatment hours, and she plans to introduce more education and advocacy around trauma-informed care andthe PTSD stigma. “I want our growth to create lasting stability, opportunity, and access to quality care,” she says.

Her advice for founders starts with action. “Start before you feel completely ready, but take the responsibility of building a business seriously,” she says. “Know who you serve, understand your numbers, and build something people have a reason to choose.” Most of all, she wants founders to give themselves permission to pursue a bigger life.

You can follow Brittany on LinkedIn, explore the clinic’s services at valormassage.com, and follow Valor Massage on Instagram.

Brittany’s story is a reminder that trust, in yourself and in the people around you, is what turns a business vision into a clinic a whole community trusts. The Entreprenista League surrounds you with women founders who know what it takes to build a team and keep growing. Learn more about the Entreprenista League right here.