From Trauma to Healing Veterans With Purpose

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Living Your Legacy

Episode: From Trauma to Healing Veterans With Purpose

Guest: Brittany Foti, Founder of Valor Massage

Host: Rudy Mawer (with Ray Gutierrez as guest host)

Date: May 25, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Living Your Legacy (Women in Power edition) features Brittany Foti, a dynamic entrepreneur, medical massage therapist, and founder of Valor Massage. The podcast explores Brittany’s path from personal trauma to her mission-driven approach to healing, particularly her focus on supporting veterans and others dealing with PTSD. Through candid storytelling, Brittany reveals how pain was transformed into purpose, the origins and culture of her business, and her belief in powerful, authentic healing communities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Foundation of Valor Massage & Healing Veterans

• Brittany’s approach focuses on serving underappreciated and underserved populations, especially veterans suffering from PTSD (04:11, 07:02).
• Her work involves much more than physical recovery – it integrates emotional and mental support to help people reconnect with their bodies and trust again.
• Valor Massage originated from Brittany’s experience with active duty service members, growing through word-of-mouth to welcome anyone facing challenges, not just veterans (04:16).

2. Tattoos as Stories of Healing & Identity

• Both Brittany and the host discuss tattoos as a form of “ink therapy,” a physical reminder of personal journeys, pain, and growth (04:47, 05:37).
• Brittany: “Some of my tattoos are pieces that I got so that I could feel something again...it's pretty much a walking story. Everything on me has something that has attachment to it.” [A, 04:47]
• The process of getting tattooed becomes both an artistic collaboration and a therapeutic experience—mirroring the approach Brittany brings to healing.

3. Turning Pain into Purpose

• Brittany shares her philosophy of resilience: “I went through a lot of bullshit to get where I'm at, and I'm pretty much in the mindset of, if anybody can do it, it's you. So put on your big girl panties and do the damn thing.” [A, 03:35]
• She does not see herself as better than those she helps—she positions herself as a peer, intimately understanding trauma and recovery. “I let them know...you're not abnormal. Everybody just like you in this clinic is struggling with something, and guess what? I'm one of them.” [A, 07:46]

4. Cultivating Safe Spaces for Healing

• Brittany emphasized that safety and trust are paramount, especially for traumatized veterans. This starts with personalized interaction, not sensory distractions like music or aromas (08:51).
• Staff are held to high standards for empathy and presence—those who don’t “move, blocking their blessings.” [A, 09:10]
• She gently, persistently calls clients to engage: “I had some that were like, hey, just leave me in my bed. I'm not coming. Wow. And I was like, no, get your ass out of your bed. I'll see you at this time.” [A, 07:24]

5. Honoring and Empowering Underserved Communities

• Not just veterans, but also tattoo artists and other “service-oriented” groups are welcomed into Valor’s community. Brittany sees these spaces as healing for both clients and practitioners (06:21).
• She is committed to breaking stigma around PTSD and mental health, aiming to “bring more awareness” and “putting a human emotion with it.” [A, 10:37]

6. Personal Rituals and Intuition

• Brittany credits her success and resilience partly to spiritual practices rooted in her Norse pagan beliefs and daily protective rituals (12:34, 15:13).
• She encourages listeners to reconnect with nature and listen to intuition, noting that modern life pulls people away from their instincts and well-being: “We're animals at the end of the day, and people forget that. We’re not meant to sit in a lazy boy and watch TV...Our bodies thrive through movement.” [A, 12:59]

7. Growing the Mission: Franchising & National Expansion

• Brittany is preparing Valor Massage for franchising in hopes of serving communities nationwide, particularly near VA hospitals and military bases. Her “plug and play” business model embraces a diverse array of healing practitioners (10:37, 16:25).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Empathy and Understanding
  “You're not broken, you're not abnormal. Like, everybody just like you in this clinic is struggling with something, and guess what? I'm one of them.”
  — Brittany Foti [07:46]

• On Resilience and Standards
  “Sometimes I feel like I'm expecting too much of myself, and that's too damn bad, because at some point, they were expected to do too much, and they did it. So what's my excuse?”
  — Brittany Foti [10:22]

• On Serving Veterans
  “They're underserved, they're underappreciated, and a lot of them are seen as monsters because of how they deal with their traumas...there needs to be more understanding of them from the system.”
  — Brittany Foti [07:02]

• On Healing Through Art
  “Ink therapy is...something people do, and it's not self-harm. Whatever was just something that kept me going at that point or something is like, hey, I just want something beautiful to memorialize something really shitty I'm going through.”
  — Brittany Foti [04:47]

• On Daily Rituals & Ancestry
  “Protect your energy 1000%. I'm really big on protection spells for myself. No, I don't practice on clients. If you want to come for me, come for me.”
  — Brittany Foti [15:13]

• On the Weight of Service
  “The bigger they are, the sadder they are.”
  — Brittany Foti [14:08]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Connecting mind and body in PTSD treatment
• 03:35 – “If anybody can do it, it’s you” – Brittany’s philosophy
• 04:47 – Tattoos as personal therapy and storytelling
• 07:02 – Why Brittany serves veterans and focuses on trauma
• 07:46 – Breaking the stigma, building trust in therapy
• 08:51 – How Valor creates safe, distraction-free spaces
• 10:22 – Personal standards, resilience, and purpose
• 10:37 – National expansion and support beyond veterans
• 12:34 – Spiritual inspiration and company’s origin
• 12:59 – The importance of intuition and realignment
• 14:08 – Insights on working with veterans’ heartbreak
• 15:13 – Affirmations, rituals, and protection in leadership
• 16:25 – Plans to franchise and expand Valor’s mission

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Structure & Community

Brittany’s Tribe

• Carrie: Partner in building Valor
• Mom (Tracy): Assists with homeschooling Brittany’s son
• Team Members: "Whoever's meant to find me is going to find me...When they leave, it's their time to leave." [A, 18:50]

How to Connect

• Instagram: Brittany Foti (@valor_massage)
• Facebook: Brittany Foti
• Website: valormassage.com
• Call Valor Massage for direct connection

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Tone & Takeaways

• The tone is candid, sometimes irreverent, but always heartfelt; both host and guest engage in authentic, honest exchange.
• Brittany’s energy and mission urge listeners to face pain, build community, trust intuition, and actively participate in healing spaces.
• Her model advocates not just for professional or physical recovery, but for reclamation of meaning, ritual, and self-respect—especially for those carrying invisible wounds.

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Transcript

[A]

So with ptsd, it's a mind and body disconnection. So I talk to them, I make them feel like they're a person and like they're seen. I go over their healthcare with them, I educate them on it and I let them know, like, hey, you're not broken, you're not abnormal. Like everybody just like you in this clinic is struggling with something. And guess what? I'm one of them.

[B]

Brittany Foti is a resilient, disciplined and mission driven entrepreneur, medical massage practitioner and the founder of Valor Massage. Through her work, she helps athletes, military personnel and individuals recovering from physical strain restore their bodies and improve long term wellness, creating lasting impact through healing, recovery and purposeful care.

[A]

Sometimes I feel like I'm expecting too much of myself and that's too damn bad because at some point they were expected to do too much and they did it. So what's my excuse? I'm not in the military. I have free will. So I can do it and I can do more.

[B]

It spans the globe like a super high cold Internet. Elvis Presley. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the it's not over until I win the Living your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to another episode of the Living your legacy podcast podcast, the Women in power edition. For inside success, I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is another amazing, powerful, legendary CEO, Brittany Foti Fotey. Did I miss the pronoun Foti Fody?

[A]

Even cooler.

[B]

Brittany Foti. How are you?

[A]

I'm great. How about yourself?

[B]

You know, it's Friday, it's Monday, it's awesome.

[A]

Time's not real.

[B]

I know, I know, right? What a win. What a primer. Time is an illusion. I love it. But let's slow down for the normal simpletons that are listening and watching. Where does one. How do you operate as Brittany Foti or Fotay or how are you? Like, how do you operate your vessel?

[A]

My vessel? As in my company or like me as a person?

[B]

You as a person? Because you're covered in ink. You've got a great exterior, you've got great energy, and I've already mispronounced your last name three or four times. Fody.

[A]

I'm a loose cannon, so I'm probably. I'm the epitome of a paradox. I will do like I'm A. Like, there's a quote that's like, you're a traditionalist rebel. Things like that. I am. I am the one thing you expect me to be and the thing you don't expect me to be all at the same time. And that's why I'm covered in ink, because sometimes I don't even know what I'm gonna do.

[B]

Right on. Spoken like a true Britney.

[A]

Yep. Yep.

[B]

So what's. What's. What's your journey been, like? What brought you to our studio today?

[A]

I like to push limits 100%. So when I saw this opportunity, I was like, oh, there's no way. And then I applied, and I was like, okay, cool. And then I got picked, and I was like, oh. Oh, shit. I'm actually doing something now. I gotta commit to it. And now we're here. I just take it day by day, whatever life throws at me. I'm like, cool, let's go. This is gonna be fun.

[B]

Awesome. I'm sure that wasn't always that way. I'm sure there's a dark side to the story.

[A]

The dark side is what makes it fun.

[B]

God dang it. You already ruined the arc. That was the spoiler. Do you not know how to tell stories? Speaking of spoiling stories, what will we learn about you in your Women in Power episode?

[A]

I went through a lot of bullshit to get where I'm at, and I'm pretty much in the mindset of, if anybody can do it, it's you. So put on your big girl panties and do the damn thing. So I'm too stupid to quit? I don't know. No, you tell me. No, I'm gonna take pictures and then show you. Here's what I did.

[B]

And then frame it.

[A]

I'll frame it for you. Yeah, Yeah.

[B]

I love it. And then put lights around it. It says here that you turn pain into purpose. Healing veterans and others through Valor Massage while breaking the stigma around ptsd. Is that a true statement?

[A]

That is a true statement.

[B]

How does this work? Do I have to be a veteran to work with you?

[A]

You don't, actually. It's just where I got started. So I started with active duty, and word of mouth grew. They tell their veteran friends. They tell their other friends. They don't always have to be military. Everybody's struggling with something, especially in today's current climate. So we have open doors. We're not exclusive. We let everyone come in, and we're all dealing with something.

[B]

Oh, for sure. You and I deal with our traumas very similarly. We write it on our bodies.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Talk about your story all around you.

[A]

Some of my tattoos are pieces that I got so that I could feel something again. I dealt with a lot. So ink therapy is. Even psychologists are like, hey, this is something people do and it's not self harm. So whatever was just something that kept me going at that point or something is like, hey, I just want something beautiful to memorialize, something really shitty I'm going through. And that's just where I'm at. So it's pretty much a walking story. Everything on me has something that has attachment to it.

[B]

Yeah. A lot of my tattoos. So moreover, the rainbow was, was playing at a piano bar when I heard it and I had a moment. So it's over. The rainbow, the color purple. Significant. All sorts of doodads. The fireflies. It's. I look at these and it just takes me back to a moment and I reflect and then I. And then I'm back in the present.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

So it's always, always like a collection. Christopher Nolan, he's very well known for his first film Memento, which is a man that goes forward in time backwards, but he doesn't remember, so he leaves tattoos. What, what messages do your tattoos express? Is it positivity, negativity? What kind of feedback does it present today versus what it was back then?

[A]

I have a couple that were just, I need to feel something. But the rest of them came into a, oh, I'm feeling something shitty. I'm going to turn it into something beautiful. And that's what I do in my day to day life. I actually got my logo tattooed on my leg as proof of that because I'm manifesting it. It's already here, it's mine, I own it and it's on my skin. So I, I can't mess this up.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

Yeah. So I'm, I'm a big tattoo fan. I support the tattoo artist community. Heavy. They're also underserved too. They just sit in a chair and they serve other people and we don't take care of them. So we also welcome them with open arms and they come in and we do collaborate with them as well. We work with tattoo conventions every year and we actually bring in artists now to do original designs for our T shirts for that year. We promote them. So really big into the art community.

[B]

Yes, of course. You have to be talk about working with another type of artist, which is veterans. Why are you niching up, as they like to say, and why stick here and work and focus your energy in this area?

[A]

Well, they're underserved, they're underappreciated, and a lot of them are seen as monsters because of how they deal with their traumas. Oh, yeah.

[B]

And.

[A]

And I think there needs to be more understanding of, you know, of them from the system. The system is very. A plus B equals C, and there's no room for empathy as a person. And so with that, they feel tied down. They stop trying after a while.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

I had some that were like, hey, just leave me in my bed. I'm not coming. Wow. And I was like, no, get your ass out of your bed. I'll see you at this time. Be there or be square.

[B]

They need it.

[A]

And they show up because I called them out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you just got to. You got to meet them where they're at.

[B]

How do you. How do you have a veteran relax? Do you just beat them over the head with a piece of wood and go. Because they're big and tough. Like, how do you make them relax?

[A]

Their first session's a lot of talking. Because if I just start touching a man who's been traumatized or a woman, you know, who's dealt with God knows what in the military, they're not going to trust me. I'm some stranger touching them. Their nervous system does not accept that. It doesn't feel safe. So with ptsd, it's a mind and body disconnection. So I talk to them. I make them feel like they're a person and, like, they're seen. I go over their healthcare with them, I educate them on it, and I let them know, like, hey, you're not broken. You're not abnormal. Like, everybody just like you in this clinic is struggling with something, and guess what? I'm one of them. I know exactly what you're dealing with. Like, it's like a mirror. So that kind of lets them. You know, they relax. And eventually some of them will trust me enough to go face down. And when they do that, I can't break that trust.

[B]

No. Yeah. No.

[A]

Like, their body has accepted that this is a safe space. So I can't take that from them because some of them haven't had that ever.

[B]

How do you create a safe space? The moment. A safe place. Excuse me. The moment they walk in, is it music? Is it setting? Is it aroma?

[A]

We don't do music or aromas, actually. We don't want them distracted.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I want them to come in. Hi, how are you doing that? Front desk? We want that interaction immediately to be happy.

[B]

Eye contact firm. Yep.

[A]

I want very. I Have very high standards for my staff. I've had staff leave because of it.

[B]

Good for you.

[A]

You're not cut out for it. You weren't meant to serve this population. Best of luck to you.

[B]

Yeah. That is quoted. I love it. I can love it. That's awesome.

[A]

And for everyone that's left to have taken their place.

[B]

Yeah. That's fantastic. That's. This is the way it works.

[A]

Yeah. You're blocking their blessings move.

[B]

Yep. Blocking their blessings move. That's just. I love it. Like, smiling from me to ear here. Why so serious, huh? Anyways, wink, wink. If you know, you know.

[A]

So sick.

[B]

If you know, you know, wink, wink. So. So talk about that energy. Because when I go get a tattoo, it's. It's less about the art and more about the. I gotta feel something. I gotta progress. I gotta heal. I got to sit there and talk to Curtin's, which is my guy. His name is literally Curtains. He's back in Austin, super dope dude. And we're there for hours. Smoke a cigarette, chill. Get into a vibe, cry. Let it out. What is your process like in your center? You mentioned no music, full attention. What's it like to deal with that energy and be that energy and be you as an energy? That is the conduit and essentially the North Star of this operation.

[A]

It forces me to put myself at a higher level than I've ever been.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Sometimes I feel like I'm expecting too much of myself, and that's too damn bad, because at some point, they were expected to do too much, and they did it. So what's my excuse? I'm not in the military. I have free will.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I can do it, and I can do more.

[B]

Right on. What's next for you?

[A]

To be honest, after this, I'm hoping to bring more awareness to ptsd, Pretty much putting a human emotion with it. The court system shouldn't be holding them hostage. Hospitals shouldn't be trying to lock them up on holds. They just need to be seen as people. And so I'm hoping that through this channel as well, that it brings more of that light of, hey, he just needs to sit down and talk to somebody. He just wants to go out and go do something fun with somebody. He wants to connect and then go hide in his hole. Cause he's been through a lot and he's tired, so. So it just takes time. And so I'm really hoping that this brand grows on a national level. I want one by every VA hospital. I want one by every military Base every civilian hospital wherever they're needed. Any providers that want to hop on board. My business model is very plug and play because of that. So whatever healer's meant to come will show up and they'll fix who they're supposed to.

[B]

What are we going to learn about you in your episode? I know I already asked that, but now I'm kind of curious because I kind of want to ask you some more questions here. I even run over a little bit of time here. Where does your pain truly begin? What was your first piece of artwork? What inspired your logo? Talk about the artist's journey before the entrepreneurial one.

[A]

This actually was my first tattoo, so I have a son, and he'll be 13 in October.

[B]

Beautiful age.

[A]

Mama bird and baby bird. So this was probably the most painful tattoo I've ever gotten. Right by the ankle. What the hell was I thinking? But they're addicting. Of course they are, as most things are these days. And so it just kind of spread from there. And I eventually got my logo. And I'm not quite sure how to say this without sounding crazy, but every single facet of my company, from the ground, like, when it was first conceived, it came to me in a dream. So I didn't create this. I don't know who did, but it was not me.

[B]

That's awesome. That's beautiful.

[A]

I'm Norse pagan, so I'm very connected to the earth, the woods, the nature, And I just let whatever's supposed to talk to me, it comes, it goes, and here we are.

[B]

That's beautiful. Cool.

[A]

Something's leading the way, and if stuff gets in the way, it is forced to move. And I don't have to do a damn thing.

[B]

How do you speak to people that are watching or listening to you now and tell them to listen to their intuition, to listen to their gut?

[A]

This world is conditioned to throw you off from that. The food you're eating, the water that you're drinking, and even the temperature of the foods that you're eating and drinking throw it all off the screen. Time, the work stress. Like, there is a reason they're putting such high demands on us. So you need to just pull yourself back in. All the distractions are just that. Time is energy, money is energy, and they're taking all of your energy. So you need to just pull back, scale back, and just get back to the basics. We're animals at the end of the day, and people forget that we're not meant to sit in a lazy boy and watch TV after work and eat like a $50 steak dinner. Like we're meant to be out there doing stuff. Decompressing. Our bodies thrive through movement, and we're not doing enough of that. So everyone's dysregulated.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And that creates mental illness and illness in the body, and we're all just sick. And some people are just walking around, like, with blinders on. They have no idea they're sick. America has no idea.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I know. I was just going to say, what's it like dealing with such brute forces? Exterior, wise? These are soldiers that have no war to fight now, but touch their heart and move them spiritually.

[A]

The bigger they are, the sadder they are.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So, I mean, most of them I've. My. My first two years of my career were Sears school candidates, so prisoner of war school, basically. And so with that, I got a lot of firsthand talks with them. I got to hear the ins and outs. And watching somebody go from 82nd to Sears school to getting selected to getting their beret and just watching the light kind of leave their eyes, after a while, you begin to want to learn why and how you can help them. And so it's just. It comes with the job. They're doing some heavy stuff, and I can't even imagine with some of the stories I've told, I don't know how they're still standing.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

But they. They're my driving force behind everything. They're my reason to get better. Because if they can do that, like, what's my excuse? I'm at home and I got the kush life while they're out in the field, you know, starving or without showers for days. Like, cool. I had a shower this morning. What's my problem? Yeah, you know.

[B]

Wow. Speaking of your morning showers, what is your woman in power superstitions, your daily

[A]

routines, your affirmations, protect your energy 1000%. I'm really big on protection spells for myself. No, I don't practice on clients. If you want to come for me, come for me. I keep the. Yeah, I keep protection jewelry on me too, as well. And it's just a mindset thing as well. There's a thing between me and our office manager Carrie, that our ancestors don't play about us. And she said it first. And watching it, I was like, oh, she's. She's for real. And so the more that I started to communicate with mine, the more blockages were moved out of the way. And so I personally believe there's a lot more to this earth than what we were led to believe.

[B]

Oh, absolutely. Oh, gosh. You and I need to have a good conversation beyond the podcast episode, where you're definitely made me a believer. I love your energy. You're thriving. Talk about that power that you possess, that you are very much your own unique vessel, your own unique signal, which is why I stumbled in the beginning. I'm like, shit, where do I start? So where do you. What's next for you? The moment you walk out that door? And how do you ascend?

[A]

Right now, I am preparing to franchise, so I'm finalizing processes. I'm trying to make them better. And it's like I have taken my entire puzzle piece and I just threw them across the room. And I'm like, all right, I'm gonna start all over. And so I'm just moving new pieces into new places. And once I get things finalized, I'm hoping to find a really good investor. Kevin o', Leary, if you hear me, I need someone mean.

[B]

I.

[A]

And yeah, from there, I'm just. I'm leaving it in the hands of fate. I'm doing what I'm supposed to do when I'm supposed to do it, and whatever happens, happens. Like, that's the life of a healer. That's what lightworkers do. So we're here. We're just taking it and running with it. And if we don't, there's consequences.

[B]

Oh, the consequences. Brittany. It's so funny. I don't think I've ever thought I would've said word consequences and Brittany in the same sentence. Oh, boy. My lore. Anyways, how would folks find you now? Like, if they wanna find you and search and follow your journey?

[A]

So I'm kind of lax on social media. I do post, but you're not gonna catch me every day, all day. Here's what I eat for breakfast. Like, I have shit to do. Okay. If you're just there to watch me on Instagram, you're not gonna get very far. But I do post. I do update my stories every day. Yeah, Instagram, I'm pretty communicated with that. My Facebook as well. You'll find me as Brittany Foti. You'll see the check mark. You can find me. Valor Massage. Call the front desk. They'll get ahold of me.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

I am very accessible to my people, and that's how it should be. Cool.

[B]

And before we wrap up, what are your people? Give me a quick, like, your bullet points. Like the people that are in your tribe, that must be the dudes, my

[A]

go tos, my crew.

[B]

Your crew, your posse, your crew.

[A]

We've got Carrie, so she's pretty much my partner in crime. She helped me get this to where it was. I was struggling with valor for a minute with my health and everything, so I almost quit. I almost shut it down, of course, and she showed up and was like, nah, bitch, let's go. So her my mom, Tracy, she helps me a lot with homeschooling my son because I don't trust public schools.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

No offense to you teachers out there, but I can't with the education that's there anymore. I'll go to prison.

[B]

One of us. One of us. Continue. I'll let you finish them.

[A]

But my mom helps me homeschool. I mean, I have this wonderful lady over here who showed up at the last minute to fly down to Miami. My other photographer got sick, so she jumped in. Honestly, it's just whoever's meant to find me is going to find me. And they're part of my tribe. When they leave, it's their time to leave. And that's life.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

That is life.

[B]

Cool. What's a website people can find you? Valormassage.com Valormassage.com Brittany, thank you so much for your time and energy. Another thing I never thought I'd say ever in my life.

[A]

We should be thanking each other for energy.

[B]

Yes. High five to energy. And everyone in the room laughing along that happening. Did you just drop a lens cap? Of course she did. I have a thing about lens caps. It's an inside joke. And with that is our Inside Success podcast. Gosh, it's Friday. Thanks again. I'm really gonna wrap it up now with that is another episode of Living youg Legacy podcast for Inside Success. I am regular tierx.