Valiant Mind

Many people have asked me about the origin of the Valiant Mind name. Rather than leave the mystery out there, I thought I’d take to my blog to explain. I grew up in Staten Island, NY. Anyone who’s familiar with the 5 Boroughs of New York City knows that Staten Island has a small-town feel in a quasi-urban environment. To this day, Staten Island remains the only borough without a subway and the only without an inter-borough rail system. The only ways off the island are the Staten Island Ferry, buses or cars.

And speaking of cars, my first car memory is of a brown Plymouth Valiant that my parents owned. As a young girl, I thought it was really exciting that the car and I had the same first 3 letters of our names. Valiant and Valerie, it was serendipitous to a 7 year old! When it was time to scrap the car,  my father took the logo off the side for me. I’m sure that classic, silver Valiant logo is tucked away in a box somewhere only to be uncovered when it’s time for an attic overhaul.

It wasn’t until I was in the early stages of forming my business that the Valiant name popped into my head. I was trying iteration after iteration of my first and last name with the word “consulting” attached. Nothing felt right. After a day or two of naming struggles, a trusted mentor and marketing expert suggested I forgo something literal and use a word that had special meaning. I started playing word games with myself. Still nothing felt right. One night while trying to get to sleep an image of the Valiant popped into my head. That was it! Valiant! The next morning, I scrambled to look up the meaning of the word Valiant. It’s defined as possessing or showing courage or determination. Valiant felt right. It was in the few moments after where Valiant Mind came to life. What resonates most to me is the tie-in to my company name and my brand promise: dependability, authenticity and empathy. Giving my clients the peace of mind to know that when something is in my hands the job will get done. Just like that trusty brown Valiant got us wherever we needed to go.