From Patient to Practitioner: Crafting Her Own Relief 

Brandy’s Sole Story actually starts with her own soles. At 17, she began her career at an orthotics lab, and by age 18, she was working full-time and, coincidentally, experiencing her own foot problems. 

“I had plantar fasciitis and calluses on my forefoot, which made it very painful to wear any type of heel and most other footwear. Once the pain became unbearable, I experimented and made myself my first set of orthotics at 18 years old. They actually worked! This discovery changed everything for me.”

Her personal experience fueled a professional commitment to providing high-quality, custom medical orthotics that genuinely work. Brandy recalls, “I just started improving my knowledge of Orthotics, and I loved every minute of it. They work for people. It's almost instant gratification when a patient puts on the Orthotic I developed for them and they can walk more confidently and comfortably than before.”

Solving her own debilitating pain was a transformative realization. Her success gave her confidence in her product and ability. “Going from a place where just putting on a shoe caused me major discomfort and every single step sent pain through my feet, to a place where I could walk comfortably and free of pain almost instantly, gave me the ability to fully relate to my clients and instinctively understand their needs.”

Over the years, Brandy has honed a signature yet simple diagnostic approach that fuels her success and demonstrates her ability to see beyond the foot to the person’s overall mechanics and how their foundation is performing. It is also about human touch. When asked about molds made from computers or through non-professionals, even doctor’s offices, Brandy laments the real risks “Orthotics can make you walk and feel better, but they can also make your problems worse if a poor mold is cast. We regularly need to take a new mold to ensure our patients are truly getting the correct fit. If you are going to spend the time and resources on custom orthotics, they need to be made correctly for your body.”

For the Love of Heels: A Collaboration to End Compromise

When we think about orthotics, we don’t typically think about high heels. As Scarlett Chase Founder, Sandra Powers Murphy has heard firsthand from scores of customers, ‘We know we can’t have our cake and eat it too. We can’t fit our thick, stiff orthotics in our nice shoes, so we only use them in our running sneakers.’ Well, that of course, is until Scarlett Chase was born. For decades, the high heel has represented a fundamental compromise for women: style at the cost of not only comfort, but perhaps more importantly, long-term foot health. Most designs are functionally impractical, impeding a woman's natural gait and stability, providing limited to no arch support, improperly padding the heel, and forcing women into an impossible pitch— shifting all of the pressure onto the ball of the foot. Scarlett Chase was born to solve this dilemma and marry high fashion, foundational health, and performance luxury  with longevity of wear and wellness in mind. Brandy quickly proved herself to be not just an orthotic authority, but a passionate advocate and, yes, mold master, for the removable orthotic that Scarlett Chase has patented. In fact, when it comes to Scarlett Chase shoes, Brandy notes, “This is the one brand I don’t feel the need to put in my own custom orthotics for.” And, while a non-custom solution may be second best, for most women, they will compromise on the orthotic before the shoes. That is what makes Brandy’s orthotics knowledge and passion so meaningful.

A Masterclass in Turning the Personal, Professional

Brandy’s journey is a masterclass in turning personal experience into purpose-driven work, a path she encourages others to walk with her simple yet powerful advice: “Don’t be afraid; just do it. Take a breath and figure it out. You just have to believe in yourself…Just take one step at a time.” Innovative and engaged in the process, Brandy advocates for a new standard in footwear where shoes feature removable insoles to accommodate proper support, moving away from the "cheaper," flimsy construction that ultimately fails the consumer. "Even if it might put me out of business, I believe shoes designed with proper arch support and materials should be prioritized," Brandy explained. Her vision is one where conscious design practices take the forefront. Brandy’s message as owner and chief orthotics maker at Allied Reliable Custom Orthotics is well noted: “Choosing your footwear is a real investment into your long-term health. When a shoe is built on sound biomechanics, it provides that foundational support for your entire body. That’s what allows you to walk through your day confidently, step after step, without pain holding you back.”