Dr. Tonya Butler is a US Army veteran who served in the United States Army Band for 6 years on active duty, then later in the US Army Reserves.  After the military, she began her career as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist. She opened a company called De Novo Fitness Systems in 1997, creating corporate wellness programs for GE Capital and Nortel Corporation, a personal training studio, and staffing multiple car dealerships with massage therapists.