Need a Light? Be a Light: Turning Pain into Purpose Through Nonprofit Entrepreneurship

Not every business starts with a big idea—some start with a deeply personal need. For me, it started with survival. After battling an eating disorder during my military service and realizing how little support existed, I knew I couldn’t stay silent. That moment became the foundation for SEA WAVES—the only veteran-led nonprofit focused on eating disorders in the military community. In this session, I’ll share how I took something painful and turned it into a purpose-driven organization, and how you can too. Whether you’re starting a nonprofit or launching a social impact business, your story matters. It can be the compass that guides your mission, connects you to your community, and fuels your leadership. Veterans are built for service—but we’re also built to solve problems. This is about using what you’ve lived through to lead something that matters. ⸻ What You’ll Walk Away With: • How to turn your personal story into a mission-driven brand • Lessons learned from launching SEA WAVES from the ground up • Finding clarity in the chaos—staying focused when the mission is emotional • How to build trust, find partners, and raise support when the topic is tough • Why your lived experience is your superpower—and how to own it ⸻ We all have something we’ve survived—and for some of us, that survival becomes the spark. If you’ve ever felt called to turn the hard stuff into help for others, this talk is your permission to begin. Because sometimes when you need a light, you become one.