We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Parish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We started VETLIFE because the government has a backwards approach to veteran service provision (the approach they take to connecting veterans to their benefits). The government expects the veteran to come to them to get connected to their benefits, but the main problem plaguing veterans is they don’t understand what benefits they are entitled to and where to go to get them.

We knew if VETLIFE was going to offer successful solutions to the issues plaguing veterans we had to create programs that went to where the veterans were and the resources we offered them had to be vetted first. The hardest part about creating a non profit that helps veterans is to understand where the failures are currently and address those first.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I first met my wife I had recently returned from Iraq where I served as a combat engineer for the initial invasion in 2003. I had seen things while deployed that I was not able to process fully and if it weren’t for my wife I am not sure I would be here today. She pushed me to be the best version of myself and I am a better person for knowing her. I began my journey helping veterans by looking at myself. I took all of the struggles I personally went through searching for my benefits and created programs to fix those broken government programs and processes. I learned that if we didn’t do it, no one else was going to and our story is just starting. In the first 5 years of existence we have helped connect tens of thoursands of veterans to their military benefits and have brought in tens of millions of dollars back into Michigan through our outreach and connection events.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
VETLIFE would not exist without my wife & military spouse Cortnie Parish. She has been able to take the vision I had for the Non Profit in my head and reduce that to an idea on paper that we used to build the programs we offer. She has always been there for me and has been a friend and an advocate for veterans and their families.

Website: www.vetlifetoday.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetlifetoday/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetlifetoday/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VETLIFETODAY/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vetlifetoday

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