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Veterans Makes the World Go Around. - Michael Parks
“I've been getting feedback since last last night and the reviews are in - The best veteran event in Atlanta this year. “
The most powerful thing at VetsFest wasn't on stage—it happened in the breaks.
Between sessions after moderating the Entrepreneurship Panel, a veteran approached me. Her voice was shaking.
"I'm stuck. I've been working on this project for years, but I can't get traction. I don't know how to start. I feel like I'm doing this alone."
I looked at her, then at the room filled with 550+ veteran entrepreneurs:
"Look around. You see all these people? They're not strangers—they're your support system. Every veteran in this room owns a business or supports military families. You're not alone."
I pulled out my phone. “Let's fix this right now.”
We took a picture together. I encouraged her to share her story, connect with the other female veterans in the room, and start conversations about her passion.
Right there on the Georgia Aquarium floor, she pulled out her phone and made her first post.
She felt stuck for years. One conversation at VetsFest changed everything in minutes.*
Within an hour, she found me again—this time with tears of excitement.
"Oh my god, you were right! There are people here who want to help me. People who care about what I'm building!"
"I feel alone." Minutes later, she was in tears of excitement.
But that wasn't the only moment.
Another veteran approached me: "I want to start podcasting and doing interviews, but I don't know where to begin. I can't find guests or make time."
"Let's solve that right now," I said.
We shot a 1-minute interview about VetsFest—right there, live, in front of the stage.
This is what people didn't see on camera at VetsFest.
Not just the panels or the networking. But the real magic happening in the spaces between—veterans helping veterans execute, not just dream.
One conversation turning years of paralysis into action.
One post connecting strangers into collaborators.
One minute of courage creating momentum that will last years.
The bigger lesson: Community erases isolation.
What Anisa Palmer said during our panel kept echoing in my mind:
"The real key isn't just knowledge or opportunity—it's community."
Watching these moments unfold, I understood what she meant.
When you're surrounded by people who've walked the same path, you stop feeling like you're doing it alone.
That's what I saw happening at VetsFest.
Veterans who came in isolated left activated.
Veterans who came in unsure left connected.
Veterans who came in hesitant left in motion.
This is why we do what we do at IVMF. This is why VetsFest matters.
When veterans gather, we don't just network—we activate each other.
We turn "I don't know how" into "Let's do this right now."
We transform isolation into community.
We convert ideas into execution.
550+ attendees. Countless connections. But it's these individual breakthrough moments that remind me:
The work continues. The mission never stops.
What breakthrough moment have you had when someone simply said "Let's do this right now"?
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What breakthrough moment have you had when someone simply said, “Let’s do this right now”?
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Building success together,
John Thomas
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