How retired Air Force veteran Lisa Ducharme is helping veterans turn decades of military training, leadership, and resilience into an advantage in entrepreneurship.

Leaving the military doesn't mean leaving behind the skills that made you successful there. For Lisa Ducharme, the bigger challenge is helping veterans recognize just how valuable those skills can be in the business world.

In this episode, Levi sits down with Lisa Ducharme, retired Air Force veteran, business strategist, author, and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Veterans Chamber of Commerce. After serving more than 20 years in the Air Force, Lisa experienced firsthand the challenges of transitioning into civilian employment before eventually finding her way into entrepreneurship and veteran business advocacy.

Lisa shares the story of her military career, including how a decision originally made with her sister led to more than two decades in the Air Force. Her work in casualty affairs placed her in the middle of several major events, including the Khobar Towers bombing and 9/11, where her previous training allowed her to step into the casualty response at the Pentagon.

She also explains why transitioning out of the military can be so difficult. Veterans spend years learning leadership, problem solving, discipline, and how to accomplish a mission, yet Lisa believes the transition process often focuses too heavily on turning them into employees instead of helping them recognize how those abilities can translate into leadership and entrepreneurship.

Lisa's own entrepreneurial journey wasn't planned. After being laid off and exploring everything from hospitality to 3D animation and photo art, a veteran representative suggested she start a business. That idea eventually brought her deeper into the veteran entrepreneurship community and ultimately led to the creation of the Massachusetts Veterans Chamber of Commerce.

The conversation also explores one of Lisa's biggest lessons for entrepreneurs: you have to be willing to pivot. She discusses why businesses need to test their ideas, prove that a concept is viable, build the right foundation, and recognize when something simply isn't working.

Finally, Lisa shares her approach to practical AI for small businesses. Rather than chasing every new platform, she encourages business owners to use a small number of tools that solve real problems. More importantly, she explains why technology should never eliminate the human relationships that make a business memorable.

For veterans considering entrepreneurship, business owners navigating change, or anyone trying to figure out how AI fits into their company without losing the human side of business, this conversation offers a look at how leadership, adaptability, resources, and relationships can shape the next stage of a career.

Massachusetts Veterans Chamber of Commerce: https://www.massvcc.org/

Lisa Ducharme: https://lisaducharme.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaducharme/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaducharme2020/