For many people, leaving the ADF can result in a loss of identity and purpose, often leading to social challenges and a struggle to reintegrate into the community.
But for former Defence Force members navigating the transition to civilian employment, Frontline Labs CEO Mark Leatham wants veterans to understand that there are alternatives – and that through self-employment and business ownership, the veteran community bring valuable transferable skills, a dedicated customer focus and a sense of duty to provide further service to the broader community.
Frontline Labs is a Soldier On Gold Education Partner delivering a unique RTO accredited Veteran Entrepreneur Training program.
Mark says the fact that 30% of all Frontline Labs course applications have come from females – a figure that includes applications from ex-Defence Soldier On participants or their partners – shows that a growing number of women are interested in running their own race as a business owner.
With that in mind, Mark says that the decision to run a dedicated female-focused Frontline Labs course will provide a safe space, with the opportunity to share lived experiences and journeys into entrepreneurship together.
‘From previous courses, we have observed that our female participants often lack confidence, despite their great business ideas,’ Mark says.
‘As an all-female cohort, we hope they can support and encourage each other and graduate with a positive mindset to create and/or grow their business.
‘Frontline Labs is passionate about supporting the veteran community, especially the partners of those who have served, in conjunction with Soldier On to support them on their transition journey to find new purpose and identify through business ownership.’
Drawing on Defence community experience
Frontline Labs graduate Courtney Allan says the program reinforced something she learned as a military spouse – ‘that when you’re driven by purpose rather than just profit, innovation becomes instinctual’.
‘Self-employment with purpose allows veterans and military families to channel their service-oriented mindset into solving real-world problems. For me, that purpose was clear: healthcare access shouldn’t be a privilege. The program helped me understand that my unique perspective – combining military adaptability, clinical expertise, and entrepreneurial vision – could create systemic change beyond what traditional employment might allow,’ she says.
‘Purpose-driven self-employment transforms your mission from serving your country to serving your community in ways that can scale and create lasting impact.’
Courtney says her own business venture, Beyond The Clinic, ‘represents the convergence of three “uniforms” – military spouse, nurse and entrepreneur – all unified by one mission: improving healthcare access’.
‘Since completing the program, we’ve developed digital health solutions that extend patient engagement beyond traditional clinic boundaries. Our platform enables “human-led, tech-enabled healthcare” through technology that makes quality healthcare accessible anytime, anywhere.’
She says that being part of the Frontline Labs program through Soldier On ‘helped me transition from seeing healthcare access as just a clinical problem to understanding it as a business challenge that required innovative solutions’.
‘We’re now partnering with private healthcare providers to transform how patients engage with their care across the continuum of care from prevention, acute, chronic and surgical interventions,’ she says.
Fulfilling a commitment to serve
With future business goals centred on scaling Beyond The Clinic’s impact on healthcare accessibility, Courtney says ‘we’re working toward a healthcare system where quality care truly is available to everyone, regardless of geographic location, economic status, or physical limitations’.
‘In the short term, we’re expanding our digital health platform and partnerships with healthcare providers. Long-term, I envision Beyond The Clinic becoming a catalyst for systemic healthcare transformation – proving that business innovation and social purpose aren’t just compatible, they’re essential to each other.’
She says that lessons from her previous careers have provided a solid foundation for her business growth and sustainable success.
‘The military taught me to serve something bigger than myself. Nursing showed me what that service looks like in practice. And entrepreneurship is giving me the tools to scale that service to reach everyone who needs it. That’s the mission that drives everything we do at Beyond The Clinic.’
But it wasn’t always so clear to her.
Before Frontline Labs, Courtney says that, although she had a clear vision, she lacked the business framework to execute it. ‘As someone with 20+ years in nursing, I’d seen firsthand how the best patient care in the world means nothing if people can’t access it,’ she says. ‘I wanted to bridge that gap between excellent clinical care and actual patient access, but I needed to understand how to translate my clinical insights into scalable business solutions. I was hoping togain the entrepreneurial skills to complement my healthcare expertise and military-bred adaptability – essentially, to add that third “uniform” to my collection.’
She believes that one of the biggest challenges is translating military skills into civilian business language.
‘Veterans often underestimate the value of their adaptability, leadership under pressure and mission-focused mindset,’ Courtney says. ‘As a military spouse, I experienced something similar – constantly adapting to new environments, building resilience, and maintaining focus despite constant change.
‘These are actually incredible entrepreneurial assets, but veterans don’t always see them that way.’
Courtney says Frontline Labs help by providing a framework that honours military experience while building practical business skills.
‘The program bridges the gap between military mission-orientation and entrepreneurial execution, showing how purpose-driven leadership translates directly into business success.
‘They help veterans understand that their service background isn’t something to overcome – it’s their competitive advantage.’
If you’d love to learn more about the female-focused Frontline Labs program running across four evenings (6-9pm AEST) on 22 & 30 September, 14 & 21 October, plus one in-person session in Sydney on 27 October, please email: education@soldieron.org.au
Applications close on 29 August.
