Not Easily Combated, Inc. (NEC) is a faith-driven, veteran-founded nonprofit startup designed to address the unique challenges faced by female veterans in Central Kentucky. While women now represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. veteran population, they continue to face disproportionate barriers in access to VA benefits, career reintegration, trauma-informed care, and equitable recognition of their service. NEC, Inc. was established to amplify the voices of women-identified veterans, provide tailored transition and wellness support, and ensure that they receive the same opportunities and resources as their male counterparts.
Mission, Vision, and Values
Our mission is to empower active-duty service members, veterans, and disabled veterans—especially women-identified individuals—through faith-rooted support services, holistic wellness, professional development, and community-based healing. NEC creates a safe, inclusive space for military-affiliated individuals to grow, transition, and thrive with dignity and purpose.
Our vision is to become the leading regional support network for military-connected individuals across Central Kentucky—where soldiers, veterans, and their families are restored, equipped, and celebrated.
We operate through core values that ground every program:
Faith-Inspired Leadership
Inclusivity Across Rank, Role & Identity
Compassionate Community Care
Veteran & Soldier-Centered Equity
Growth, Healing & Resilience
Target Market and Community Impact
NEC’s primary audience is female veterans across Central Kentucky—including those in Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort, Versailles, Shelbyville, Lawrenceburg, Georgetown, Nicholasville, and Richmond. This group often experiences service-related trauma, housing insecurity, employment inequities, and systemic bias when seeking VA benefits or reintegration assistance. By centering women veterans, NEC ensures that equity and inclusion are not afterthoughts but foundational priorities.
Signature Programs
HER PATH – A women-focused transition program combining career coaching, VA navigation, and spiritual grounding to prepare for post-service success.
Warrior Grace Circles – Peer-led, faith-based healing circles for women veterans to address MST, PTSD, and trauma in a supportive environment.
Pathways & Purpose – Career and life-coaching services that provide tools for workforce reintegration and professional growth.
The Mission Continues: Retreats for Women Veterans – Quarterly retreats designed to restore balance, promote leadership, and build a supportive sisterhood.
Business Model & Growth Plan
NEC will sustain its operations through a combination of grant funding (KY Veterans Trust Fund, Women Veterans Network, Lilly Endowment), philanthropic donations, and partnerships with VA facilities, local universities, and women-focused nonprofits. With a hybrid model of in-person gatherings and digital access, NEC will deliver programming that is both scalable and accessible, reducing barriers such as childcare, transportation, or disability limitations.
Why the Bootcamp?
The Fall 2025 Bootcamp 1.0 offers a unique opportunity to refine NEC’s nonprofit business model, strengthen funding strategies, and scale outreach. As Team Leader, founder Taisha Bates brings her lived experience as a veteran and DEIB leader to this initiative, ensuring both authenticity and sustainability. With Bootcamp support, NEC will formalize its infrastructure, expand regional partnerships, and launch services capable of reaching at least 100 women veterans in its first year.
By championing equity, amplifying voices, and creating safe spaces for healing and growth, Not Easily Combated, Inc. stands poised to become a powerful force for transformation in Kentucky’s veteran community.
Email: taisha.bates@frontier.edu
Project Owner
Taisha Bates