meet your coach: JuaN Perez

A life on the front lines

I’m Juan Perez—a Marine Scout Sniper veteran, former Chicago Police Officer, and now a full-time coach, entrepreneur, and host of The VetRise Podcast. But before any of that, I was a guy struggling to find purpose after service.

For years, I stayed on the front lines, believing that as long as I was still in the fight, I wouldn’t have to face what was going on inside me. I went from combat deployments to working undercover in the Chicago Police Department, thinking I was doing what I was meant to do.

But the truth was, I was running. Running from the weight of all of my mistakes.

Lost & numb

I drank every night. I had two failed marriages. And even with everything I was accomplishing on paper, I was completely lost.

Then, my unit was disbanded. And suddenly, I had nothing left to chase.

That’s when I realized something:
I wasn’t just failing myself—I was failing my kids.

Breaking the cycle

My kids deserved to see their father as more than his struggles. If I didn’t make a change, my traumas would become their traumas. The cycle would continue, and my bloodline would carry the same burdens I did.

That couldn’t happen.

So I did something about it.

why I started vetrise academy

I know firsthand what it feels like to leave the military and lose the structure, purpose, and brotherhood that kept you grounded. That deep sense of loss isn’t something we talk about enough, but it’s something every veteran feels. And too many of us go through it alone, slipping into despair without a fight.

I refuse to let that happen.

VetRise Academy is about rebuilding what we lost—not just in our bodies but in our minds, our habits, and our futures. It’s about creating a new path forward, one where veterans don’t just survive after service, but thrive.