Craig Nash spent 40 years as a healthcare professional. He planned for retirement the way most people do with a sense of what the next chapter would look like. Then his daughter's struggle with substance abuse changed everything. Overnight, Craig and his family became the primary caregivers for their granddaughter. No warning. No roadmap. And no real support system designed for people in their situation.

What they found was that millions of grandparents across the country were doing the same thing. Raising grandchildren they loved deeply, navigating a role they hadn't planned for, and doing it largely alone. The financial pressure was real. The emotional weight was heavy. And the resources were scattered, hard to find, or simply didn't exist.

Craig heard a message that stayed with him: don't waste your pain. So, he didn't. In January 2023, he launched It's a Grand Life as a podcast, a place where grandparents raising grandchildren could learn, connect, and feel seen. By August 2024, it had grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide real, direct support to grand families in Michigan and across the country. 

Today, It's a Grand Life works with trusted nonprofit partners in Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, Colorado, Indiana, Texas, and beyond — reaching families where they are, vetting every request, and making sure funds raised are used to support the grandparents and grandchildren who need it most. Craig and his team have never taken a salary from this organization. Together, they make sure the next grandparent who steps up doesn't have to figure it out alone.

In June 2025, Craig was named the recipient of the Grandfamilies Award by Generations United at their Global Intergenerational Conference in Louisville, KY, honoring his outstanding contribution to the field of grandparents and other relatives raising children.