PAIRS Foundation

What PAIRS Foundation does

PAIRS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization headquartered at 1400 NW 54th Street, Miami, FL, founded in 1983 by Lori Heyman Gordon as the institutional home for the PAIRS methodology (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills), which Gordon originated as a graduate-level course at American University in 1975. The foundation delivers an evidence-based, experiential relationship skills curriculum integrating psychology, neuroscience, and family therapy, served through signature tools such as the Daily Temperature Reading, Emptying the Emotional Jug, Speaking and Listening from the Heart, and the Volcano Exercise. Its portfolio spans the flagship PAIRS Essentials course (public, $495 per connection over 12 hours; professional certification, $1,250), the PAIRS for PEERS youth program, the Yodi AI-powered relationship coach app (iOS/Android/web, freemium), corporate workshop modules (DEI, Conscious Conflict, Emotional Intelligence in Action, Connected Teams, Leader as Connector, Resilience Reset, Bridges, Listening Lab), specialized programs (Let It Out emotional healing retreats, IronBond fatherhood workshops, Operation Sacred Trust and Warrior to Soul Mate for veterans and military families), and Master Trainer certification ($2,500 plus $250/year licensing). Beyond tuition, revenue mechanics include corporate enterprise agreements, donations (including a $250-per-participant scholarship fund), book sales through Amazon, and grants — most recently a $3,75 0,000 award from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (October 2025) supporting the IronBond five-year fatherhood initiative in South Florida beginning January 2026.

PAIRS serves a horizontally segmented audience including couples and individuals, veterans and military families, fathers in low-to-moderate income communities, youth, corporate workplaces, and certified professional coaches, with go-to-market motion spanning direct-to-consumer enrollment, corporate field sales, community-led partnerships, channel partners (licensed Master Trainers), event-driven weekend retreats, and product-led growth through the Yodi app. The foundation has expanded to the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Israel through thousands of trained therapists, educators, clergy, and coaches, holds CARF Gold Seal accreditation, and has licensed its proprietary technology to one of the world's largest healthcare providers for nationwide whole-health deployment. Leadership is family-anchored: Seth Eisenberg (founder's son) has served as President & CEO since 2009, supported by a small executive team and a board chaired by Robert Henthorn.

Name

PAIRS Foundation

Legal name

PAIRS Foundation

Website

https://pairs4me.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PAIRS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 that delivers evidence-based relationship skills education through workshops, certification programs, corporate engagements, retreats, and the Yodi AI app, serving couples, veterans, fathers, youth, and workplaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Relationship Skills Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Training Delivery Services (Onsite/Virtual Instruction, Workshops, Coaching) (BPAEANAN)

Keywords

• Relationship skills education
• Marriage enrichment programs
• Corporate wellness training
• Emotional intelligence coaching
• Professional certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hollywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Training Fees: PAIRS charges tuition for public participants attending PAIRS Essentials and other programs. The public fee is $495 per connection for the 12-hour Essentials course delivered over six sessions. Grant-funded programs may be offered at no charge or significant discount in eligible communities.
2. Professional Certification Fees: Professionals seeking certification as PAIRS licensed coaches pay $1,250 tuition, which includes course materials and an extensive curriculum guide. Additional revenue comes from the PAIRS Professional Training pathway and Advanced/Master Trainer certification ($2,500 plus $250 annual licensing fee).
3. Corporate Program Fees: Organizations engage PAIRS for corporate workshops, one-on-one coaching, and team building programs. These are sold as enterprise agreements to corporate clients seeking to improve workplace communication, collaboration, and team cohesion.
4. App Monetization (Yodi): The Yodi AI-powered relationship coach app is distributed via Google Play Store and Apple App Store, providing a digital revenue channel for ongoing access to PAIRS tools and exercises.
5. Book Sales: PAIRS Foundation publishes books including Let It Out, Love That Grows With You, The Road of Happiness Now, and Laundry Day, available through Amazon and other retailers. Seth Eisenberg is the primary author.
6. Donations: PAIRS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and solicits donations directly on its website, with donations going 100% toward advancing the mission. Scholarship fund accepts sponsorships at $250 per participant.
7. Scholarship Program (Grant-Funded): PAIRS offers scholarships covering full or partial tuition for eligible participants (veterans, military families, communities impacted by trauma, university students). Funded by donations and grants, scholarships are administered through the foundation's scholarship application process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion6 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PAIRS Foundation delivers evidence-based relationship skills education through structured multi-day workshops, retreats, an AI-powered mobile coaching app, corporate wellness programs, and professional certification training. Offerings target individuals, couples, families, youth, veterans, fathers, and corporate clients seeking to build emotional intelligence, communication, and conflict-resolution skills. The proprietary PAIRS curriculum, refined over more than four decades, underpins all programs.

Product overview

PAIRS Foundation operates as a non-profit relationship education organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs, products, and services centered on evidence-based relationship skills training. The core offering consists of PAIRS Essentials (the flagship 9-18 hour course) and PAIRS for PEERS (youth-focused program), supported by the AI-powered Yodi relationship coach app. The organization provides professional certification training for coaches, corporate programs for workplace relationship skills, and specialized initiatives including Iron Bond Fathers (fatherhood workshop), Let It Out Retreat (emotional healing), and Warrior to Soul Mate (veteran-focused). Additional offerings include educational books authored by leadership, scholarships for program access, and a video training library. Programs are delivered through multiple formats including weekend intensives, multi-week courses, online classes, and in-person workshops, serving individuals, couples, families, youth, veterans, and corporate clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yodi: AI-powered relationship coach and mentor app
• IronBond
• PAIRS Essentials
• PAIRS for PEERS
• PAIRS Corporate Programs
• Let It Out
• Love That Grows With You

Products and services

• PAIRS Essentials Multi-day evidence-based relationship skills workshop for individuals and couples, teaching communication, emotional connection, and conflict-resolution techniques grounded in the proprietary PAIRS methodology.
• Warrior to Soul Mate
• Let It Out Retreat
• PAIRS for PEERS
• Iron Bond Fathers
• PAIRS Corporate Programs
• PAIRS Certification Training
• PAIRS Yodi (Mobile App)
• Operation Sacred Trust

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 99% of graduates recommend PAIRS training for family, friends, and colleagues.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, foundational, significant, notable and minor.

• Military and Veterans OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAIRS has a long history of serving military families and veterans through programs like Operation Sacred Trust and Warrior to Soul Mate (W2SM), addressing deployment stress, PTSD, addiction, and family reintegration challenges. PAIRS is a leading provider of relationship education for those impacted by trauma and deployment.
• One of the World's Largest Healthcare ProviderscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDecades of research supported a major healthcare provider's decision to license PAIRS technology as the foundation for nationwide efforts to advance whole health, indicating a significant licensing relationship for PAIRS' evidence-based methodology.
• American UniversityfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PAIRS curriculum originated as a graduate-level course at American University in Washington, D.C. in 1975, designed for future counselors and mental health professionals. This academic partnership represents the foundational origin of the PAIRS methodology.
• Universities and Community CenterssignificantChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPAIRS programs are delivered through university partnerships and community center affiliations, expanding reach to diverse populations including students, faculty, and local communities. Thousands of therapists, educators, clergy, and coaches have been trained through these partnerships.
• Carrfour Supportive HousingnotableGTM or Marketing PartnerCarrfour Supportive Housing in Miami partnered with PAIRS for corporate programs to enhance team communication and collaboration. Represented by Stephanie Berman, the organization reported a boost in collaboration and morale.
• Ameritrade WorldwidenotableGTM or Marketing PartnerAmeritrade Worldwide (Boston) participated in PAIRS corporate programs, with Robert Henthorn reporting that employees are more engaged and connected, with lasting positive changes in workplace culture.
• Chepstow CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChepstow Corporation in Rehoboth Beach engaged PAIRS for team building programs. Paul Work reported stronger relationships, increased productivity, and a more positive work environment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gottman Institute: Founded by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, the Gottman Institute offers evidence-based couples relationship education, workshops, and professional certification similar to PAIRS Essentials. Overlapping methodology, certification pathway, and practitioner training model make it the closest direct peer.
• Imago Relationships International: Harville Hendrix's Imago organization delivers couples therapy training, workshops, and certified therapist programs comparable to PAIRS Professional Certification. Both organizations monetize through practitioner certification plus public workshops targeting couples and families.
• Prepare-Enrich: Prepare-Enrich is a leading couples assessment and relationship education program used by clergy, counselors, and premarital programs globally. Mirrors PAIRS' validation-driven curriculum approach and reliance on certified facilitators for delivery.
• The Relationship School: Founded by Mort Fertel, The Relationship School offers relationship救 courses, coaching certifications, and intensive workshops. Comparable direct-to-consumer courses, certification ladder, and transformation-focused retreat model.

Broad incumbents

• BetterHelp: BetterHelp is a leading online therapy platform offering couples counseling, individual therapy, and teen counseling. Broader incumbent that overlaps PAIRS' digital delivery ambitions but operates as a marketplace connecting licensed therapists rather than delivering its own curriculum.
• Talkspace: Talkspace is a publicly-traded telehealth therapy platform offering couples therapy among other services. Broad incumbent with B2B partnerships (employer EAPs, health plans) overlapping PAIRS' corporate and healthcare-licensing channel ambitions.

Emerging players

• Regain: Regain is BetterHelp's couples-focused online therapy service, providing subscription-based couples counseling via messaging and live sessions. Comparable self-serve digital channel for couples relationship support, though therapy- rather than education-led.
• OurRelationship: Founded at the University of Oregon, OurRelationship delivers evidence-based online couples counseling courses and resources. Closely comparable to PAIRS Essentials' online, structured-cohort format and self-help-plus-coaching hybrid model.
• Relationship Hero: Relationship Hero offers on-demand text-based couples therapy and coaching with licensed therapists. Adjacent AI/digital channel serving the same couples-seeking-immediate-help audience as PAIRS Yodi.

Regional players

• Relate: Relate is the UK's largest provider of relationship support and counseling, offering counseling, sex therapy, and education. Same nonprofit charity mission, public-couples target, and training-the-trainer delivery model — operates primarily in the UK rather than competing directly in PAIRS' geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/pairsusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PAIRS Foundation