The Story: 

Yermi Kurkus was born and raised in a Jewish Orthodox community in Montreal, Canada that put a lot of emphasis on outreach and being a productive member in society. As a child, Yermi really took to this community work and outreach. His parents and teachers told him that he could one day help people for a living as a legitimate way of earning a livelihood. 

At the time Yermi didn't really know what that meant. At first, Yermi figured that a doctor was someone that helps people for a living. So, he tried his hand at medicine, volunteering as an EMT and getting all the way to pre-med. There he realized that medicine was not going to be the way for him to “help people for a living”. That is when he transferred into business, coming from an entrepreneurial family he was going to find a way to help other entrepreneurs through business. 

In 2010, Yermi’s wife at the time left him, took the kids, his mother passed away, and the business that he built was forced to shut down all in just 10 short days. Yermi was devastated, his entire life was falling apart in his hands. 

Over the course of the next 18-20 months, Yermi went to get the help that he needed and decided to volunteer his time in the prison system as community service and as a way of being a productive member of society. It was in the Prison System where Yermi discovered his love and passion for Psychology and considered becoming a therapist. 

Bringing Meaning and Purpose to People: 

During the course of 8 years working in the prison system, at first as a chaplain and eventually as a guidance counselor, Yermi had a burning question “How do we bring meaning and purpose to people at their lowest state in life? And if I can be successful at bringing meaning to these people, would I not be able to help people at any state in life find their meaning and purpose?” 

That is when Yermi started researching, developing and implementing different programs that would improve the lives of people and help them find meaning and purpose in the most desperate and difficult times of their lives. 

Programs such as Work of Happiness and OneUP! were developed and implemented. The programs proved to be very successful and were a massive hit. 

Meaning in the Workplace: 

As Yermi was about to graduate with his undergraduate degree and decide what graduate and doctorate paths he wanted to take, Yermi come to an epiphany moment.

“If OneUP! Helped transform Jailbirds into eagles, what can it transform eagles into?” 

There are so many coaches, consultants, and therapists helping people with meaning and purpose, however, how many people are focusing on bringing meaning and purpose into the workplace, helping business owners and founders create and build businesses that are meaningful and fulfilling? 

That is when Yermi transferred programs and got his MA in Organizational and Industrial Psychology (the psychology of business) and is now working towards his doctorate in the same field. 

The Services: 

Yermi Kurkus partners up with business owners and founder to improve their business operations by putting focus and emphasis on the people who operate and run the business. By improving the overal organizational culture and the way the business is run, the business becomes more human. The business can thrive and be more sustainable for the long run. 

Yermi brings his entire self to the table and gets very personally involved with every aspect of the business. The 6 step operational system is developed from a variety of proven programs that are implemented in fortune 500 companies. The workshops, programs, and services that are available to the leadership and team members that make up the company are all specially designed to improve the productivity, engagement levels, and quality of life for everyone involved in making the business successful.

To learn more about the list of services, workshops, and programs that are available, please click here: