About Us

The Greater Us was founded by Dr. Leena Akhtar to bring trauma-informed, relational approaches to organizational and group-level culture change. After seeing how talented people—herself included—often left organizations not because of the work itself, but because of the culture surrounding it, she knew there had to be a better way.

The Greater Us exists to help organizations move beyond surface-level fixes and build cultures where people feel safe, connected, and able to bring their full selves to the table. Our approach combines practical tools, emotional capacity-building, and a deep awareness of power dynamics to create lasting change that becomes embedded in everyday interactions. Clients describe this work as warm, attentive, and non-judgmental—spaces where people feel both safe and challenged, able to learn new skills while engaging honestly across differences.

Dr. Akhtar brings extensive training in the VISIONS relational model, a trauma-informed lens, and experience across sectors—particularly in academic, STEM, and nonprofit settings. Her work blends systems thinking, personal transformation, and organizational dynamics, with a focus on what it takes to support people in showing up as they most wish to, whether in their work, in community, or in the world.

The Greater Us was born from a simple but profound question: what happens if we expand our definition of “us”? After seeing how talented people (myself included) often left organizations or fields not because of the work, but because of culture, I knew there had to be a better way.

The Greater Us exists to help organizations move beyond surface-level fixes and build cultures where people feel safe, connected, and able to bring their full selves to the table. Our approach combines practical tools, emotional capacity-building, and a deep awareness of power dynamics to create lasting change that becomes “baked in” to everyday interactions. Clients describe my work as warm, attentive, and non-judgmental — spaces where people feel both safe and challenged, able to learn new skills while engaging honestly across differences.

Our Approach

The Greater Us is proud to be certified as a Women and Minority Owned Business Enterprise (WMBE) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office. View our certificate here.

Experiencing Leena and her colleague's method left a lasting impression on my mind. They are masters at creating a safe space in the truest sense. Their thoughtful and creative exercise was framed and executed with such care, and it was clear that participants felt comfortable and welcome. Because of this, the space became extraordinarily generative – students began sharing their stories; some of which were happy, some reflective, some gut-wrenchingly sad; all deeply personal. It was a healing and empowering experience for many in the room, expertly guided.

-Lisa H