Dr. Leena Akhtar

Founder & Principal, The Greater Us

I'm Leena Akhtar, and I founded The Greater Us to bring trauma-informed, relational approaches to organizational and group-level culture change. I work with organizations, groups, and individuals to build healthier, more sustainable environments, especially in periods of transition, burnout, or uncertainty.

My work lives at the intersection of systems thinking, personal transformation, and organizational dynamics. I bring a rigorous, relational, and trauma-informed lens to my facilitation, coaching, and consulting, grounded in my training in the VISIONS model. The VISIONS approach centers relationship as the foundation for navigating power, identity, and difference within organizations, and it shapes everything I do.

The approach I use is also deeply informed by trauma-informed principles. At their core, trauma-informed systems are relational—they ask organizations to build the capacity to handle stress, navigate conflict, and support people through change without breaking down or pushing them out. When organizations develop strong relational foundations, they become more resilient, adaptive, and able to sustain the people doing the work.

I've consulted across sectors, with particular depth in academic, STEM, and nonprofit settings. Whether through multi-day trainings, one-time workshops, coaching partnerships, or strategic advising, my work centers on one key question: What does it take to support people in showing up as they most wish to, whether in their work, in community, or in the world?

I hold a PhD from Harvard, an MA in Cultural History from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an Advanced Certificate in Trauma & Violence Transdisciplinary Studies from NYU. Earlier in my career, I also developed museum exhibitions and worked in financial services, experiences that gave me an appreciation for the different cultures, pressures, and possibilities within organizations.

Before launching The Greater Us, I taught and conducted research in the history of science, medicine, and feminist thought at Harvard University. My doctoral dissertation explored how trauma psychiatry was reshaped in the 1970s, highlighting the influence of the feminist anti-violence movement. I also developed and taught courses on the history of trauma psychiatry and gender, violence, and power.

In addition to my academic work, I spent several years in anti-violence advocacy as a crisis hotline counselor, medical advocate, and steering committee member for an organization in New York City. In graduate school, I supported campus advocacy around harassment and advised undergraduate and graduate student groups engaged in organizing and intervention. These experiences continue to shape my commitment to creating cultures where people are supported, respected, and able to thrive.

I also host The Greater Us Podcast, a space for staying grounded in the work of building toward a better world, and imagining what else might be possible along the way.

Collaborators

While The Greater Us is my consultancy, I work with a network of skilled collaborators who bring complementary expertise to this work. Many of these colleagues are clinicians whose depth of training in psychology and therapeutic practice enriches the trauma-informed and relational foundation of our engagements. Depending on the scope and needs of each project, I draw on these partnerships to offer specialized support while maintaining the trauma-informed, relational approach that defines The Greater Us.