Who We Are

Atrium Leadership takes its inspiration from the atrium of an office building.

The atrium is a place of welcome. It’s a place without hierarchy, where everyone from CEO to intern belongs equally. It’s a place of coming together, where we can all share a laugh. Most of all, it’s a transparent place, a place filled with light.

For us, the atrium presents a metaphor for a lighter approach to leadership development, which can so often be heavy, esoteric, pretentious, and costly.

We use this lighter approach in partnering with global organizations to design lean, playful learning experiences that deliver clear, measurable impact.

Whether in a skills workshop, team offsite, or coaching engagement, Atrium creates eye-opening moments of insight marked by practical coaching that touches both head and heart.

And the best part of partnering with Atrium?

Together we get to create the very leaders you’ve always dreamed of hiring. 

Meet the Founder

ABOUT
An ICF certified executive coach (PCC), team coach, facilitator, and keynote speaker, John has two decades’ experience serving global companies.

APPROACH
With expertise in negotiation and influence (Harvard Law School) and educational psychology and neuroscience (Harvard Graduate School of Education), John designs evidence-based development experiences that bring learning to life.

Integrating his years of training in Improv, John animates his sessions with light-hearted playfulness to lighten the lift of leadership development. He founded Atrium on the premise that the development industry is too full of pseudoscience and bluster and that by moving into the light - from the boardroom into the atrium - the hard work of personal development can be made much easier.

CERTIFICATIONS
ICF certified executive coach at PCC level (Teleos)
Certified Gallup Strengths Coach (Gallup)
Certified LEGO® Serious Play® Facilitator
Certified Design Thinking Practitioner (Luma Institute)
Certified Team Coach (Corentus)
Certified Smarter Collaboration Team Facilitator (Gardner & Co)

DEGREES
J.D., Harvard Law School
Ph.D., Brown University

John Abbruzzese, J.D., Ph.D.

Associate Faculty

  • A woman with long wavy reddish-brown hair and red lipstick, wearing a black top, sitting near a window with beige curtains, and smiling at the camera.

    Maika Leibbrandt

    Facilitator & Executive Coach

  • Close-up of an Asian woman with short dark hair wearing a pink blazer and earrings, looking confidently at the camera.

    Kelly Kamaka'Alohi Asato

    Facilitator & Executive Coach

  • A woman with long wavy dark hair, wearing a black blazer and earrings, smiling in front of a background of green plants.

    Angélica Ruiz Gatica

    Facilitator & Executive Coach

Pro Bono Work in the Community

  • Group of young diverse people posing on stairs at the BEAT THE ODDS Boston program.

    Beat the Odds Boston

    BTO empowers Black and Latin youth who are persistently experiencing the consequences of racism and inequity to build a world where all Boston youth can live in a just society, regardless of race, or socioeconomic status so they can thrive personally and professionally as resilient creative young adults.

    Learn More
  • Logo for Rhode Island Student Assistance Services featuring three overlapping hands in green, white, and purple with text to the right that reads 'Rhode Island RISAS Student Assistance Services.'

    Rhode Island Student Assistance Services

    The Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS) delivers comprehensive, school-based prevention and early intervention services focused on addressing substance use and behavioral health risks that interfere with student success. Their Employee Assistance Division partners with employers to create productive & healthy workplaces.

    Learn More

Contact us

We can provide client testimonials and references, program overviews, and sample agendas upon request.

We also just really enjoy good conversation with people who are as fascinated with all things leadership as we are.

Reach out - we’d love to chat.