Our Team
Charlene Chiu
Co-Founder and CEO
Charlene's path is a testament to her passionate commitment to personal liberation, generational healing, and global impact. Her transformative journey started in 2003, when she entered her three-level trainings at a young age. During that time, she discovered the remarkable capacity of the human spirit to perform extraordinary wonders and love beyond measure. Over two decades, Charlene honed her expertise as an entrepreneur, establishing her own successful enterprises, contributing to start-ups, and making meaningful contributions to global corporations. Charlene's dedication to growth extended beyond her professional endeavors; she reshaped her family's dynamics and disseminated the wisdom of this work wherever she ventured. She emerged not only as a catalyst for change but also as a coach and facilitator, both within and beyond the Atlas community. In 2017, she relocated to San Francisco, where she, alongside Dris Upitis and Arthur Kanai, co-founded Atlas. This mission aimed to unlock the gates of freedom, possibility, and self-expression for all. As CEO and Co-Founder, Charlene envisions Atlas as a stronghold of empowerment and transformation, impacting individuals, communities, and the world.
Krysta O’Neill
Director of Finance and Operations
With more than 20 years of corporate operations and organizational development experience, Krysta has been instrumental in the design, development, improvement, and operation of systems and processes for several record growing national organizations, including one that earned a ranking in the Inc. 500 two years in a row, as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. She became passionate about personal effectiveness and emotional intelligence through her work in organizational development and her love for humanity. In 2017, found herself in the Atlas training room and through the process, was able to revive her marriage, support her husband in creating a family business that provides financial freedom and create a relationship with her mother that had never existed. She was further inspired to continue the journey and study personal effectiveness and emotional intelligence with ICF. She has a love for autobiographies and spending time with her family at football games. She resides in Wilmington, MA with her husband and son.
Dris Upitis
Honored Co-Founder
From a young age, Dris was driven by a deep desire for financial security, which he thought would translate into freedom in other important areas of life. After many years of hard work and an abundance of good luck, he was able to realize his financial goal and, at age 36, he left his career as a hedge fund manager. He spent the next five years playing competitive amateur golf, investing in private and public companies, and attending NBA playoff games. Along the way, he had the good fortune to connect with his life's purpose. It turns out that it had nothing to do with money, and true freedom could not be found in his bank account. In 2017, Dris moved to San Francisco to co-found Atlas Project as a not-for-profit. After a career spent focusing almost exclusively on profits, he wanted to see what was possible with an organization that maximizes love and the impact it has for others. He provided the funds to launch Atlas and received a salary of $1 per year during his time as Executive Director because everyone deserves to experience true freedom, discover new possibilities, and live their life’s purpose.
Arthur Kanai
Co-Founder
Drawing from a decade of consulting for Luxury Lifestyle Hospitality brands in Los Angeles, Arthur seamlessly channeled his expertise in organizational leadership, facilitation, and coaching. He steered transformative trainings and workshops for industry titans such as Meta, Vanderpump Enterprises, SBE, and MSG, attributing his passion for change to his exceptional interpersonal finesse, boundless empathy, and unwavering dedication to serving others. In a bold leap forward in 2017, Arthur, alongside Dris Upitis and Charlene Chiu, amplified his impact by relocating to San Francisco to open the Atlas Project. This move epitomized their collective vision to revolutionize the world. Within the Atlas organization, Arthur stands as a keystone, contributing as a coach, facilitator of Redesign, and an impassioned advocate steering community engagement, nurturing growth, and fostering the triumph of Atlas.