From Law Professor to Literary Curator: Eleanor Lumsden on Building an Ecosystem of Ideas Across Borders
After more than a decade teaching law and splitting her life between Portugal and San Francisco, Eleanor Lumsden made a choice many people only dream about: she stepped away from academia to build something entirely her own. Today, from her home base in Madeira, she is the founder and curator of Atlas Round Table, a modern literary salon designed to bring together people who might never otherwise share a table.
Eleanor's path from legal education to cultural entrepreneurship wasn't a straight line. It wound through Lisbon, San Francisco's North Beach, and eventually landed on a small island in the Atlantic, with plenty of uncertainty along the way. Alongside Atlas Round Table, she now writes through Cultural Proficiency Exchange (CPX) and her personal publication, Somewhere Over the Tejo, exploring leadership, culture, and the lives we build when we choose to cross borders.
In this interview, Eleanor talks about what pushed her to leave a stable career behind, the throughline connecting her current projects, and what's next as she grows her ecosystem of ideas, essays, and in-person gatherings around the world.
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Q: What led you to step away from academia and focus on CPX, Somewhere Over the Tejo, and Atlas Round Table?
After more than a decade in legal education and a life suspended between Portugal and San Francisco, I decided to lean into a few impractical but unfulfilled dreams. If I'm being honest, life pushed me off the plank.
For years, I had happily fit myself into a box in exchange for stability and a steady paycheck. When family responsibilities forced other choices, I realized I wanted to make room for a more expansive version of myself.
At first, I thought I might continue teaching on the other side of the Atlantic. I landed in Lisbon, uncertain. Deep down, though, I realized the work I wanted to do was no longer confined to the classroom. Comfort is a drug.
Even after discovering I could build a meaningful life in North Beach, I wasn't entirely sure which future I wanted. For a while, I wondered whether I'd made the wrong choice.
And yet, Madeira was calling.
Today I write essays on leadership, culture, and the lives we build across borders. Through Atlas Round Table, I also curate conversations that extend those ideas beyond the page.
It's a modern literary salon that brings together people who might never otherwise meet around a single table. Alongside Atlas, I write through Cultural Proficiency Exchange (CPX) and my personal publication, Somewhere Over the Tejo.
Q: What's the throughline connecting these projects - what are you hoping to build or change?
You know, at the beginning, I wasn't sure there was a throughline. Now, I see something my body felt first.
As a lawyer, I became accustomed to living in my head, translating words for others within certain prescribed codes. The language of the law can be beautiful in the hands of a skilled writer, but I'd never fully given myself permission to go rogue. Now, whether I'm writing an essay or curating an Atlas conversation, I'm trying to make my outward life more closely reflect who I know myself to be, while creating spaces for honest encounters.
We often ground ourselves in work, credentials, and hierarchy. We have fewer opportunities for meaningful encounters with people outside our professional, political, or cultural circles. Atlas is my attempt to design for those encounters. I believe they shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to one another, and ultimately how we lead.
From my island outpost in Madeira, I'm building an ecosystem of essays, conversation, and thoughtfully designed encounters that intentionally transcend borders. If my work accomplishes anything, I hope it leaves people feeling a little less alone and a little more connected to the richness of the world and to one another.
Q: What's next for you?
Right now, my focus is on growing all three parts of the ecosystem.
I'm continuing to publish essays through CPX and Somewhere Over the Tejo, while expanding Atlas Round Table into a recurring series with both online and in-person gatherings.
I've never felt more like myself. I am grateful for my time in corporate law, development, and academia. It feels as though everything that came before has led to this moment. I'm glad I stepped off the yellow brick road.
Longer term, I'm developing a couple of book projects and exploring film as another medium for sharing underrepresented stories about culture, belonging, and the choices that shape the lives of those who choose to cross borders.
More than anything, I'm interested in building work that is sustainable: ideas that travel, conversations that matter, and communities that endure.
Are you a woman leader with an inspiring story? Founded by Women elevates the voices of women making an impact.
Breaking barriers or paving the way for others? We'd love to feature you. Get in touch! 👉 hi@foundedbywomen.org
