Thriving Through Experience

At the intersection of mental health, disability rights, and ethical innovation, The Thrive Shift is redefining work, technology, and leadership. We honor human limits while exploring beautiful possibilities.

We’re here to redefine what it means to thrive.

At The Thrive Shift, we work with organizations, leaders, and teams who are ready to build systems that truly support mental health, disability inclusion, and human-centered innovation.

From corporate teams to tech startups to creative entrepreneurs, our clients come to us when they’re done with surface-level solutions and ready to shift how they lead, work, and build for good.

Founded by writer, strategist, and mental health advocate Linea Johnson, The Thrive Shift delivers consulting, advising, and storytelling shaped by lived experience. Because lived experience isn’t a flaw in the system, but a compass.

We offer:

  • Workplace mental health consulting that’s practical, inclusive, and rooted in real life

  • Lived experience advising to help you build tech and programs with disability and humanity at the center

  • Keynotes, content, and campaigns that shift hearts, challenge systems, and spark cultural change

We go beyond box-checking and quick fixes by creating space for people and ideas to flourish.

Where you begin depends on what you're building.
Ready to create lasting change? Explore how we can work together below.

Where to begin

  • A group of four people looking at one laptop

    Workplace Mental Health Consulting

    From leadership training to team education, we help you build a workplace where well-being actually works.

    Spread the Word
  • A woman wearing a blue blazer on a computer with flowers and a podcast microphone on her desk

    Lived Experience Advising

    We help build your product or platform with lived experience at the heart, so it’s not just smart, but human.

    Build with Confidence
  • Five panelists on a stage holding microphones

    Speaking and Events

    We bring real talk and real stories to keynotes, panels, and fireside chats, all with a focus on mental health and disability inclusion.

    Start the Conversation

Meet Linea

I’m Linea Johnson: writer, strategist, and mental health advocate with lived experience at the center of everything I do. Through The Thrive Shift, I help organizations and leaders build more ethical, human-first systems.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a white polka dot shirt and light blue jeans standing in a living room. Behind her is a bookshelf filled with books, a framed poster, and a potted plant. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Part of a brown chair and a dog are visible in the room.

As seen in:

  • The NPR logo with three colored rectangles: orange, dark blue, and light blue, each containing a lowercase white letter 'n', 'p', and 'r'.
  • A person wearing a black jacket and sunglasses, standing in front of graffiti-covered wall.
  • Logo of The Seattle Times newspaper in black text on a white background.
  • USATODAY logo with a blue circle and black text
  • HuffPost logo with bold black text and teal accent lines on a white background.
  • Sign promoting mental health awareness with the message 'Be Vocal' and 'Speak up for mental health' in bold letters.
  • Text graphic with the words 'The MIGHTY' in red, bold font, on a white background.

  • “Thank you, Linea, for modeling how to be courageously vulnerable in a way that serves others--by spotlighting the invisible inequities experienced by our neurodivergent colleagues.”

    Paul Minifee, PhD., ion Learning

  • "Linea was an incredible coach, participant and thought leader on what it means to address accessibility as part of DEIB. She spoke to the audiences with empathy and provided valuable frameworks and context to top leaders in the room on cultivating an inclusive mindset.”

    Hooriya Hussain, Global Marekting Leader

  • “[Linea’s] compassionate approach and ability to provide clear actions like the concept of universal design in organizational planning significantly impacted my experience as a listener.”

    Yamilex Peña, CLS Leadership Summit Organizer

  • “Not only does Linea produce exemplary outcomes, she does so with such grace, compassion, and heart.”

    Heather Fogelstrom, Change Management Leader

  • “An empathetic , highly informed and effective storyteller--a rare combination."

    Keri McDonough, Patient Engagement and Advocacy Leader

  • “[Linea was] my biggest surprise at this event! [She is] brave and powerful. Thank you. I come away from the event filled with joy, and knowledge, and a clearer focus.”

    Daniel, Attendee

  • "It was a pleasure to be in community with you for such a terrific event! The personal story you shared truly hit home with me."

    Illy, Attendee

  • “Linea is a tremendous contribution to the world of mental health advocacy and education.”

    Nanci Schiman, MSW, Private Practice

  • "A wonderfully vulnerable and knowledgeable speaker. Thank you! "

    Shana, Attendee

Read the Book

Read the Book

Person holding a book titled 'Perfect Chaos' in front of their face, with a bookshelf and lamp in the background.

Read Linea’s personal story of living with bipolar disorder in her memoir, Perfect Chaos: A Daughter’s Journey to Survive Bipolar, A Mother’s Journey to Save Her. Co-written with her mother, Cinda Johnson, learn how one family navigated mental illness in America, created stronger relationships, and fought stigma through vulnerability.

A woman with red hair and bright red lipstick, wearing a BLONDIE T-shirt and leopard-print pants, is sitting on a blue chair, holding a checkered pink and white mug, smiling at the camera in a cozy indoor environment with books and plants in the background.
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black Blondie band t-shirt and leopard print skirt, is smiling while organizing books on a white bookshelf in a cozy living room with a mustard-colored couch and a guitar in the background.
A person lying on a colorful patterned rug, reading a book, surrounded by additional books, papers, sheet music, and a magazine.

Follow Linea’s journey.

We keep calling it human-centered AI. But which humans are centered? If your models only understand typical patterns, you’re not building human-centered systems; you’re building norm-centered ones. And when people with lived experience
A note for lurkers, slow creators, and anyone feeling like they should be posting more: My last few months have been packed with incredible panels, workshops, conferences, and events. But if you looked at my social media, you wouldn’t know it.
Tuesday’s panel at the @onemindorg at Work Global Forum left me so energized. One of my core messages to employers was this: ➡️Evaluation doesn’t start with numbers, it starts with listening. You need real feedback loops — anonym
I’m excited to speak at the Human+Tech Week Summit, exploring the future of human potential in the age of AI. I will be giving a talk about navigating life with a serious mental illness and what I’ve learned about the power of human-cent