How Lindsey Johnson is Transforming the Bartending World with Community & Education
In this episode of the Post Shift Podcast, I sat down with Lindsey Johnson, founder of Lush Life Productions and creator behind events like Portland Cocktail Week and Bar Institute. Lindsey’s journey is a blueprint for how hospitality can evolve from the bar floor into a culture-moving, community-lifting force.
From Punk Shows to Pouring Drinks
Lindsey didn’t begin her career in cocktails; she started in the punk scene — organizing shows, creating zines, building community from scratch. That ethos of DIY culture carried straight into the bar world. She recognized early that bartenders needed more than happy hour and competition glory. They needed platforms, education, and connection. And so she created them.
Elevating “The Business of the Bar”
One of the most potent points we discussed: the things we don’t talk about as often in hospitality — lease negotiation, profit margins, real workforce issues. Lindsey made it clear that, for the bar community to mature, we need to bring these topics to the forefront. In her words: “If we only serve drinks and ignore the business, we’re leaving so much on the table.”
She also shared how Portland Cocktail Week formally removed alcohol from classroom sessions because too much storytelling had been drowned out by pour time. That decision freed space for serious discussion — strategy, staffing, sustainability.
Community over Competition
Lindsey’s belief: hospitality isn’t just a service industry — it’s a community industry. Her events are deliberately structured to promote networking, shared learning, and space for unlikely voices. She credits her punk roots with teaching her the value of building “rooms that belong to us.”
She also noted that digital connection is not the same as in-person energy: “There is something lost when you don’t share space, not just screens.” For her, investing in live gatherings, even when hard, is essential to innovation and culture.
Advocacy & Change in the Bar World
Besides craft and culture, Lindsey is deeply invested in hospitality advocacy: mental health, sustainability, and fair labour practices. She deliberately embeds social-justice themes into her events, making them more than parties—they’re forums for real industry change.
Her message to bar owners and managers: make space for vulnerability and change. Culture and profit aren’t separate—they feed each other.
Why This Episode Matters
If you’re a bartender, operator, brand-builder, or hospitality educator, this conversation brings three major takeaways:
Build Beyond the Bar: Your venue isn’t just a place to serve drinks—it’s a space to educate, connect, and evolve.
Talk Real Business: Don’t shy away from margins, lease terms, and staffing strategy. Strength grows from addressing toughness, not ignoring it.
Prioritize People & Culture: The best bars will be the ones where teams feel seen, valued, and prepared—not just busy.