A simple walk during lunch, meditation, and other “self-care stuff” are things that left San Luis Obispo native Marissa Mosunich unfulfilled as she tried to adapt and take care of herself at work. She knew something needed to change.
After receiving diagnoses relating to neurodivergence in adulthood, Mosunich’s professional and personal life improved. Her experiences with burnout and being misunderstood at work started to make sense, and she replaced the habit of blaming herself with a sense of belonging to a broader community.
After initially launching Operate Well Consulting in Florida in 2021, Mosunich moved back to SLO in 2024. The company shifted its focus from providing process improvement support for small businesses to creating an empathetic and affirming space for people within the neurodivergent community and their workplaces.
“It’s always been a sort of extension of the work I want to do in the world,” Mosunich said. “It’s been my way of creating something that’s uniquely the work I want to do.”
The term neurodivergent describes people with brain differences that affect brain function, such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), down syndrome, and dyslexia.
Mosunich says she wants to help organizations “operate well” by supporting them to be more inclusive of neurodivergence, as well as figuring out what neurodivergent individuals need to excel in a work environment.
“There are certain aspects of human behavior that are important to not overlook,” Mosunich said. “Things like culture and leadership style are just as, if not more, influential in a way that an organization runs as the technical side of things.”
Operate Well Consulting is driven by the idea of “neuro-inclusive operational design,” which Mosunich says involves an analysis of communication methods, workplace environment, processes, and the accessibility of technical tools. Frequent noise sensitivity and miscommunication between employee and employer are some of the things she typically noticed in the workplace.
“I try to provide perspective from the outside into where there might be some gaps in the organization’s way of working,” she said.
Mosunich hopes to inspire universal accessibility to neurodivergent individuals and communities.
“It’s really important to be able to provide support to people grounded in a lens of affirming who they are and what they need as opposed to continuing to tell them to adjust,” Mosunich said. “It’s all about designing organizations in such a way that as many people as possible are welcome and ultimately benefiting both workers and the organizations.”
Mosunich’s services include individual work coaching, group work coaching, and coworking meetups, according to her website, operatewell.com.
“My role as a coach is to support them [individual clients] in making and choosing steps that they need to find more supportive and aligned work,” she said.
These steps include finding a job by a certain time, seeking out a networking group, or looking for a supportive community.
“I try to offer a lot of empathy and understanding, and also affirming kind of from a system’s approach that it’s not just the individual who might be struggling, but it may be the environment as well,” she said.
Adjusting to the operational design could mean a workplace has easily accessible and centralized instructions for all employees, to avoid the case of an individual “reading between the lines” of an indirect instruction, according to Mosunich.
“Things like that allow all employees to be able to access and participate in such a way they can be successful,” she said. “Ultimately, that’s good for everybody.”
Beneath her work strategies lies a commitment to advocate for a community representative of Mosunich’s identity and previous experiences.
“I hope I can amplify the voices and experiences of people who identify as neurodivergent,” Mosunich said. “My experience is just one of many, and it’s important to be able to make changes for folks and be sure to include them in that change.”
Fast facts
• Composer and Stanford University professor Mark Applebaum is performing on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Davidson Music Center at Cal Poly in Room 218. Titled Composing the Unexpected, his performance will feature his recent work that includes graphic scores, invented instruments, and experimental compositions intended to bridge sound, visual arts, and theater. The event is free of charge. For more information on the Cal Poly music department’s events can be found at music.calpoly.edu/calendar.
• Visit Neighbors General Store in Arroyo Grande for Plantie Rox and Neighbors’ Galentine’s Day Flower Workshop on Feb. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. The hands-on workshop includes creating your own flower bouquet and DIY decoupaged vase, all while celebrating Galentine’s Day. Tickets are $75 and include all materials, expert guidance from Plantie Rox, and complimentary refreshments. Visit plantierox.com/shop/p/galentines to purchase tickets and for more information. ∆
Reach Intern Fiona Hastings at ntintern@newtimesslo.com.
Correction, February 28, 2026 10:25 am: This story was updated to reflect when and where Mosunich launched Operate Well Consulting—in Florida in 2021. We orginally stated that she launched the business upon moving back to SLO in 2019. She actually moved back to the area in 2024. We also included new information about how the company morphed its focus over time to create an empathetic, affirming space for neurodivergent communities in the workplace. New Times regrets the errors.
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2026.