Meet Michelle Baum of The Nova Method

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Baum.

Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began my career in public relations, working for large PR agencies in Boston, where I learned that impactful messaging requires strategic foresight, timely execution, and genuine empathy. I also held in-house roles to gain a 360-degree view of strategic communications. With this knowledge, I founded an independent consultancy and later a PR agency, Moxie + Mettle.
Over the years, I’ve worked with clients ranging from startups to global enterprises, helping them navigate brand building, acquisitions, and corporate turnarounds. I also spent a decade in academia, designing and leading the PR program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Teaching shaped my thinking. It pushed me to distill what I knew and stay sharp on industry trends and evidence-based practice.
My partner, Christine Perkett, and I first met decades ago, when we worked together at the same tech PR agency in Boston, and became officemates and close friends. I was Christine’s first hire when she founded PerkettPR and served as the company’s Managing Director. Eventually, I moved to Denver and took an in-house role, where I hired PerkettPR as our agency. From there, our careers took different paths, but always within the world of communications and marketing. Christine later entered academia as well. She has taught graduate courses in digital media and branding at Northeastern for the past 10 years.
A few years ago, we reconnected and realized our paths had remained remarkably aligned. We knew we worked well together, had complementary strengths, and shared the same work ethic and drive to create something impactful. That vision became The Nova Method™, a marketing communications and public relations firm rooted in experience and built on an audience-first framework. We created the kind of agency we’d want to hire ourselves: one that is collaborative, data-driven, and deeply committed to client success.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not always smooth, but growth rarely is. Like many in the agency world, I’ve navigated economic downturns, client losses, and the constant pressure to evolve with shifting market expectations. Early in my career, I had to prove myself in boardrooms where I was often the youngest and sometimes the only woman. Later, building my own agency came with the typical entrepreneurial challenges, such as managing cash flow, scaling smartly, and wearing multiple hats simultaneously.

Balancing work with teaching and mentoring also stretched me in new ways. Academia requires a different kind of stamina, especially when you’re committed to giving students real-world insight while keeping up with a fast-changing industry. And of course, re-entering entrepreneurship with The Nova Method, during a time of massive change in how brands and humans communicate, has tested and strengthened everything I’ve learned.

But every challenge has ultimately made me a more resilient, strategic, and empathetic communicator. Those experiences are why I can confidently guide clients through their own inflection points, because I’ve lived them too.

We’ve been impressed with The Nova Method, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a full-service marketing communications and public relations agency built on an audience-first philosophy. We use our proprietary three-phase framework that transforms audience insight into measurable business impact:

• Assimilate: We immerse ourselves in behavioral data, psychographics, and social listening to uncover how your audience really thinks and feels.
• Align: We identify perception gaps and craft a messaging architecture that resonates authentically with customers, employees, investors, and partners.
• Activate: We execute strategic, integrated campaigns across marketing, PR, digital, and sales channels with real-time optimization and measurable results.

We specialize in helping technology, healthcare, financial services, and large nonprofit organizations navigate critical moments from product launches and rebrands to crises and growth inflection points. Our services span the entire spectrum of communication services, including media and analyst relations, content development, account-based and channel marketing, customer programs, social media, and email nurture campaigns. All of our services can be found here: https://thenovamethod.com/services.

What makes us different?
• We prioritize resonance over noise, helping brands connect meaningfully, not just make more content.
• Our work is always data-driven, never based on assumptions or guesswork.
• We bring agency expertise with an in-house mentality, functioning as a true extension of your team.
• And we operate with integrity and transparency at every step.
If there’s one thing I want readers to know about The Nova Method, it’s this: we exist to help brands cut through the noise, connect with the people who matter, and grow with clarity and confidence.

What matters most to you?
In an age of noise, speed, and shrinking attention spans, I believe it’s more important than ever to keep talking to each other, and genuinely listening, with open hearts and minds. When communication is guided by intention and empathy, it becomes a powerful force for fostering trust, driving change, and promoting meaningful growth. I’m proud of the work we do not just for the results we achieve, but for how it honors the people we’re trying to reach. Because at the end of the day, what matters most to me is helping people feel seen, heard, and genuinely understood.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thenovamethod.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-nova-method/