We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Blake and Cristina Palombo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie Blake and Cristina Palombo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Publiassist’s mission is to increase accessibility to obtaining the communications and public relations skills necessary for success.

As communication professionals, we believe in the power of words and storytelling and the value of sharing ideas to strengthen community.

After decades of working with nonprofits, small businesses, creatives and entrepreneurs, we noticed the need for an affordable means of gaining the communications skills necessary for amplifying stories.

We believe everyone should have access to the knowledge and tools to effectively communicate. Success shouldn’t be limited to those who have substantial communications and marketing budgets.

We hope Publiassist offers everyone an opportunity to efficiently, consistently and successfully communicate.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Stephanie’s interest in communications started at a young age when she would “play newscaster” with one of her younger sisters. This continued into high school where she took journalism classes and anchored news on the school district channel. Fast forwarding several years, Stephanie worked in public relations at nonprofits before completing a PhD in mass communications and journalism, which led her to another passion – teaching. In 2011, Stephanie traded full-time academia with part-time teaching and launched Blake Communications, a public relations firm. Over a decade, Blake Communications provided numerous clients in a variety of industries with strategic communications counsel and public relations execution. Through Publiassist, Stephanie finds the intersection of her two professional loves – strategic communications and teaching.

Cristina’s journey began with a deep fascination for human relationships and the motivations behind them, leading her to pursue a degree in psychology. Along the way, she uncovered a passion for writing and storytelling, prompting her to explore journalism. It was in a public relations class, however, that she found the perfect blend of her two loves—connecting with people and crafting compelling narratives. This serendipitous discovery ignited a new direction, where her talents and interests seamlessly intertwined. In 2013 she took an internship with Blake Communications and the journey continued from there.

Cristina and Stephanie began the work that would become Publiassist in 2022, officially launching the business in 2024. Publiassist is an online space offering courses, support and community for those seeking the knowledge, skills and tools for ongoing PR strategy and execution. Through courses and easy-to-use worksheets, templates and checklists, Publiassist walks people through building communications strategies and public relations practices that increase awareness and promote growth. Publiassist offers core and special topics courses that will continue to roll out over time.

Recognizing that many businesses don’t know where to start their marketing journey, Publiassist recommends beginning with the free course “Do I Need Public Relations? What is PR and Where Do I Start?” This brief introductory course provides PR fundamentals and an opportunity to assess PR needs.

The available special topics course, “Public Relations and AI: An Introduction to Using ChatGPT” is a beginner course for anyone who has been intimidated to try ChatGPT for PR efforts, or is concerned about the challenges it might present.

The core course, “Communications Starter Kit: Crafting a Strategic Communications Plan,” will launch in September. As the first of the core courses, it kicks off the PR journey. This is the place to start for anyone launching a business or needing a clear strategy for a communications refresh.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

For a few years, Stephanie taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. During that time, Cristina was a student in Stephanie’s class. Shortly after graduating, Cristina reached out to Stephanie to see if she needed any help with Blake Communications. Knowing Cristina’s smarts and drive first-hand, Stephanie hired her on the spot. Cristina showed up for her first day of work at an internationally renowned and respected arts festival, where she immediately completed a media interview in Spanish. The rest is history.

When launching Publiassist it was obvious Cristina and Stephanie would partner. In addition to shared strategic communications skills, Cristina brings strengths in design, tech and social media, complementing Stephanie’s background in content creation, curriculum development and teaching.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Stephanie had a second child in July 2023, and Cristina’s second child arrived one month later in August 2023. Publiassist officially launched in January 2024. Remote calls often include babies on hips; working around nap times, school and camp schedules, childcare challenges and limitations.

We believe parenthood, and particularly motherhood, coupled with entrepreneurship, requires a great deal of resilience, perseverance, grit and grace. Days are unpredictable and deadlines shift. We continue to put one foot in front of the other, trying to remember to celebrate how far we’ve come and holding on tight to the big dreams that inspire where we’re going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.publiassist.com
• Instagram: @publiassist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publiassist?_rdr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/publiassist/

Image Credits

Adam Larkey Photography