Mike Thomas

Mike Thomas is an author, entrepreneur, and unapologetic curious nerd fascinated by the intersection of science, business, and human behavior.

His first book, Agents of Change, explored what it takes for ideas and innovation to spread inside organizations. His latest book, Who How WOW, continues that journey from a different angle, asking the question that has shaped much of his career:

Why do extraordinary products fail to communicate their WOW?

As the CEO of Upstream 360, Mike has spent more than 25 years helping many of the world's most recognized brands communicate the value of their products with greater clarity, authenticity, and impact. His work lives at the crossroads of chemistry, engineering, psychology, design, filmmaking, and storytelling, proving that the best product communication isn't about making something sound better than it is. It's about helping people discover what made it remarkable all along.

Before founding Upstream 360, Mike spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble in both Research & Development and Marketing. There he learned a lesson that continues to shape his work today: innovation isn't finished when the product works. It's finished when people understand why it matters.

A chemical engineer with an MBA, Mike has advised Fortune 500 companies, startups, and healthcare innovators while developing frameworks including WOW Workshops, 3-Second WOW, Signature Science Story, and Studio Lab. He believes the best ideas don't need louder marketing. They need clearer proof, better stories, and a healthy dose of curiosity.

When he's not working, you'll probably find Mike coaching competitive softball, writing poetry, rewatching Star Wars for reasons he insists are "research," or filling another notebook with observations, questions, and ideas that may or may not become his next book.

Across everything he writes runs the same thread: curiosity. A simple conviction that the world's best ideas deserve to be understood, and that science, creativity, and honest storytelling can change not just what people buy, but how they see the world.