Heather Riggs (00:00:00) – A lot of us, we have some kind of craft that we want to offer to the world. But part of that and having a business is also being a sales person and being the face of your business and doing all the networking. And so you’re wearing a lot of different hats, and you’ve got to figure out how to do that in a way that feels good for you and that you can really just step out with all that confidence and go for it. I don’t ever want to see a woman holding herself back because she’s worried she doesn’t have the right thing to wear, or the best color lipstick, or any of those things that should not be getting in your way.

Chloe Dechow (00:00:31) – Hi, I’m Chloe Dechow and with more than a decade of experience working with thought leaders, I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of conviction combined with purpose driven entrepreneurship. This podcast shows you how to authentically bring together leadership, equity, and marketing to build your authority so that you can grow your impact and scale your business. This is a space for elevating women’s voices and redefining what it means to be a thought leader.

Chloe Dechow (00:00:58) – Together, we’ll unlock the potential of our bright voices and create a ripple effect of change that resonates far beyond the realms of business. This is the Bright Voices and Business podcast. Now let’s dive into today’s episode.

Chloe Dechow (00:01:18) – Welcome back to The Bright Voices in Business podcast. Today I’m joined by a very special guest, Heather Riggs, who is the founder of Her Style in the host of Her Style Podcast. She is a 16 year certified image consultant and color specialist, and she makes sure to empower ambitious women to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. Hi Heather, thanks so much for joining me today.

Heather Riggs (00:01:44) – Hi, Chloe, thank you so much for having me. I am really excited about this conversation.

Chloe Dechow (00:01:49) – Me too. And just for the listeners, the reason I brought you on is because I know when women start thinking about building their authority, growing their thought leadership, that kind of comes with the territory of being more public and more visible. And a lot of fears and objections can kind of come up when we start thinking about those things.

Chloe Dechow (00:02:09) – And one of them can be not feeling confident in the way that we look, whether that’s dress or makeup or hair or just like stage presence, whatever it might be. And I know this is your specialty, and so I’m so excited for you to share your expertise with my listeners so that anything that’s coming up for them, they can overcome because they have some actionable tips and thoughts that they can bring to the table.

Heather Riggs (00:02:34) – Yes, I am extremely passionate about empowering women to show up fully in all areas of their life, especially when it comes to online business. There’s so much pressure to show up a certain way, and, you know, we’re seeing everybody else’s perfect social media feeds and things like that. So I’m excited to kind of help break down some of those barriers, to empower women to really just feel comfortable putting themselves out there and knowing a few tips and tricks to do that with more confidence.

Chloe Dechow (00:03:00) – Yeah, absolutely. So because you work with lots of different women, I’m curious kind of what the key things you hear from them when they first come to work with you.

Chloe Dechow (00:03:09) – Like, what are they maybe struggling with that they want your support on?

Heather Riggs (00:03:12) – Yeah, I think the biggest thing that I hear for a lot of women is that they’re in kind of a style rut, right? Like we are so busy as women, whether you’re an entrepreneur or you’re a mom or whatever you have going on in your life, sometimes your wardrobe kind of falls to the back burner. And if you’re going through the motions of life and if you’ve gone through any significant changes, whether that’s launching a business, having a baby, getting married, whatever, relocation, all of those things. But your wardrobe is not keeping up with those changes, then you can end up with a big disconnect. And when you go to get dressed in the morning, you just look at your closet and you’re like, none of this really feels like me. I don’t like anything that I have, and that is the most frustrating feeling, and it can be very overwhelming to know where to start to correct that problem.

Heather Riggs (00:03:55) – So it’s all about just having more intentionality and awareness as you are shopping and bringing in new pieces and putting your looks together, really knowing how you want to show up and be seen in the world, and what kind of story you want to narrate through your personal style. So that’s probably the biggest overall, you know, challenge that I see with a lot of women. But I do work with entrepreneurs who have hangups about putting themselves out there on social media or having a brand photo shoot done right. There’s a lot of pressure to show up at your best and to feel your most confident in doing the work that you were really born to do. Because a lot of us, we have some kind of craft that we want to offer the world. But part of that and having a business is also being a sales person and being the face of your business and doing all the networking. And so you’re wearing a lot of different hats, and you’ve got to figure out how to do that in a way that feels good for you and that you can really just step out with all that confidence and go for it.

Heather Riggs (00:04:45) – I don’t ever want to see a woman holding herself back because she’s worried she doesn’t have the right thing to wear, or the best color lipstick, or any of those things that should not be getting in your way.

Chloe Dechow (00:04:55) – Yeah, it’s almost like a lot of second guessing what they’re putting on and how that kind of impacts how they show up in the world. So I’m curious, you know, when women come to you, it sounds like their life may have evolved, but their closet hasn’t evolved with them. And that sounds like it impacts their level of confidence. We think about like, oh, clothes are just clothes, right? But like, really, it’s more than that. And I’m curious, like the ripple effect that not feeling confident in what you have to wear can like impact other areas of your life.

Heather Riggs (00:05:25) – I’m so glad that you made that point, Khloe, because that’s the thing I think. Putting a lot of time and effort and attention into your wardrobe can feel very superficial and unimportant. But when you think about it and you think about the impression that you’re making on other people when you step out, whether it’s interactions at the park or its interactions with, you know, trying to make new friends as an adult or signing new clients, you’re showing up in the world and telling people about yourself through a quick visual first impression.

Heather Riggs (00:05:55) – I mean, we know we’re in a very snap judgment society. I mean, think about dating right now, and I’ve been married for a long time, thankfully. But I know it’s like swipe left, swipe right. Like people are taking a fraction of a second to make that first judgment about others. And it’s a sad fact. But we’ve got to be aware, especially as business owners, that people are judging us by the way that we present ourselves and show up. So it’s really important to do that with confidence for a couple of reasons. Number one, you want to be consistent and how you’re showing up for others, right? Especially if you’re thinking about visual branding of your company. Right. And you’re a big piece of that. If you are the face of your business, you want to have a level of consistency and be able to show up fully for your company. But also just think about the impression that that’s making on others and how it does really ripple out into all of the different areas of your life.

Heather Riggs (00:06:41) – And just giving that accurate presentation every time that you show up, it really is so important. And having the confidence to do that. I think when we’re hung up really in our insecurities and having that self-doubt, like you mentioned, second guessing ourself, it gives us more of that inward reflection. And we’re hung up like, what is this person thinking about me? Am I dressed okay? Do I look as good as everybody else in the room? Then it’s harder for us to really show up in a way of service and being able to focus out on others and, you know, not with an air of arrogance or feeling like we have to own the room, but just being able to be fully present with whatever we have going on for the day, it’s such an important thing.

Chloe Dechow (00:07:18) – Yeah, I can relate to that. Just after becoming a mom and realizing, like my clothes, they were not practical anymore and they also did not fit. And so just being like so uncomfortable in your skin, but like when your clothes don’t fit, I feel like that adds like so much more.

Chloe Dechow (00:07:33) – And so being able to work with somebody like you who can be like, hey, you know, life has evolved and so have you, and it’s okay to change up how you’re going about shopping and what you’re wearing and how you’re showing up in the world. And, you know, just even as, like a newer mom, I feel that is huge. But then when we think about going and being more public and more visible, that gets even more heightened because all of a sudden, like, your nervous system, like, wants to protect you. And so not doing this work to have a consistent look that feels very you, I think, can be a huge reason why somebody might not go after their dreams of more keynote speaking, or writing a book, or even recording reels on social. I hear from a lot of women that, you know, having their own podcast or having an email that people subscribe to like that is not that scary for them as much as social media, which is the wild, wild west of marketing, because not everybody on social media has already bought into what you’re doing and, you know, has that know like and trust factor.

Chloe Dechow (00:08:40) – And so even recording a real can be a really big hurdle for somebody. And to be able to work with someone like you and feel really confident in what you’re doing, because you don’t have to think about how you look like, it’s empowering to go through that process. So what does that process typically look like when you bring somebody on?

Heather Riggs (00:09:00) – Yeah, I just want to say to your point two, it is a brave and vulnerable thing to put yourself out there, especially in a visual way, like it’s easy, as you said, to kind of hide behind your computer and put words out through an email or, you know, be behind the mic of a podcast. But I think if you are the face of your business and at some point you’re going to have to show up, you’re going to need to meet with your clients. Whatever the case is, it does take a level of courage and vulnerability to do that. And so I love giving you all the tools that you need, at least from a visual standpoint, to go into that really confidently and be able to eliminate some of that intimidation off of your plate.

Heather Riggs (00:09:33) – So I have a really great dialed in process that I always recommend, and I think it is important to revisit it at either the start of each season. So ideally twice a year you’re going to kind of revisit what I call your style foundations, and I’ll go through those in just a moment. Or if you’ve gone through a big change in your life, if you have had a baby, if you have moved to a new area, if you’ve gone through anything significant just so you don’t end up with that mismatch in your closet, we don’t want it a sneaky rut, you know, coming for you that you just didn’t pay any attention to. If you can kind of get ahead of it and stay on top of your closet, it’s going to be really helpful, and it won’t be so much work to you to have to go back. If you haven’t touched anything in your wardrobe in 5 or 10 years, that’s going to be a lot more work up front than keeping up with it, you know, a couple times throughout the year.

Heather Riggs (00:10:17) – So the basic process that I like to walk women through, step one is always dialing in your signature style. It always comes back to how you want to look and feel in your clothing, what story you want to communicate. About yourself and not just thinking about your personal style in terms of visual preferences, because I think that’s often where we begin and end that process. But also thinking about what do you want your clothing to say about your personality, about your goals, about your lifestyle? I can relate to you so much. After I became a mom, I used to have a very dramatic style and that really wasn’t practical for chasing around. You know, a three year old boy. Like, my life was so different. I really had to add some more down to earth, kind of effortless elements into my wardrobe at that point. And now he’s, you know, going into kindergarten next year, I’m kind of shifting back and bringing some more of that back into my style. But I had to really think about what is appropriate for right now.

Heather Riggs (00:11:09) – So when you’re thinking about your style, you not only want to consider your wants, but your needs. What is going to fit in with the activities that you have on your calendar? So that’s step one. Once you really dial that in, you can use those key factors to make all the other decisions for your wardrobe. The next thing is figuring out what flatters your figure. You want to show up and look and feel your best. So it’s so helpful to know how to dress your body shape and balance your proportions, and what fabrics and prints are going to look and feel best on you. So you got to do a little bit of homework to kind of figure out what makes you look and feel good. The third thing is discovering your best colors, right? Especially if you are showing up on social media. It’s so helpful to wear colors that help you look more radiant and youthful and attractive, right? All of those things you can use. Color is such a powerful way to communicate messages through color psychology.

Heather Riggs (00:11:58) – So I love teaching my clients about all of that. And then once you have those three foundations, really set up your style, your best fits and your colors, then from there, you can kind of do the deeper work to go through your closet, see what’s still working for you, what’s not. Pinpoint the gaps. Make a strategic shopping list. Align that with whatever budget you have available to you right now. We can’t expect it to be an overnight snap of the fingers and you have the perfect wardrobe, but you can start making some baby steps towards getting it in the right direction. And then it’s really all about strategic shopping and styling in ways again, that are going to fit with what you actually have going on on your calendar. I never want anyone to feel like they don’t have something to wear, and they have to say no to an event or an opportunity because you don’t have the right thing in your closet. Like, that’s heartbreaking to me. You should be able to get dressed quickly and efficiently for all the things that you have going on and that you might want to do.

Chloe Dechow (00:12:47) – Yeah, definitely. I have been there where I’m like, oh my gosh, like, I have to go shopping again and I’m going to wear this thing like one time. And you know what I’ve kind of learned through connecting with you and other personal stylists is really. Yes, it’s an investment to work with a stylist up front, but it actually saves you money down the road because you’re not aimlessly shopping and buying things that you don’t love in the end and you’re not wearing, you know, think about like, my wardrobe is a work in progress, but there are so many things I’ve bought that I’ve never actually worn, or I’ve only worn like 1 or 2 times, and that just lives there. And being able to work with somebody like you, where you can be very intentional about what is in the wardrobe and knowing that it’s going to get a lot of use. I think that investment upfront can make a lot of sense for people when we look at it through the long term lens versus, you know, today, like what that looks like.

Chloe Dechow (00:13:40) – So that’s just kind of something I’ve learned more recently, too. I’m curious because you have a really strong background, the color part of personal design and color psychology, and would love for you to share a little bit about. First off, what is color psychology and then what can somebody learn about it that can impact their wardrobe and how they show up?

Heather Riggs (00:14:01) – Yeah, color is my favorite thing to talk about. It was my favorite thing to study. So I really went deep into that area of image consulting specifically. But color psychology is really just the meaning of different colors that we see from a visual standpoint. Every color creates a different effect or mood. And of course, there’s some cultural things around that that you might want to keep in mind. But in general, there is basic color psychology that you can really pinpoint for each color, like blue is a great symbol for trust. Brown is all about reliability. Pink is a very feminine, you know, approachable color. So knowing that can be really empowering when you’re choosing things like brand colors or pieces of clothing for different events that you might want to show up for to create that mood not only through your style, but through the colors that you’re wearing.

Heather Riggs (00:14:47) – And it’s so crazy. I love sharing this statistic. Research has shown that between 62 to 90% of someone’s initial impression of a person, a product or environment is based on color alone. That is how powerful the colors are that we wear, and it’s really helpful to have a basic knowledge about color psychology. And the other thing I like to work with my clients on is personal color psychology, which is how you can incorporate your inherent colors think your hair color, your skin tone, your eye color, all of those things into your wardrobe as well to create an additional layer of that psychology. In fact, I know Chloe, we did a collaboration where I contributed some information to a resource that you’ve put together about wearing your eye color is such a powerful. Color because it helps to instill trust. It creates good eye contact and communication because it’s hard to look at someone when they’re wearing their eye color and not immediately be drawn to their eyes. So there’s just some cool tips and tricks like that that I would love to teach people, just to empower them with some more color choices that are going to not only bring out their best, but help to create the right effect for the situation.

Chloe Dechow (00:15:48) – Yeah, it’s so interesting because we do think about, you know, for me, I have a marketing background. And so we think about color from the sense of like brand colors, like the reason McDonald’s has, you know, yellow and red is because those are the colors that make you hungry when you look at them. Like, you know, brands have been doing this all the time. They pick certain colors to demonstrate certain qualities that they want you to think about their brand. And yet I don’t think like the average human thinks about that in terms of the colors that they wear. And so I find this really fascinating that we can apply the same concepts that we think from a marketing standpoint to also the way that we dress and how not just how we feel, but others perceive us. So how could somebody kind of go around thinking about like, okay, I have this brand and I have these brand colors, but I also have myself, and maybe what looks good on me doesn’t necessarily match my branding.

Chloe Dechow (00:16:41) – Like, how would somebody go about that for a brand shoot, for example? How could they work through finding the best colors for that?

Heather Riggs (00:16:48) – Yeah, there is an art and a balance to that, right? I think if from the get go, you can consider what colors you like best and what looks best on you when you’re developing your brand. If you are the face of your business, if you are more behind the scenes and showcasing products or other people, then it doesn’t matter so much. But if you are showing up on your social media, on your website, it’s so helpful if from the beginning you can develop your brand around the colors that look best on you because you’re showing up for your business and you want to look your best, while also thinking about what the message is conveying to your audience and to attract the right people. So there’s lots of different aspects of that to consider, but I think if you can not just go on Pinterest and find a pretty brand palette and copy and paste that for yourself, it’s so helpful to do a little bit of that deeper work to make sure that it’s going to look great on you as well, or alongside of you.

Heather Riggs (00:17:38) – Now, if you’ve already really gone down the rabbit hole with your brand colors and there’s no going back now, and your colors that you might get in a personal color palette or something like that if they don’t align. I think the best thing you can do is just figure out a way to bring that together. I don’t love being matchy matchy with your brand anyway, so I don’t think you have to wear your exact brand colors for a photoshoot or something like that. But for example, if you have, you know, soft blues and pinks or something for your brand, but you look better in, you know, bold, warmer hues, well, which of those options is going to look best as a complement to your brand? So just kind of think about the environment you’re going to have your photo shoot in. Of course, whether you want to come across as more powerful and vibrant or a little bit more quiet and supportive, you kind of want to think about what the colors are going to communicate, and then also which ones are going to complement best with your branding.

Heather Riggs (00:18:29) – Because if you are going to be using it on your social media, your website, you want there to be a nice cohesive flow and feeling to it.

Chloe Dechow (00:18:35) – Yeah, definitely. So it sounds like you wouldn’t recommend necessarily that somebody wears the exact same colors as their brand, but it sounds like if they are, for example, in the more vibrant colors, like almost like visually matching those up to see what aligns best with your brand colors. Would you like recommend? Kind of. I know some places recommend like a Pinterest board or something to start. Kind of like cultivating this look for a brand shoot. Would you recommend something similar to find that kind of cohesiveness in the style and the types of photos that you want to take?

Heather Riggs (00:19:07) – Yes, absolutely. I just told your listeners to not use Pinterest to select your brand colors, but I am actually obsessed with Pinterest. I use it all the time with my clients, because it is so helpful to create those visual mood boards of, you know, you could do one for your personal style, you can do one for your business brand, and then, you know, if you could pull them up kind of side by side and see what similarities you can bring together for your photo shoot.

Heather Riggs (00:19:31) – I think sometimes it works really nicely to where pops of your brand colors, if you can find good matches for that, but I don’t think it all needs to be exactly tied together. I think it’s more interesting and dynamic and will give you a better variety of images to use. If you can bring in some accent colors and complementary things as well, just to enhance the overall brand, especially if you’re finding that the colors that you chose for your business don’t look great on you. I don’t want you to sacrifice showing up at your best because you’re trying to fit in with the brand colors that you chose, so it is great if you can kind of bring it all together on Pinterest or on a program like Mila Note, where you can just kind of bring some different images together. If you have Photoshop or even Canva, you know, get a visual platform and start just bringing different ideas together and see what looks best. I have a client who did a brand shoot recently and that’s what she did. She took the individual colors from her palette and put it up against the background.

Heather Riggs (00:20:28) – Where she was going to be taking her photos, and she just kind of played around with different combinations until she found what was most exciting for her to explore. And then we found pieces that really worked within that palette that she had put together. So there’s lots of ways you can do it, but I think any time you can bring in visual support that’s so helpful to get an idea of what it’s going to look like.

Chloe Dechow (00:20:45) – Yeah, it makes sense, right? Because clothing is very visual. All of that to like, not rely on just your brain to kind of put it together, instead pulling it together in like one place where you can actually see it and see what it would look like. I know stylists do that. Interior designers do it right, like having these kind of mood boards and not underestimating how helpful those can be when you’re pulling together a look or some sort of other kind of visual element that you need, whether it’s for your brand or for your style. So love the idea of using what you can have access to, whether it’s Pinterest or something else, to make sure that you’re pulling that together for yourself and feeling really good about it before you have that photo shoot or walk on that stage.

Chloe Dechow (00:21:28) – So I think that’s a great tool in the toolkit. I’m curious, are there other tools or like methods you would recommend if somebody has an event or something that they’re preparing for that could make them feel really good about what they plan to wear?

Heather Riggs (00:21:42) – Yeah, I’m glad that you asked that because when you were talking earlier, I think it is a helpful point to have your listeners really think about whether it’s for an isolated event, or if you want to just look at your calendar for the next three months, like just take a small chunk of time. I love doing this if I’m planning clothes to pack for a trip, but you could also do this for a full season. Look at what you have going on. Don’t make yourself be surprised. And then when you’re going to get dressed for something, finally realize I don’t have anything to actually wear. The more you can pre-plan and get ahead of it and set yourself up for success, the better you’re going to feel going in. So you mentioned, you know, if you have an event that you’re showing up to, look at the different activities that you’re going to have going on.

Heather Riggs (00:22:25) – Are you doing any dinners? Are there any special, you know, evenings that you need to maybe wear a themed outfit or something for, or are you just planning to do some informal networking? Think about what you have to prepare for. Think about how you want to feel is what’s most important to you. Do you want to feel really comfortable so you can move around easily and not be fussing with your clothes? Do you want to show up in a powerful way? Do you want to look really bold and get noticed the minute you walk in the room? Like, think about what values are most important for you, and then you can kind of reverse engineer your outfits and make sure that you have everything that you’re actually going to need for that event. Before you go before you have to pack. The key is to do this ahead of time again, so you’re not surprised at the last minute, because that’s when you’ll get into trouble running out to buy last minute pieces that you might not really love and that might not work as, you know, a cohesive collection for your wardrobe.

Heather Riggs (00:23:13) – I don’t want you to have things that are only going to work one time, and then they don’t go with anything else in your closet. It’s really helpful when you can have more intention behind it and choose less, but better pieces. They’re going to mix and match easily with what you already have.

Chloe Dechow (00:23:26) – Yeah, so planning is key is what I’m hearing.

Heather Riggs (00:23:29) – Absolutely. And again, if you want like put in some different outfit ideas from Pinterest and, you know, get ideas of how you want to look and feel for those events or those different activities that you have, even if it’s just on a week to week basis, you know, look at the different things that are on your calendar, and then you want to make sure that your closet is a good reflection of that, that it’s actually aligning with what you need. And if it’s not, that’s okay. Just make a clear shopping list and figure out your priorities. What’s going to get you the biggest return on your investment, and what’s the most important thing to start filling in right now? And anyone can do that.

Heather Riggs (00:24:00) – I would love to support people through that, but you can just take that time and do it on your own and start thinking a little bit more intentionally and planning ahead for what you need.

Chloe Dechow (00:24:09) – Yeah. So what brought up for me while you were talking and I’ve fallen in this trap probably almost my whole life, but like when I think about, like, planning and like purchasing things and not doing it in a hurry, if I’m not careful, I can easily adopt other people’s style. Like somebody who I look up to and admire and think has great style, and then realize later that yes, I can love their style, but I don’t have to adopt that for myself because it might not work for my body shape. It might not make me feel comfortable or make me feel like I’m expressing myself. And so, you know, if other listeners here have also gone through that experience, how can somebody be a little bit more mindful about having their own style versus adopting people around them? Like maybe they have other women entrepreneurs they work with and they’re like, oh, I love like how she shows up.

Chloe Dechow (00:24:59) – How can they really own who they are in this process?

Heather Riggs (00:25:02) – Yeah, I think that’s one of the biggest wins that I see with my clients is that they’ve shifted from loving what they see on other women and thinking that’s what they need to be wearing to figuring out what they love for themselves. That is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to your personal style, is taking the time to figure out what that is. So I have so many tips in mind. Let me see if I can lay them all out for you. I think the first thing you want to do is really. Again. Go back to that first step I mentioned of dialing in your signature style. I have a free personal style quiz that is going to be such a huge help with that, because it eliminates all the noise of what everyone else is doing, and you can really just take a few minutes to get clear on what you want, and it goes through multiple points. So we talked about, you know, of course your visual preferences matter, but also your personality, your lifestyle, your goals.

Heather Riggs (00:25:51) – All of those things are going to go into really formulating what you want your kind of key look to be. Then from there, once you figure out what you want your style to look and feel like, take some time to play with it. Creating a Pinterest style mood board. We already talked about that, but I think that is a very helpful resource to have available to you because number one, it might look like a big hot mess when you start it. You might be pinning a million different types of looks. Then you get to go back and refine it, go back through and say, okay, what actually feels like me? What is going to make me feel my best? Then you can kind of call it from there, eliminate things that maybe don’t resonate as much. Once you get a really cohesive board put together, I suggest referring back to that all the time. If you see a really great outfit that you love on somebody else, take a pause. That’s key. Don’t immediately run out and buy it, especially if it’s on Instagram and there’s a like link and you just go buy the whole outfit in a snap.

Heather Riggs (00:26:43) – Don’t do that. Take a minute and think about it and ask yourself, is this a look that I would save to my Pinterest style? Moodboard. Is this a look that is going to get me where I want my style to go? Just start asking yourself some questions and get curious about that. Another thing that is important to consider is how would this outfit look on me and my body, right? Maybe it’s a great outfit, but you need to make some adjustments to have it look good on you. I hear that a lot from women. I saw a cute outfit. I tried to copy it. It didn’t work for me. I don’t know why it didn’t work for me, and it’s probably because that person might have a different body type, different proportions, different coloring from you. So you might just need to make some adjustments to have it look more flattering on you. Maybe you want to buy a more fitted top, rather than going with the oversize look. Like you’ve got to kind of think about all those different elements before you click the buy button and have it shipped to your house, ask yourself if it’s really in alignment with how you want your wardrobe to come together.

Chloe Dechow (00:27:39) – Yeah, and I think this is where being in alignment with yourself and authenticity can show through in your wardrobe is getting really curious about like, okay, why do I like this? Like, what is it about this outfit that inspires me? And is there a way that like, if it doesn’t work for me, I can tweak it so that it could work for me? You know, like you can find inspiration from other people, but it doesn’t mean you have to adopt exactly what they’re doing. And so getting really curious and saying, hey, is this going to work for me? Does this fit the cohesive look that I’ve spent a lot of time like putting together? And and I’ve been intentional about it, and maybe it also helps a little bit with like the immediate gratification of buying that we can have and gives us a chance to kind of maybe make better decisions about how we shop as well.

Heather Riggs (00:28:28) – Yeah, I think that’s a brilliant question that you just put out there that I want to make sure people didn’t miss.

Heather Riggs (00:28:33) – You said, what do I like about this outfit? If you can just stop and ask yourself that, maybe it’s not that you need that exact look. Maybe you just love the color combination that that person did. Can you recreate something like that with pieces you already own? Maybe they just had a beautiful piece of statement jewelry that caught your eye. Do you have something similar or could you add something like that to your collection? So I think that’s really helpful to to just take a pause and also think about what do I like about this and how can I make it work with what I already have? If you are trying to cut back on that impulse shopping, that’s a great thing to do.

Chloe Dechow (00:29:05) – Yes. Yeah. For sure. So one of the questions that I wanted to chat about was just how we think about like brand colors and brand colors in themselves carry messages. They’re usually, you know, under the surface messages for our listeners. But we also have, you know, the actual words that we use to communicate our brand, whether it’s our company brand or our personal brand.

Chloe Dechow (00:29:28) – And I’m curious how somebody might use their personal style to reinforce those messages that you’re trying to use throughout your business’s marketing.

Heather Riggs (00:29:37) – Yeah, I think that’s another great avenue to consider. It’s not just about the colors that you wear, although we know that’s a powerful factor in communicating messages, but also thinking about your style as a whole and the way that you’re presenting yourself because, you know, one person might have a really laid back, kind of messier approach to business, like maybe that’s your thing, is communicating just showing up however you are? Maybe you are trying to appeal to the really busy mom who just wants authenticity and she’s craving something real. And for you, it is more aligned for you to show up without looking completely finished, right? Maybe that suits your personality and the message that you want to put out with your business. And so you’re going to be intentional about the way that you do that. And, you know, I don’t necessarily mean showing up in your pajamas. That’s probably not going to give you authority in your business.

Heather Riggs (00:30:27) – It not having to feel like you’re putting all this pressure on yourself to look quote unquote perfect and, you know, airbrushed and flawless. So that could be one thing, but another business might be trying to appeal to a higher level, you know, power player. And then in that case, it’s going to be important to make sure that your clothing is well tailored and, you know, steamed and showing up looking really crisp and sharp and a little bit more bold and fashion forward. So it’s aligning the overall aesthetic of your business with who you want to attract, and then what you want to communicate to them with your message. So I would think about your brand’s values. How can you reflect that in your style? If you’re all about trust and, you know, reliability, or maybe you’re more about approachability and softness and being a supportive role, then you might want to look for pieces that are a little bit more soft and feminine or, you know, delicate rather than, you know, more bold and classic or tailored in that sense.

Heather Riggs (00:31:25) – So I think it is helpful to kind of look at the overall message that you want to put together. And then how does your style align with that, both on a personal and professional level? And you might need to have a separate work wardrobe so you can really just show up in the right way for your business. If that doesn’t fit with your normal day to day life, maybe you have a small collection of professional pieces that you want to wear for your business, and that’s okay. I love when your closet is easy to mix and match between all the different aspects of your life, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense that way. And so I think it’s okay if you just want to make sure you’re picking a few key pieces that are going to really help you show up and reflect that.

Chloe Dechow (00:31:59) – Yeah. And what I love about what you said is like paying attention to the audience that you’re serving and what is going to resonate with them as well. So if you are thinking about maybe like working with corporate companies, you might have to dress differently than if you’re serving moms, right? Like stay at home moms or whoever, like, and being able to show up in a way where you’re attracting the people you’re most excited to work with and being approachable for them, like meeting them where they are.

Chloe Dechow (00:32:28) – Right? So a corporate company might need you to be a little more polished, and the stay at home mom, like, wants to know you get her right? Like she might not be getting dressed up every single day, and she wants to know that she can look at you and say like, oh yes, like you’ve been there. You’ve been through this, you understand me. And being able to make sure that your audience feel seen through what you’re wearing, I think, can be a really important part of the research in the intention that you put into your wardrobe as well.

Heather Riggs (00:32:58) – Yeah. I think one of the most important things is just to be consistent. Whatever your look is going to be for your business, be consistent with that. We talk about consistency is key with messaging and marketing, but also with your visual presentation. It can be a huge deterrent to trust if you’re showing up looking polished and flawless and like a, you know, girlboss one day and then the next day you’re like hot mess express in your pajamas with like, messy bun.

Heather Riggs (00:33:22) – And I’m not saying either is right or wrong, but if you’re all over the place with your style, it’s going to confuse your audience. So whatever you want to do, show up and go all in and be confident about that. But have that intentionality with how you’re putting yourself out there in your business, for sure.

Chloe Dechow (00:33:36) – Yeah. And I think with a lot of online businesses, that gives you a little bit more flexibility to to show up and be dressed up for the sales call or the webinar or, you know, if you’re recording reels or whatever, and then you can like have your like lazy days outside of those interactions too. So but it’s about like when you’re having that interaction with your audience, like keeping in mind the presentation of what you’re putting out there can be really important.

Heather Riggs (00:34:03) – I think so, and I think in general, when you look good, you’ll feel good and you’ll be able to really show up in the best possible way and serve your people. So there is something to be said for taking the time to get dressed and put a little thought into how you put yourself together.

Chloe Dechow (00:34:16) – Yes, even if you work from home, because we all know the trap we all fall into when we work from home and we don’t put ourselves together. This is kind of a funny example. Like when I wear my glasses, it’s like my brain knows, like, this is a lazy day and I’m just gonna, like, kind of be bumming around. But the second I put contacts in, I’m like zoned in and I’m like, ready to go for the day. And it’s so funny, this, like psychological difference for me between contacts and glasses. And I’m sure you had your own experiences with the clients that you work with, that they have their own version of what that looks like and how how that impacts how they show up.

Heather Riggs (00:34:50) – Well, definitely. And even on a personal level, I know how that is. The days that I don’t get dressed and show up, I don’t get nearly as much done. Like I don’t work as efficiently. Really is interesting how it all kind of goes hand in hand with how you show up is how you show up for everything that day.

Heather Riggs (00:35:03) – So it is helpful just to take a few extra minutes for yourself in the morning, whether that’s just a little swipe of lipstick or just putting on a shirt that really makes you light up and feel good, it’s helpful to have those resources behind you to kind of get you through the day and feeling good.

Chloe Dechow (00:35:19) – Yeah. That leads me to I want to ask you around how someone can dress for comfort knowing like. Being comfortable is important because if your clothes are not comfortable, that’s distracting. But at the same time, if you work from home and you want to get dressed up, but you don’t want to be uncomfortable, like what could somebody do to just kind of factor that in when they’re picking out and selecting clothes?

Heather Riggs (00:35:42) – I get a lot of questions about that. Wanting to be comfortable but still look stylish and put together. I think one of the best things you can do is knowing your best colors, because then you can choose comfortable pieces that are still going to help you look your most refreshed and vibrant and all of those things.

Heather Riggs (00:35:59) – So if you’re just picking even, you know, a sweat outfit that’s in your best colors, you’re going to feel so much more alive and put together than just wearing the old t shirt from college that has holes and is maybe, like, not a great color for you. It doesn’t make you feel good. I also think choosing the best quality fabrics that you can, and I don’t mean breaking the bank or going into debt, but if you can stretch yourself a little bit to choose quality over quantity of pieces, and maybe just have a couple of casual outfits that are in really soft materials that move easily, that flatter your body. And so thinking about those foundations like we talked about, that it suits your style, it looks good on your body and it’s in complementary colors for you. I think putting that into all areas of your wardrobe, even your loungewear, even if you’re the only person that is going to see it, it’s so helpful to build a wardrobe that you love and you feel amazing in, even if it’s just for yourself.

Heather Riggs (00:36:55) – It goes such a long way to do that.

Chloe Dechow (00:36:57) – Yeah, that makes sense to me. Is like investing in like looking at your loungewear the same way you would look at the rest of your wardrobe. It’s not that you don’t have loungewear like you need that, right? You’re to be comfortable sometimes, but that you’re being a little bit more intentional in selecting those items based on what looks best on you.

Heather Riggs (00:37:13) – Yeah, I think sometimes it’s harder for us to invest in those pieces that aren’t on display for the world to see, right? I even tell my clients like, you’re sleeping a good majority of your time. What are your pajama sets look like? Do you have pieces that feel good for you that you like to put on at the end of the day? So it’s thinking about all areas of your wardrobe. And again, not to break the bank. Be strategic about what you need most right now, but I think it’s helpful when you love everything that you have and maybe have fewer pieces, but they’re better for you and they make you feel amazing.

Chloe Dechow (00:37:45) – Do you run into people getting very sentimental about things like their old college t shirts? How do you work through that with somebody?

Heather Riggs (00:37:53) – Yeah, I think if you are really emotionally attached to your clothing, that I think it’s okay to hold on to some of those sentimental pieces. I have a old college t shirt that has paint all over, but I just love it. I love the way it feels. I do wear it when I’m just bumming around the house, and my son will even say, you got paint on your sleeve. And I’m like, yeah, I know, but I just love that sweatshirt. So if it makes you feel good, like, please wear it. You don’t have to follow these hard and fast rules. If it brings you joy and it makes you feel great, just do it. You don’t have to follow my advice or what anyone tells you. But that said, if you have pieces that you love that you maybe don’t want to wear as often, I think it’s great to put them in a little keepsake box.

Heather Riggs (00:38:31) – Get like one bin where you can store things, and then you can kind of just go back and look at them and reflect on that time in your life. Don’t let it take up valuable real estate in your closet if you don’t want to wear it anymore, and if it is something that you do wear, but you kind of want to shy away from, just think about the fact that it served you in that time, and is it getting you to the goals that you have now? You know, you got to try to make that distinction of is it advancing you where you want your wardrobe to go, yes or no? You might be able to give it a second life with somebody else who’s really going to love and appreciate it and be able to wear it a lot more than you. So I don’t like holding on to pieces and just letting them sit and rot in a drawer either. If it’s not serving you well.

Chloe Dechow (00:39:12) – Yes. Yeah, a little honesty with yourself of if it’s the right fit for you, or if it’s a chapter that’s ready to close and move on from.

Chloe Dechow (00:39:20) – Yeah, I was like, oh, Marie Kondo.

Heather Riggs (00:39:23) – Yeah.

Chloe Dechow (00:39:24) – Say thank you to the item and let it go.

Heather Riggs (00:39:26) – Exactly. Yeah. And I also have a free closet audit flow chart that I’m happy to pass along to your listeners, too, because that’s going to help take some of the emotional decision making out of the process and be able to just give you some clear questions to ask, to discern through whether you need to hold on to those pieces, whether you might just want to replace them eventually over time, but it’ll really help you kind of take a more neutral look at what’s in your wardrobe, so you can be, again, a little bit more strategic with where you’re going forward.

Chloe Dechow (00:39:53) – Yeah, I love that. We’ll make sure to include the link to the quiz and also this free resource in the show notes. For anyone who would like to utilize those. I might have to do that myself. Anything else I should have asked you today, Heather, that we didn’t get to?

Heather Riggs (00:40:09) – I think we just kind of started going down this path a little bit, and maybe I’ll just kind of leave everybody with the reiteration that, you know a lot more than you think you do when it comes to your style.

Heather Riggs (00:40:19) – And I think we started the conversation by saying, you know, a lot of times women come to me or in general are feeling a lot of self-doubt. Around getting dressed and what to wear and how to show up. But I want to encourage everyone listening. To trust yourself. You know what looks good on you. You know what things you hear compliments on. You know what things you enjoy wearing over and over. Most of us were a fraction of what’s in our closets. So if you can maybe put on some of your favorite outfits and stand in front of a mirror. And just like you said, with the Pinterest looks or seeing other people’s outfits, ask yourself, what do I like about these pieces? Why do I feel good in this? And make a list of the things that you love in your current wardrobe. How can you bring more of that in instead of reinventing the wheel? Right? So take what’s already working for you and just do more of that. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

Heather Riggs (00:41:04) – Trust yourself that you’re the one that has to get dressed. I can give you all the tips in the world, but at the end of the day, you’re the one that’s got to put the clothes on. You have to step out in them, so you need to feel good despite what anyone says. So I don’t love when people get confused about, you know, someone said, I have to wear this for my body shape, but I don’t really like that. Well, don’t wear it if it doesn’t make you feel good, that defeats the whole purpose. So really tune in to what you know to be true about your style. And I just, I think it’s really encouraging if you can just learn to trust yourself a little bit more and take that advice that works for you and then leave the rest.

Chloe Dechow (00:41:39) – Yes. Isn’t that the key to like everything in life?

Heather Riggs (00:41:43) – So.

Chloe Dechow (00:41:46) – We tend to follow like what everybody else says we should or shouldn’t do. And at the end of the day, if it doesn’t feel good for us, like stop.

Chloe Dechow (00:41:54) – Just like life is too short to keep doing something just because somebody else said that you should. It’s more about getting in tune with what you know to be true for yourself and what you enjoy, and take what you can and leave the rest. And that’s the key to so many things in life that we tend to lose sight of.

Heather Riggs (00:42:11) – You are so right. That’s a great point. I didn’t even realize that. But yes, apply that to everything.

Chloe Dechow (00:42:18) – That’s great advice for your wardrobe too. Well, thank you so much, Heather, for coming on to share all of your wisdom. And again, like, I think destigmatizing the fact that our wardrobe, you know, I think we can think of as like a pursuit of like vanity or being like very like surface level. And it really goes so much deeper. And so thank you for kind of bringing that conversation to light so that we can be really intentional about how we show up in all areas of our life, including how we present ourselves for ourself and for others visually.

Chloe Dechow (00:42:50) – So if somebody wants to learn more about you and what you do, where can they find you?

Heather Riggs (00:42:56) – Yeah, well, the best place for lots of free information is my podcast, which is Her Style Podcast, so I’d love for people to listen over there, especially if they’re already listening to this podcast. And that’s a good platform for you if you like podcasts. But you can also get tons of information on my website at www.herstylellc.com. You can take the free quiz there. You can sign up to be part of my free VIP email community to get tips and tricks every single Friday delivered to your inbox. And I’m also on Instagram @heatherriggsstyle. But that is not my preferred place, so you’re welcome to DM me over there, especially if you have any follow up questions to this episode. I’d love to connect with you more personally, but I don’t post a lot of content over there, so the best place to keep up with regular information is through the podcast or my email community.

Chloe Dechow (00:43:41) – Yeah, and I know your emails are super helpful, so I highly recommend joining Heather’s email list. All right. Well thank you so much, Heather. Again, it’s been such a pleasure to have you on and be able to share all of your expertise with my listeners and looking forward for you and I to keep staying in touch. I just know the best is yet to come between us.

Heather Riggs (00:44:02) – Absolutely. This was so much fun. I appreciate you having me on. Yep. Thank you so much.

Chloe Dechow (00:44:11) – Thank you for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode, invite your entrepreneur friends to tune in. Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram at West Haven Coaching. I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode and continue the conversation with you there. And before you go, be sure to download my free guide, Five Steps to Building Your Authentic Authority, which will walk you through how to grow your thought leadership in a way that’s true to who you are and what you stand for.

Chloe Dechow (00:44:41) – You can find the guide at www.westhavencoaching.com/steps or follow the link in the show notes. Thanks again for tuning in. Together we are changing the faces and voices of thought leadership. Until next time, keep leading with authenticity and impact.