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Have you ever caught yourself sticking to a limited palette of colors in your wardrobe, perhaps even unconsciously?

Many times when we feel self-conscious about our body we will tend to hide our body with darker or more drab colors.

In this week’s episode, we delve deep into the world of colors and how they can impact not only our attire but also our perception of ourselves and the world around us with Color Guru Jeannie Stilth.

Jeannie Stilth has guided and transformed the lives of over 10,000 individuals by helping them discover the perfect color palettes for their wardrobes.

In this episode, Jeannie also shares her unique insights and experiences, including her own personal journey of releasing weight. She also opens up about how embracing a spectrum of colors played a pivotal role in her transformation, not only on the outside but also within.

So if you’ve ever felt that your wardrobe could use a fresh breath of air, this episode is tailor-made for you! Grab that color chart, and come on in.

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I am excited to invite you to  an exciting  summit I will be a part of called: Weight Loss For Women Over 50 Masterclass Series.

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And you can get access to all of it by clicking here.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

How Jeannie helps people know the right colors for them.

Jeannie’s journey to becoming a Color Guru.

How did knowing the right color for her played a huge role in Jeannie’s positive weight release journey.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

Jeannie’s Website

Jeannie’s Instagram

Coupon Code for 10% off is: colorme

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My book, From Fat to Thin Thinking: Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss (Includes a 30-day hypnosis process.)

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Have you ever opened your closet and realized it’s… basically a shrine to black, gray, and “please don’t notice me”? If you’ve struggled with weight, that pattern makes perfect sense. In this Thin Thinking Podcast episode, Rita Black asks a question most of us avoid: are you choosing colors to express yourself—or to hide yourself?

That’s where virtual color analysis comes in. Color expert Jeannie Stilth (founder of Color Guru) explains how matching your clothing colors to your hair, skin, and eye tone can instantly make you look more vibrant—and make getting dressed dramatically easier. But the deeper win is psychological: when you start dressing like you matter, you often start treating your body like it matters too.

This post breaks down Jeannie’s “science + art” approach to seasonal color analysis, how to stop defaulting to “safe” colors when you feel self-conscious, and how color can support a new identity—one where you’re no longer waiting to be “worthy” of being seen.

Why do people wear black when they’re struggling with weight?

Truth: When you’re uncomfortable in your body, your brain often chooses “camouflage” (dark, muted clothing) because it feels safer than being seen.

Rita opens the episode with a confession many listeners instantly recognize: when she struggled with weight, she wore mostly black. And even now, her wardrobe “trends muted and dark.” That’s not a fashion flaw—it’s psychology.

Here’s what’s really happening:

  • Black feels like control. When you feel out of control with food, weight, or self-image, black can feel like a reliable default. No risk. No thinking. No exposure.
  • Black reduces decision fatigue. If everything matches, you don’t have to make choices. You don’t have to “try.” You can just get through the day.
  • Black can be emotional armor. When attention feels threatening, you pick the option that helps you blend in.

Jeannie names the core fear directly: when you’re not feeling good in your body, you may want to hide it. That’s a normal protective instinct—but it can also become a quiet rule you live by: I’ll wear color when I’m smaller.

Jeannie challenges that rule with a powerful reframe: why are you “more worthy of being seen” at a smaller size? That’s not just personal—it’s cultural. And the cost is huge: when you hide long enough, you stop feeling like a full participant in your own life.

So the goal isn’t to force yourself into neon tomorrow. The goal is to notice the pattern without shame—and then start making tiny, identity-building moves out of it.

If you notice yourself postponing confidence, enjoyment, or self-expression until you reach a certain weight, Episode 131 — 10 Self-Permissions of Long-Term Weight Success explores how granting yourself permission now is a key skill for lasting weight mastery.

How can the right colors change how you feel in your body?

Truth: Wearing your best colors isn’t vanity—it’s a fast way to feel more alive, more confident, and more intentional in how you show up.

Jeannie’s story is interesting because color didn’t just improve how she looked. It changed her whole relationship with getting dressed. She noticed three benefits right away:

  1. She looked better and got more compliments. Not because her body changed—because the colors made her features pop.
  2. Shopping got easier. When a shirt comes in 10 colors, you stop spiraling. You already know your best options.
  3. Her wardrobe started coordinating naturally. The palette is a “family of colors” designed to work together, so outfits practically build themselves.

That last point is underrated. A lot of women don’t actually have a “wardrobe problem.” They have an input problem. They’ve been buying random pieces (often in the same safe colors), so their closet becomes full—but not usable. Jeannie describes the frustration perfectly: too many clothes, overstuffed drawers, and yet “can’t seem to find an outfit that I love.”

Color creates boundaries. And boundaries create simplicity.

But the deeper shift is what Rita points to: when you choose colors intentionally, you stop “throwing something on.” You start treating dressing as an act of identity. You start sending yourself a message: I’m worth the effort today.

That message matters for weight mastery too, because weight struggle is rarely about information. Most people already know what to do. The real issue is whether you feel like the kind of person who’s allowed to do it consistently.

Color is one of those sneaky “identity levers.” It’s not about looking perfect. It’s about practicing being seen—and liking who you see.

What is seasonal color analysis, and why does it work?

Truth: Seasonal color analysis matches clothing colors to your natural coloring (hair, skin, eyes) so you look healthier and more vibrant with less effort.

Jeannie explains Color Guru’s process in plain English: they analyze your hair, skin, and eye color, then match you to an ideal clothing color palette.

It’s called seasonal color analysis not because you wear different colors in different seasons, but because the system uses 12 “types” grouped into seasonal families: three Winters, three Springs, three Summers, and three Autumns. The palettes reflect seasonal vibes (winter tends to be crisp and cool, for example), but your palette is your palette year-round.

What makes Jeannie’s approach stand out is that she insists it’s both science and art. Algorithms can assign colors, but real human analysts notice exceptions—and Color Guru’s team has collectively reviewed 10,000+ people (as shared in the interview), which means they’ve seen a lot of those edge cases.

How virtual color analysis works (Color Guru’s method)

Jeannie outlines a simple, clear process:

  • You choose a package.
  • You fill out a questionnaire about your coloring (including things like how your skin behaves in the sun—burns, tans, stays the same, etc.).
  • You upload at least seven photos (multiple lightings, at least 1–2 without makeup, plus some with makeup).
  • Their team looks for consistency across photos (because indoor vs outdoor lighting can change everything).
  • You receive a digital color card (and a laminated physical card you can keep in your purse), plus optional makeup palette suggestions based on your type.

Why seven photos? Because one photo can lie. Lighting can change undertone, eye color visibility, and hair tone. Multiple photos help trained eyes find what’s stable.

The big promise here isn’t “you’ll look like someone else.” It’s: you’ll look like you—more awake. That’s why people describe it as “glowing.” You’re not adding a new identity. You’re removing the visual noise that makes you look washed out.

And once you see that difference, confidence stops being a pep talk. It becomes evidence.

How do you start wearing bold colors when being seen feels scary?

Truth: The safest way to build confidence with color is to start small, prove safety, and expand—rather than trying to reinvent your whole wardrobe overnight.

Jeannie gives one of the most practical pieces of advice in the entire conversation: choose one day a week to wear a bold color. The rest of the week, you can stay in your comfort zone.

That’s brilliant because it works with your nervous system instead of against it.

If your brain believes color equals attention—and attention equals danger—it will fight you. So you don’t “power through.” You train.

The 1-day color confidence plan

Try this for four weeks:

  • Week 1: One bold color item (shirt, scarf, earrings—keep it simple).
  • Week 2: One bold color item + one coordinating accessory.
  • Week 3: Two bold color items on your “color day” (top + layer, or top + shoes).
  • Week 4: Add a second “color day” per week if you’re ready.

The point is not the color itself. The point is the proof:
“I wore it. I was safe. I felt good. Nothing broke.”

Rita nails the psychological obstacle: this isn’t just habit—it’s fear of vulnerability. The fear that color will “call attention,” and attention will trigger judgment.

Jeannie’s counter-question is worth repeating: why are you more worthy of being seen when you’re smaller? If your brain can’t answer that in a way that feels fair, you’ve found a belief that’s running your closet—and possibly your eating patterns too.

And if you want the process to feel easier, don’t choose random bold colors. Get guidance (professional or otherwise) so the shades you try actually flatter you. When you genuinely look better in the color, your brain stops arguing as much.

How does color support identity change for weight mastery?

Citable truth: Lasting weight mastery is built through identity-based decisions—small choices that reinforce “who I am now,” not who you’re trying to fix.

This episode quietly becomes a masterclass in identity change.

Jeannie shares a turning point in her weight release: she had a habit of buying something sweet (cupcake, cookie, donut) almost every time she ran errands. She didn’t know how to stop—until someone told her to go cold turkey and say: “I don’t do that anymore.”

And to her surprise, it worked.

Rita immediately connects it to the Thin Thinking framework: when you re-identify, behavior becomes simpler. You’re not wrestling with “should I?” all day. You’re living a rule that matches your identity.

Then Jeannie takes it even further: at 46, she decided, “I want to be an athlete.” Not in a dramatic, overnight transformation—through baby steps: walking more, drinking more water, consistent daily movement. Later, she ran a community 50-yard dash and placed third. Standing on that podium, she thought: “I am an athlete.”

That’s the pattern:

  1. Decide who you are now.
  2. Take small actions that fit that identity.
  3. Collect evidence.
  4. Let the evidence upgrade the identity.

Color fits into this perfectly.

When you start wearing colors that flatter you, you’re practicing:

  • “I’m someone who takes care of myself.”
  • “I’m someone who’s allowed to be seen.”
  • “I’m someone who chooses intentionally.”

Those identities are not superficial. They directly support the mental side of weight mastery—the part that determines whether you keep showing up after motivation fades.

And this is very aligned with the Shift Hypnosis brand stance that real change is inside-out.

Shift Hypnosis Voice & Tone Gui…

How do you build a coordinated wardrobe that’s easier to shop for and wear?

Truth: A coordinated wardrobe isn’t about having more clothes—it’s about choosing fewer items that work together so dressing takes less time and gives you more confidence.

Jeannie compares wardrobe-building to grocery shopping:

  • Without a list, you buy random impulse items.
  • Then you get home and can’t make meals because you don’t have “ingredients” that go together.

Most closets are built like that: impulse buys, duplicates (hello, “10 pairs of black jeans”), and pieces that don’t coordinate.

Color palettes solve this by giving you a structure for what comes in and what stays out.

The streamlined wardrobe method (based on the episode)

Use this as a simple framework:

  1. Identify your “repeat buys.”
    Rita noticed her daughter buys “a lot of the same thing in the same colors.” Most of us do. Write down your repeats (black tops, dark denim, gray cardigans, etc.).
  2. Choose 2–3 core neutrals.
    Keep what you love, but choose intentionally. Neutrals are your base, not your hiding place.
  3. Add 4–6 colors that flatter you.
    This is where virtual color analysis helps. When the shades are right, they coordinate better and look better on you.
  4. Shop inside your palette first.
    When something comes in 10 colors, you already know your top choices. Decision fatigue drops fast.
  5. Do a “same thing” edit.
    If you own three nearly identical pieces, choose your favorite and release the rest. Rita did this with her daughter: “This one and this one are basically the same thing.”
  6. Build outfits like recipes.
    Don’t buy a single piece unless you can name two outfits it will complete.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is ease. When dressing becomes easier, you spend less time negotiating with yourself in the mirror—which means you have more energy to negotiate with the parts of you that want to quit your health goals.

And that’s a very Thin Thinking outcome.

FAQ

1) What is virtual color analysis?

Virtual color analysis matches your best clothing colors using photos and a questionnaire, so you receive a personalized palette without an in-person appointment.

2) What is seasonal color analysis?

Seasonal color analysis places you into one of 12 color types grouped by seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn) based on your natural coloring—then assigns a flattering color palette.

3) Can wearing color really help confidence when I feel overweight?

Yes. Wearing flattering colors can reduce “hiding” behaviors and build confidence through small exposure: you practice being seen and feel better doing it.

4) How do I start wearing bold colors if it scares me?

Start with one bold-color day per week. Keep it small (one item), collect evidence that you feel okay, then expand gradually.

5) Why do I always buy the same colors and styles?

Your brain prefers familiarity and low decision effort—especially when you feel self-conscious. Repetition reduces anxiety, but it can also trap you in a style rut.

6) Does a color palette make shopping easier?

Yes. A palette reduces decision fatigue (fewer “which color?” choices) and increases coordination (more items naturally match), saving time and money.

7) Does Color Guru include makeup colors too?

Yes. In the episode, Jeannie shares that Color Guru offers makeup palette suggestions aligned with their 12 color types.

Conclusion

This episode isn’t just about looking cute in the right shade of green. It’s about something bigger: the moment you stop waiting to be “ready” to be seen.

If you’ve been hiding in black because weight struggle made visibility feel unsafe, you’re not broken—you’re human. But you can also choose differently, one small decision at a time. One bold-color day per week. One identity statement: “I don’t do that anymore.” One walk. One dance class. One proof point that becomes a new you.

If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy these related Thin Thinking episodes:

Episode 186: The Mindset of Weight Maintenance: Sarah’s Story

Podcast Transcript

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Rita Black: Have you felt that life has become a little drab with what you are wearing? Or more specifically, what colors you are willing to wear? Sometimes when we struggle with weight, we choose colors to hide us instead of compliment us. I know I wore mostly black when I struggled with weight. And even now, my wardrobe, though a little more colorful, trends muted and dark. We get into the habit of not wearing colors. So today in the Thin Thinking podcast, color guru Jeannie Stilth is going to bring some color back into our lives and how we see and present ourselves to the world. She also walks us through her own personal weight release journey and how adding color actually made her care more about how she felt and that began her own weight journey. So grab your color chart and come on in.

New Speaker: Did you know that our struggle with weight doesn’t start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym? 80% of our weight struggle is mental. That’s right. The key to unlocking long-term weight release and management begins in your mind. Hi there, I’m Rita Black. I’m a clinical hypnotherapist weight loss expert, bestselling author, and the creator of the Shift Weight Mastery Process. And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long-term weight mastery, I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict and binge eater. And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost 40 pounds with the help of hypnosis. Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years. Enter the Thin Thinking Podcast where you too will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling. I’ll give you the thin thinking tools, skills, and insights to help you develop the mindset you need, not only to achieve your ideal weight, but to stay there long term and live your best life.

Rita Black: Hello, hello and hello. Come on in. I’m so happy you are here. I hope your week’s going well. I am leaving today to take my daughter back to her senior year at Berkeley. Now, this is not off topic about what we’re talking today because we have spent the last few days frantically sorting through her clothes and sorting through what she needs to take with her and what she does not need to take. Now, you would think on the fourth year of going back to college that she would have this process down. But every year it’s chaos. And you know, I love her for it. And actually this year it’s a little different because she has been away all summer. She just finished her last semester in Berlin literally a few weeks ago. She came home five days ago, has five days to get packed and move into an apartment situation up at school.

Rita Black: So she’s only had a five day turnaround, which means we’ve all had a five day turnaround with her and therefore chaos. But what I noticed when she was sorting through her many, many, many, many, many, many clothes, this girl has so many clothes, she loves to thrift store, shop, and go and when she was in Germany, she went to all these vintage sort of flea market situations, and she just seemed to buy a dress every place. But what I noticed about her, and then I noticed it with myself, is that she buys a lot of the same thing and in the same colors. And not necessarily complimentary colors, but we get in inhabit of dressing ourselves kind of the same way. So that was something I noticed as she was trying to narrow down her wardrobe.

Rita Black: I said this one and this one are basically the same thing. So which one of these three do you like the most? And that made it easier, narrowing everything down. But it did get me thinking that I myself gravitate towards buying the same shirt, the same shoes, the same pants. And sometimes we need somebody to bust us out of this box that we put ourselves into. And that is where my guest Jeannie Stilth comes in. Jeannie Stilth is the founder and CEO of Color Guru, where she matches you to your ideal color palette for clothing so that you can look beautiful and confident in your clothes, shop more simply and create a coordinated wardrobe. Jeannie’s unique virtual color testing system and color cards have simplified choosing clothes for people in 27 countries and counting. That was a mouthful. Color Guru has been featured in Design Mom, the Spark Joy podcast and Apartment Therapy. Jeannie is a mother of two girls in Arden, Delaware, and you can most often find her playing in the creek with her daughters, salsa dancing or watering her current collection of 64, count them, 64 houseplant. So please, it is my joy to bring to you Jeannie Stilth.

Rita Black: Hello Jeannie and welcome to the Thin Thinking Podcast. Really excited to have you here today.

Jeannie Stilth: Yes, I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for having me, Rita.

Rita Black: Of course. Well tell us, tell our audience how you help people, like, just, you know, in a couple of lines how you help people with color.

Jeannie Stilth: Sure. It’s really simple. We basically analyze people’s hair, skin, and eye color, and we match them with their ideal color palette for clothing.

Rita Black: That is really cool. And we’re gonna hear a lot more about it, but I want to hear how you became the color guru. Like how’d that happen?

Jeannie Stilth: Well, it all started when my aunt told me that I was picking the wrong colors for myself. I was shopping with her and she’s wonderful and always dressed really well. And I was shopping with her and she was basically like, I think you’re picking all the wrong colors for your skin tone. And I was like, I don’t even know there were right colors for my skin tone. What are you talking about? You know, I had never thought about it before. I was just kind of picking colors that I liked and I wasn’t thinking about how they sort of reflected on me and my particular coloring. And so she’s like, I’m gonna get your colors done. This is gonna be amazing. And then it was so interesting. I was living in Philadelphia at the time, and we looked and looked and we could not find anybody offering the service anymore. It had sort of fallen out of trend, this idea of season color analysis.

Jeannie Stilth: So then a year later I happened upon someone who was doing it out of their home. She was a retired image consultant. And I went and got my colors done and I was like, oh, this is great. Like, I do look better in these colors. Like I could see a difference right away. But what was really interesting to me was the other two things it helped with. So I was like noticing I looked better, my friends were noticing I looked better, I was getting more compliments in my clothes. But then what happened was I realized how much easier shopping was ’cause they knew exactly what to buy, like in terms of color, like, you know, it’s like now so often, like a t-shirt or a dress will come in 10 different colors and you’re like, oh my gosh, like which one?

Jeannie Stilth: You know, which one. And there’s this decision fatigue that just went away. I was like, oh, that’s the best color for me of those 10. Or like, I could pick between these two colors and those would both be really good on me. And as a person who’s busy, you know, I have two kids and I have like lots going on in my life.,I loved that. I felt like I was just cutting my shopping time in half. So I was like, this is a benefit I didn’t expect, you know? And then the other benefit that came was I didn’t realize it at the time, but the colors she gave me were a family of colors that were kind of designed to work together. And so all of the clothes in my closet as I transitioned to wearing my best colors started to coordinate together really well.

Jeannie Stilth: And it just solved so many problems I had with clothes, you know, it eliminated the decision fatigue and it solved this problem of like having a little bit of everything and trying to match it and put it all together. All of a sudden my closet almost became like like very, very streamlined. And I had suddenly boundaries for what I was bringing into my closet and what I wasn’t, which really like changed my whole experience of dressing in this very big way. Because I used to have, you know, overstuffed drawers and like too many, you know, clothes for my hangers. And so then some would sit on the bench that was sort of near my closet. And it was just frustrating. I remember like dreading laundry day because I was like, I have all these clothes. I don’t have even enough places to put them, and yet I can’t seem to find an outfit that I love. You know what I mean?

Jeannie Stilth: This is craziness, right? This is craziness. So suddenly I started to get rid of, I just focused on color. I started to get rid of the colors that really didn’t work for me. I started to bring in the colors that really did. And my clothing just sort of, it’s like my closet streamlined itself. You know? Everything started to coordinate together. I had less clothes than ever, but I really liked what I had. And so it just sort of transformed how I dressed and my experience of dressing. And, you know, then I ended up taking multiple friends to this woman who was doing it out of her home, this retired image consultant. And then it just sort of stuck with me over the years. I thought, you know, if I ever started a business, I would sort of refresh this whole idea, bring it back in a modern way, because some of the colors she gave me were really dated. You know? It was kind of an old fashioned system even so I had these huge benefits from it though. And so I thought I would just refresh this whole concept. I would make all the colors current and modern. I would find a way to do this virtually. And it just kind of percolated for years before I actually started Color Guru.

Rita Black: Wow.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah.

Rita Black: And you’ve been doing this now for nine years, right?

Jeannie Stilth: Nine years, yeah.

Rita Black: That’s amazing. So cool. So in that transformation and with working with all of your clients or all the people who come to you, the benefit of color or adding color, I could totally see how streamlining your wardrobe, it just would transform your life. It sounds like it all, it also just made you incredibly mindful about yourself, your relationship to your wardrobe, you know, what you were putting on your body, and it probably made you think about yourself in a different way. That’s what I was thinking. I was like wondering, the inside of this is, you know, identity, self-esteem, really owning what you wore instead of like, ah, I’m just throwing this thing on. It’s just like, oh, this is like something I’ve really chosen that puts my best face forward.

Jeannie Stilth: A hundred percent. Yeah. I started to really, I stopped the habit of just throwing on like the same, you know, gray yoga pants and what, tank top, you know what I mean?

Rita Black: How did you know what I wore today. It’s great for workout!

Jeannie Stilth: I know, right? Great for workout. But you know, I had kind of just gotten into the rutt of like wearing like kind of the same boring thing every day. And I think for most women, that is not real energizing. It wasn’t for me. And I think most women really wanna have fun with their clothes and be creative with their clothes to a certain extent. You know, as long as it doesn’t take too much time. It’s like a rare person who wants to spend tons of time doing it, but it’s still fun to like put a fun outfit together. But you have to have the pieces. It’s like, it’s almost like, you know, when you go grocery shopping with a list versus when you don’t. You know? And then you get home after grocery shopping without a list, with having no idea what recipes you’re gonna make that week, and you don’t have what you need to actually put those recipes together.

Jeannie Stilth: And I think clothes is very similar. Like, we don’t know what we’re looking for when we’re out clothes shopping or online clothes shopping. We just end up buying sort of like random impulse buys, some of which we end up liking later, and some of which we don’t, some of which go with our other clothes and some of which don’t. You know? And it just ends up being this sort of thing where you’re trying to like, make something, but you don’t have the ingredients. You know? We tend to buy the same things over and over again. You know? Same, same things over and over again. Like, I’ve worked with people in their closets where they’ve got like 10 pairs of black jeans. I’m like, are these really that different from each other? You know what I mean? She’s like, I just like black jeans, so like when I go shopping, I buy them. You know?

Rita Black: It’s so crazy. You are – I like it, and it’s true. When you really think about it is that we are just, we automatically we get in the habit of buying the same thing and our brain is just, feels very comfortable. Well, so this brings me my next question, because our Thin Thinking audience, well, at least I know when I struggled with weight, I gravitated towards darker colors. Black was primarily my you know, and I laughed when we got on today because if, I know you can’t see Jeannie, but she’s beautiful and she’s dressed in white. And I was like, oh dear, I have a black chaser hunting shirt. But I’m wearing shirt. But, you know, so yeah. So when it comes to maybe being shy to wear colors, maybe a little, do you see this in your you know, the people that you work with or have you, like, how do you psychologically get over that color fear and, you know, the fear that wearing colors, bold colors are gonna call attention to you. Do you have any advice for that?

Jeannie Stilth: Yes. so I understand, I understand that fear and and I’ve had that fear myself where when I’m not feeling particularly good in my body, I just kind of wanna hide it. And what I think what I would challenge is the thought of, you know, why are you more worthy of being seen when you’re a smaller size, you know, which is sort of a cultural thing that we have to kind of do battle with, right? Because it’s there, like, in reality, that cultural idea is there. And so I think that when I see somebody who you know, is plus-sized and wearing something eye grabbing, like, I freaking love that. And I think we need more of that, you know? Because it’s real easy to just go like, oh, I wanna hide this, I wanna hide that, I wanna wear black, or whatever.

Jeannie Stilth: But like, that is the fear based reaction. So I think first of all, we should mentally challenge ourselves to get out of that mindset and realize that it’s a cultural mindset that’s extremely unhealthy. Now, if there’s nothing wrong with wanting to release weight, I’ve released some weight, you know? But I think start dressing, maybe just give yourself a challenge. Like, I worked with a couple people there. I just gave them a challenge. Like one day a week starts really small, you know what I mean? One day a week, wear a bold color. The rest of the week you can do your normal routine of like the, you know, dark colors or whatever you’re, you know, feeling like you’re super comfortable in. But I bet you will start to like that day, you know what I mean? Once you just ease into it. You’ll start to like that day.

Rita Black: I like that.

Jeannie Stilth: And then Yeah. It’s a funny easy, because like I’m all about dipping your toe in and like, not trying to leap into something that feels unrealistic, like too far of a jump. I mean, for me, it’s like the little changes that I make in my life are the things that stick. And so just see how you feel when you’re wearing a brighter color. Maybe it’s just like a bright t-shirt, you know? But I think also when we do somebody’s colors most of the time when they get their color card and they start buying those colors, they can see how much better they look. And so having a, you know, having a professional who knows what they’re doing, show you the shades that look best on you, you know, this shade of red instead of that one is really gonna highlight your eye color or, you know this, you know, shade of green is gonna be amazing as opposed to this one because it’s really about finding the right shades for your particular coloring.

Jeannie Stilth: And then people can see like, oh my gosh, I’m glowing in this color. You know? And then it becomes real easy to embrace those colors rather than just going and trying to, you know, kind of randomly pick a color, you know, just to have a color. You know, like you said, it’s a very, it’s a much more intentional process.

Rita Black: I love that. And I love the idea of that one day a week and kind of proving to yourself, because I think what we’re up against is fear and and not just like habit, but the absolute fear that of being seen, feeling vulnerable. So having that one day where you go, oh, okay, I wore this. I was safe. I actually, people complimented me. I felt good about myself. And then because it does, it feels very overwhelming to just jump in to like, well, I’m getting red and black and I’m reading all these things. I can understand. So that’s really great. I’m glad you brought that up. So I know you mentioned weight for you, because I know this is a, we do talk a lot about weight, and I know you and I when we met, you mentioned that you had gone through your own weight journey. Maybe what I’d love to hear is like what made you decide to go on that journey and then you know, a little bit about the journey, but how that has changed your relationship too to how you wear color and all of that?

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah. Well, the thing is that the color sort of came first and then I started to get excited about my clothes again, which was really exciting. Like, once I learned my colors, it kind of revived my interest in dressing and putting together outfits. It all became so much easier, The thing, I just didn’t feel like I had many blocks anymore like I used to. So I got interested in clothes again. And then you know, after I’d had my second daughter, I had about 25 extra pounds that are just, that were just kind of clinging on, you know, that the rest of it fell off when I was breastfeeding. And then there were just like 25 pounds that just kind of stayed and felt stubborn, you know? And and I just had to, you know, kind of come to terms with the fact that I was really loving clothes, but I wasn’t loving how I was feeling in those clothes.

Jeannie Stilth: And I’m 5’2, so 25 pounds was a pretty significant like, amount of weight for a 5’2 person in terms of just the difference in how I felt once I released it. So that came up. I was like, I really wanna feel when I put on these clothes, like I am just like in my best shape that I can be in. And that’s what I kind of got in my head was like, you know what? Like, I was never an athlete as a kid, you know, I was like raised in a super academic family that was like, we’re not athletes. We read books and, you know, but I think that there was a part of me that would’ve been maybe if I had grown up in a different family and, you know, I love my family. Nothing against them, we just weren’t super like athletic or anything. And I think at, you know, 46 years old, I suddenly decided like, I wanna be an athlete. Like I wanna, like, I wanna really be in the best shape of my life. And I committed to that idea and then just started to take baby steps. And I’m not kidding when I say baby steps, like, I just started to walk a little more. I started to drink a little more water, you know? Probably one of the biggest things, which was a month or two in was I always used to buy, like, when I was running errands, which I did pretty often, but like, if I was running errands or running out to pick up my kids somewhere or something, I would always stop and get like a cupcake, a cookie, a donut.

Jeannie Stilth: I would always get something. It was just a habit that I had like gotten into. When I go out and I’m in my car, I always get something sweet. And I was talking to somebody about it who had dropped weight themselves and I said, I don’t know how I’m gonna not do this. It’s like such a, I don’t know how to not do it. Like I don’t, I feel like I don’t know how to break this habit. And she’s like, oh, it’s real easy. You just go cold turkey and you just say, I don’t do that anymore. That’s not what I do anymore. And you know what? It actually was easy.

Rita Black: Yeah.

Jeannie Stilth: It was really surprising, but it was easy. And I stopped and I was like, I don’t do that anymore. And it was way easier than I thought it would be. And I feel like that was, for me, one of the big differences because that was, you know, four or five times a week, you know, just like an extra, you know, whatever.

Rita Black: Yeah that makes a huge difference. And I love what you did because you, and we talk about this all the time on the Thin Thinking podcast, is you re-identified yourself. You’re like, I’m a person who doesn’t do that anymore. And when you start seeing yourself differently, just like with the colors, I’m a person who wears color, loves clothes, is mindful about what I wear, you see yourself differently and you hold yourself to a different standard. And that becomes so much easier than not doing it. It’s just like, I don’t do that anymore. That’s not who I am.

Jeannie Stilth: A hundred percent! Re-identified like that recreate your identity in your mind. And do you know what happened? This, I’m not even a runner, but I have been doing lots of like, other types of exercise really regularly in the last year. And I’m not even a runner. And I went to, we have these like on the 4th of July we have these games. It’s like a big, I live in this big community and there’s these big community games every 4th of July and they have a 50 yard dash for every age group. And I came in third place in the 50 yard dash, and I was up on the little podium in third place. And I was just thinking to myself, I am an athlete, I’m an athlete, you know, and I just kind of like, I’m now re-identifying that because that’s a lot of years where I told myself I wasn’t. My family kind of sent the message that we are not that, you know? I always came, I mean, I was always that kid who came in last place in any running race in grade school. And I just remember feeling like, and embarrassed, you know? And like it has really just changed. It’s changed so much for me just to go, oh, no, I can decide who I am now, now I’m 47, I just turned 47, but at 46, you know, that’s when I decided I was an athlete for the first time in my life.

Rita Black: I love that. And I do think on the journey of weight management, it sounds like you’ve found this is that it’s not, oh, okay, I’m gonna be, I’m gonna do this in this one big bold swoop. But it’s a bunch of different decisions you make about who you are going to become. You know? Like who you are now. Like you said, oh, okay, I’m gonna be an athlete. And your brain started just presenting you with that opportunity ’cause you stretched into that new idea of yourself. And I do see the people that have that long-term consistency, it’s a series of little identities that then becomes this bigger identity rather than kind of working backwards or, I mean, you could work backwards, but it’s, I always am saying, you know, here’s your bigger identity that you’re on a journey of weight mastery. But within that, you’re making all these different smaller decisions about, I’m a person who like, you know, has a vegetable at every meal or gravitates towards salads or doesn’t, you know, eat after eight o’clock. Those are all decisions that you’re making of who you are.

Jeannie Stilth: A hundred percent. I love the way you say that. And it is consistent little things over time that make the difference. I mean, one of these ideas that I love, it’s not really a quote, it’s just an idea that somebody told it to me and it just sticks in my head, but they said, you know, if you take like an ax and every day you go out and you take one swing at a tree, one of those days, that tree is coming down, you know? And it’s like every just day, just, you don’t have to be perfect. I mean, I’ve had days where I’m like, okay, this is not who I’m saying I am. Right? And you have that, but you have to keep coming back to it and just making those incremental changes, you know? And also I think for me, like just participating in that race was such a win for me because for years I’ve lived in this neighborhood and not participated because I was so scared of coming in last or second to last or whatever, you know.

Jeannie Stilth: And this year I decided, I was like, okay, I don’t have any idea where I’m gonna come in in this race. I might come in last, I might come in first, probably not, because I think I had the shortest legs in the whole race. But I was like, I want my kids to see me participate and I want my kids to see me have the attitude of, it’s just fun. I’m not taking this too seriously. If I come in last, that’s fine. If I come in in the middle, that’s fine. If I, you know, come in in the first couple, great. But like, I felt like for me that was the really important thing was just participating. You know?

Rita Black: That is so cool. Congratulations on your journey. Now how do you, so like if I was gonna come to you or how does it work to get your colors done? Like walk us through and and how does that happen? Like how do you figure that out? I’m sure it’s all computerized now, right? Or is there there science and magic and art to it?

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah, I think of it as a, I think of seasonal color analysis as a science and an art. And I think it’s really important for us, for Color Guru that it stays that way because there are algorithms that can, you know, assign you colors. And I don’t think those are always in inaccurate, but sometimes they are. And there’s a difference between, you know, having a person who’s looked at, I mean, we’ve done analysis for over 10,000 people at this point.

Rita Black: That’s amazing.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah. We have a small analysis team of three people at this point who have, you know, collectively looked at over 10,000 people. And so they have seen that sometimes there are exceptions to what should be sort of the rules. And just from their experience, they know. And so basically when somebody comes to us we have a couple different packages. You choose a package and then you are immediately redirected to a questionnaire and photo upload form. Now if you wanna do that later, that’s fine. If you wanna do it right away, that’s fine too. But basically you answer some questions about your coloring and then you upload a minimum of seven photos. Now, we need seven photos because you have seen yourself take a picture outside and then take a picture inside and see how completely different they look. Right?

Jeannie Stilth: Your skin tone can look different, your hair color can look different. Sometimes you can see your eye color, sometimes you can’t. Right? So we need to see, first of all, what is consistent throughout the photos. And it’s great when photos have different lighting. We request photos at least one or two photos where you don’t have any makeup on, but then it’s helpful for us to see you in makeup as well. And then we look at those photos and then we see your answers to our questions about your skin tone. Things like what does your skin do in the sun? Does it stay exactly the same? Does it burn? Does it burn then turns into a tan, you know, does it tan super easily? Like all these things are really helpful for us. And then we make sure what we’re seeing in the photos matches up with what you’ve told us in the questionnaire. And then our analysis team looks at everything, determines your type. And then we send you a digital color card with your clothing colors. We also have makeup colors available. And then everybody gets a digital color card and also a laminated color card. We actually send you mail. It’s really colorful fun.

Rita Black: I love that

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah. We send a hard copy that you can have in your purse so you always have your color card on your phone or in your purse. I’m sorry if you can hear my dog snoring. She’s fell asleep at my feet and she’s –

Rita Black: But that’s so cute.

Jeannie Stilth: It’s so cute.

Jeannie Stilth: So enjoy hearing my dog often in dreamland. But that’s how it works. And it’s a quick process. We have a three day turnaround time. Yeah. And yeah, it’s a very fun process for most people. It’s really fun to get your colors and start experimenting with them.

Rita Black: That is so cool. And so you do take into account makeup. I was gonna ask about that, like if that was part of it.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah, we didn’t start with offering makeup. We were just doing the colors for clothing and then we got so many requests for makeup colors. And so we partnered with a wonderful makeup artist who helped us create makeup cards for each of our 12 types. So we have 12 color palettes total, and then we’ve got 12 makeup palettes. And so yeah, we partnered with this wonderful makeup artist and we give yes makeup suggestions as well.

Rita Black: That is so cool. So let me ask you that now that you’ve released some weight, do you, I guess you don’t wear colors any differently because you still wear the same colors?

Jeannie Stilth: I do. I had already kind of transitioned into like, wearing colors before I had released the weight. But I do, I will say that you know, I feel better in my clothes. There’s no way around it. Like, I do feel better in my clothes after releasing the weight and feeling like more active and more energized. And I mean, part of it’s just the energy I get from having some sort of daily exercise, you know? And you know, and on a big exercise day that’s like a full out, you know, workout that might take like half an hour. And then on the other, you know, on days where I’m kind of going light with it, it’s just like a long walk with my dog. You know? But I’m always trying to get some sort of activity in every day, which I didn’t used to do. I mean, it’s hard to imagine, but I didn’t used to do it. And now it just feels like, it just feels like a better life. I mean, there’s no way around it for me. It just feels like a better life.

Rita Black: Yeah. And I love the way you started. So many of the students and clients that I have, the ones that stick with it the longest started exercising just by like what you did, just taking a short walk and then building from there. Because when you, I think we freak ourselves out with this idea of like, I’m gonna go to the gym and work out for, and then another part of our brain is like, no, you’re not. But just like, oh, I can walk around the walk, I can do that. Then we do it and then we start to see that ourselves in that different way. Like, oh, I’m somebody who does what I say I’m gonna do, and I get out there and then you get that benefit of moving your body, of feeling better and then you do.

Rita Black: So now I guess tell us like, if, if somebody was, because I’m super interested, I’m like, okay, Jeannie. So you’ve got a link. I’ll put that in show notes and if anybody was interested, they can go and see how they would do this, get their colors done. Yeah.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah, definitely. I will give you that link, but can I comment on something you just said in that last little bit?

Rita Black: Yes, of course.

Jeannie Stilth: Thank you. Because I also think when it comes to physical activity if you can find something that doesn’t feel even like a workout, but is like, I found salsa dancing and I’m not even kidding. Like I think I was going for my seventh or eighth time and suddenly I was like, wait, I’m working out. Like this is a workout. But I was just doing it because I love the music and I love moving my body in that way. And now like, I’ll have days where I’m like, that’s my workout, is I go out and I go salsa dancing and I love it so much. I would never, like, it’s like I could never stop. I mean now that I’ve found it, I could never stop doing it. So if you can find something like that and not even necessarily think of it as a workout, like that’s a wonderful thing.

Rita Black: Yeah, I totally agree with you. That’s so great. I’ll tell you a quick story that’s pretty funny. I had a client who released over 150 pounds and she did it by ballroom dancing. Like, so she started just, and her husband didn’t wanna exercise, they were retired. And she’s like, I’m gonna take some lessons. So she did, and then she started getting good and she started going buying outfits and then she was going out every night of the week. She was like, my husband just watched me leave, you know, I’ll see you later, honey, I’m going out dancing. And she just loved it. And I agree with you when you, like I woke up at, you know, 5:30 to go for a 6:30 AM hike with a friend who I couldn’t wait to see and chat with, you know? So it’s like when you can pair it with socializing or connecting or having fun like you said, and salsa dancing is super fun. I think you and I talked about that, that there’s some great salsa clubs here in LA and I used to do a lot of it more before I had kids. Now I actually went and salsa dance this year. It was super fun. I was like, I’ve gotta get back into this. It’s so great.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah, it’s the best. I mean, I live in the Philadelphia area and it’s taken me some time, but I’ve discovered I could basically salsa dance Tuesday through Sunday if I wanted to. The only night is Monday that where I don’t know any, I don’t think anything’s happening, but literally if I wanted to, I could dance every night.

Rita Black: You know, our local community college was giving salsa dance lessons and my daughter bought those for me and her for Christmas. She said, I will learn to, she wanna learn to salsa dance and shows mom, will you do this? So she did and she bought us and this was pre pandemic. And we went and the woman, I’m telling you this because, and my audience is because the woman who taught us was 75 years old and she went out salsa dancing every night of the week. And the thing about salsa dancing, which is really cool, it’s like these, all these little clubs all over your city, you probably don’t even know they exist, but people love salsa and they just go and you don’t have to, it doesn’t require you to be super athletic. It just requires you to move forward and back.

Rita Black: And so if anybody’s listening, it’s like, oh, it’s like you go to your community college, there’s probably a level one beginner salsa dance lesson and just go, it is super fun and it’s social and you meet people. And this woman was named Cat, like this was her like, or she was called the Cat Lady or something like that. And she had her little name and she had been doing it, you know, for years and years and years of course. But yeah, she was 75 and she was just going out and doing her thing. I love that. That’s what I wanna be when I grow up.

Jeannie Stilth: Yes. Me too, me too. Definitely.

Rita Black: Alright, so we totally got off the track there, but what, so back to, well, and you can wear your colors while you’re salsa dancing. So you’ll put a, I’ll get a link from you and we’ll put that in the show notes. And I think you had a coupon offer as well, right? You’re generously giving some off of the fee.

Jeannie Stilth: Yeah. So if you want to get your colors done you can come to colorguru.com and you can use coupon code color me, c o l o r m e, all one word. And you can also check us out on Instagram. So there we are @yourcolorguru.

Rita Black: Cool. Love it. Well thank you. This has been really wonderful and inspiring both for colors and for getting, moving and seeing yourself differently. It’s been really helpful. So thank you Jeannie. It was wonderful to have you on the Thin Thinking podcast. Oh, I have one last question. So when you get your color palette, like fall, spring, because you said seasonal, I mean just, can you go into that really quickly as before we go off? I totally forgot to ask you that.

Jeannie Stilth: Sure. The reason it’s called seasonal color analysis is not that you wear like different colors in different seasons. It’s because we have basically assigned 12 color types based on the seasons. So we have three different types of winter types. We have three different types of springs, and you’ll fall into one of those 12 types.

Rita Black: Got it. Okay.

Jeannie Stilth: Yes. And they’re based on the seasons just because, you know, the winter colors are like crisp and cool and so it’s, the colors sort of reflect that seasonal vibe a bit. And seasonal color balance analysis is basically, you know, historically based on the seasons.

Rita Black: I get it. Yeah, I remember that now too. Okay, cool. Cool, cool. Alright, well thank you so much for being on the podcast. It was a joy to have you here.

Jeannie Stilth: Thank you. It was so much fun.

Rita Black: Oh, wasn’t that amazing. I am really inspired to go, especially this autumn, and add some color, some bold colors to my wardrobe. So if you see me wearing black just call me out on that. Okay. and that is it. The fall is a great time to start thinking about organizing your own wardrobe and adding some colors. So check out Jennie’s 10% coupon code in the show notes and get coloring your world. All right. Have a great week. And remember that the key and probably the only key to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you. So keep listening and find it, and I will see you next week.

Rita Black: Thanks for listening to The Thin Thinking Podcast. Did that episode go by way too fast for you? If so, and you wanna dive deeper into the mindset of long-term weight release, head on over to www.shiftweight mastery.com. That’s www.shiftweightmastery.com, where you’ll find numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release tips, strategies, and more. And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book from Fat to Thin Thinking. Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss and to learn how to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode.

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