Yong Pratt 0:00
If you've been following along inside my Facebook community or on Instagram, about our new brand colors, and why we're choosing them, and the psychology behind these new colors, I know you're gonna dig today's episode. Because I have for us today, color expert, visibility expert, publicity expert, Michelle Lewis. Now, what's really cool about Michelle is that she combines the Hollywood techniques and brings them into the world of entrepreneurship in a really cool and fun way. I recently joined her membership and I have learned so much. Not only about color psychology, but really about being more visible, what we need, the assets we need to create, and how we can be more visible in a crowded market. It's been a really, really fun experience. And if you're curious to know more about that membership, I'm happy to answer any questions. Come on over inside my Facebook community, the Arena of Awesome, where you can ask questions. Continue the conversation. Find out more about color psychology. Find out what I've been sharing inside the group and getting your feedback on. Because inside that group, you actually get access to me every single week. I want you to turn up the volume on this episode! I cannot wait for your feedback and to find out how today's episode is going to impact you and your brand. I'll catch you on the other side.

Yong Pratt 1:26
Have you ever felt like there is something missing in your business, something holding you back from the success you're seeking? If so, you are not alone? For nearly 20 years, that's exactly how I felt as a business owner. It wasn't until I discovered Human Design, that it all became clear. And it turns out that I was the missing piece in my own business. Join me on this journey of discovering the real me and hear stories from other business owners building businesses around all of their awesomeness. I'm Yong Pratt, and it's time my friend to Amplify Your Awesome™!.

Yong Pratt 2:10
Welcome back, Amplifiers! If you've ever been curious about why brands choose certain colors, and how color can be used to invite the right people into your world, I'm going to invite you to turn up the volume on today's episode because we have with us today, Michelle Lewis, who is a Visibility and Publicity expert and I recently learned from her about color psychology. I was blown away. My audience was blown away. They've even asked me a ton of questions. So I knew I had to have Michelle on the show. So Michelle, welcome.

Michelle Lewis 2:45
Hey, Yong. I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for inviting me. And I'm so excited that your audience is excited as I am about color psychology.

Yong Pratt 2:53
Yeah, you know, it was really surprising because I just kind of put some posts out there talking about new colors and being in this new space, and what color was I going to use. And people were really, really curious. So it got me thinking about, I wonder if people actually understand why they've chosen certain colors, how certain colors can really tell stories subconsciously to our audience. And I'm excited that we're going to talk all things color today.

Michelle Lewis 3:22
Me too. It's such an interesting topic. And it's one that I don't think is focused on enough in our industry. So things are so revolved around us being told to choose the expression of ourselves in our brand, especially with our color. So I think this will be a really interesting conversation to totally contradict that.

Yong Pratt 3:40
Absolutely. I think there's a lot of misinformation out there about colors. Before we get there, though, I do want to go back to the beginning of your story, because you have a really interesting story that started in Hollywood. You talk a lot about being invisible in this very visible world, and how you were able to make that transition. Can you take us back to before you were an online entrepreneur, and what life looked like?

Michelle Lewis 4:05
Absolutely. I grew up with parents that were in the film industry. My mom was a Casting Director. She retired when she had me and my dad was going up through the ranks of Second Assistant Director, First Assistant Director, Director and then Co-producer. So my teenage years were spent traveling a lot for movies, like Faceoff and Paycheck and Mission Impossible two and three. So we it was an interesting dichotomy and it taught me a lot and so that's what things look like and that's what I thought I was going to live and breathe because I love the film industry. So got my film degree, went back to work in television did that for about 10 years before moving into online entrepreneurship.

Yong Pratt 4:48
Wow. And and you know, when you when you share the story about being in Hollywood and being in the films, it sounds very dreamy. However, I don't think that's the real case. Right? Getting behind the story of the stories that we see on TV and film. What was that like being in an industry that's so focused on outwardly sort of appearances and being living into a role that the actor or the or the director is require you to be? What was that like?

Michelle Lewis 5:22
It's really interesting. I think there's two sides to Hollywood. And there's the side that's very much about images and figuring out who are we going to put in this movie, which is usually a math equation about how well they rank not just in the US, but all over the world. And that's really forced on image and presentation and who, you know, and all of that. And I was in a little bit of that what I was more so into was the behind the scenes stuff, and the crews and the camera department and the grips in the , AD department and transportation. And so I grew up with more of that family feel, which when I worked on my own TV shows, it was funny stuff, like, my mom always told me, okay, make friends with the grips in the transportation department, they'll take care of you. And it turned out when I worked for these shows, like, I'm thinking of Pretty Little Liars and Chuck, like they were, they were so wonderful. And they would come over and be like, okay, we have an extension cord right here. And we have this tarp here. So you can put your chair here and you know, do some work and stuff. So I had that wonderful feeling there. But whenever I tried to push to get on camera or to, you know, get my show made, and that that's when the negativity started coming in. And that's when I dealt with, like, you've probably heard acting coaches telling me that I was not pretty enough and too overweight to be on camera. And, you know, these were trusted friends who were also actors that knew my dad. So I believed them, which I shouldn't have done. So I think that there are two sides to Hollywood. There's the one side which is very family oriented. You know, my husband still works in the business and my dad, but then there's the side that can be very much into image and who you know, and I just wish that I would have had the strength I have now back then. Because I wouldn't have listened to all those voices like I did.

Yong Pratt 7:15
So I want to dive into getting to this place where you can stop listening to the voices, because I know, especially in the online space, there is a lot of pressure to look a certain way, be a certain way, show up a certain way. I know I felt that for years when I ran a brick-and-mortar. I tried to run it like somebody else, but it never quite clicked. How were you able to dig yourself out of that point where you were listening to all the outside influences and you finally said, You know what? I'm done? What did that look like?

Michelle Lewis 7:46
You know, my body started rebelling against me. I remember the last TV show I worked on and I I never felt well. I would come home and I spent a lot of time in tears. I was so miserable where I was at because you know, my show had been stolen. I was doing this to pay some bills, but I was so unhappy. And my husband finally sat down and said, okay, we can't do this anymore. You can't keep going like this, what else are you gonna do you have to find something else? Well, I was also dealing with, you know, some health issues that had come up. And so I had to figure out how to make that transition and how I could step out on my own. And I think if any of us are, whether it's your brick-and-mortar, your online business, your nine-to-five job, if you're in in a similar place. My advice would be you have to really sit down and figure out okay, what, what am I believing and what and I would actually write down in a list. What are the thoughts that I do believe about myself, and how many of them originated with me, it's going to be about 5% maybe the rest are going to be other people's voices and I like to call it shattering the glass dome. I believe we've built a dome around ourselves with other people's thoughts, opinions, you know, negative statements and so you really have to have the bravery to break down that dome and build something from the ground up it's not going to be easy, it's going to be scary and I don't care if you're even going back to the same job going in with that inner confidence that you just really don't care anymore what other people have to say or what their opinion of you yet is because you not only value yourself but your health too much. I think that's what really made the difference for me.

Yong Pratt 9:27
And interesting that for a lot of people yourself included that was those low points when we are when our bodies are failing. We're getting these signs and we're ignoring them for so long. And then all of a sudden we just kind of say you know what. Where your husband was able to help you and say no. No more. You know your health is too important. You are too important. Let's figure something else out. So having people on our teams in our corner cheering for us I think is you know so critical whether that's an online biz bestie a family member, a best friend from from growing up, whatever it is having that person I think, to see us for who we are, and know that what we have inside needs to be shared. And I think your husband did do so much justice in doing that saying, look, this is it. And I love seeing him on video with you. Because seeing you guys work together is so magical because most people don't get to experience that.

Michelle Lewis 10:20
Oh, it's so fun. We have such a great time. You know, that's how we met. We met on a show and I was a stand-in and he was a camera assistant. He was laying tape marks at my feet. And, you know, I had sworn off dating anyone in the industry ever again. But you know, he's a Minnesotan, he wore me down.

Yong Pratt 10:37
So funny, these love stories I know, when you least expected. I love hearing these stories on how people meet and how things progressed. And when you thought you're going to go one way you want another. And it's kind of like business though, too, because what you think sometimes, you're going to build may look entirely differently than you imagine, always, always so much better. So let's transition into colors and why brands choose certain colors, and how we as business owners can embrace color and the psychology behind color to help us stand out and be more visible.

Michelle Lewis 11:17
Absolutely. I think that color is such an important part, if not one of the most important parts of the visual brand. And we are instructed, at least I was in the beginning. Okay, let's dig into what makes you and what you want to project. And let's choose, you know, favorite color palettes. You're going to Pinterest and you're figuring out what feels like you. And I put so much time and effort into that and launched it to crickets. And so I know a lot of us deal with that. And it's frustrating. And it can be a little bit disempowering. And I've had quite a few conversations with colleagues of mine who are like, No, no, it's my favorite color. And I'm sticking to it. I'm like, Okay, well and if you want to maybe sprinkle in a couple of posts in this color, which focuses like we'll talk about what you want your ideal client to feel, just see what happens. And wouldn't you know it within a couple months, they do an entire rebrand, and people just love it. So I think it's a really powerful strategy so that you can attract the right people.

Yong Pratt 12:19
Right? I love that. Because I think, again, we're conditioned in this in business in the world, to associate colors with certain feelings about ourselves. And you said something on your website that your brand color has nothing to do with you. And I want to dive into that. Because once we let go of the colors we like and look at colors from behind the scenes and how they can react or, or impact somebody on a subconscious level. I want to go to that place where we can talk about the psychology of colors.

Michelle Lewis 12:52
Absolutely. I think what helped me understand this was having a brand that wasn't working and knowing that I had good things to offer. So it had to be something in the branding or in the marketing strategy. So I went back to the drawing board, I went back into my film degree background what I had seen on set and I also was studying natural medicine at the time. So I was learning a lot about color frequency and which plants absorb them and where it helps people in their body. It was really fascinating. So I just came up with this chart, like okay, what if yellow meant this to someone and red meant this to someone and purple meant this to someone and I just ran with it and decided that that's why I was going to rebrand myself with blue with the support of color of yellow. And that's when things totally changed. I thought, okay, like that's a fluke, right? Okay, well, let me try teaching a couple people this and see what happens. And it kept working and working and working. And I went, Okay, we've and then I decided to research. Okay, what is BusinessDictionary.com says the definition of branding. And it said focused on the consumers mind. And that's what it really opened up from you. I went, Oh my gosh, like we've all been under, in a way this delusion that our brand color is about us. And it's not like people are wasting time and wasting 1000s of dollars hiring these branding experts putting out a brand it's about them when it's not supposed to be about them. It's supposed to be about the ideal client.

Yong Pratt 14:22
Yeah, the ideal client. The end person. The end user, focusing on that person. And we do that when we create programs. But so little thought goes into it when we pick the colors. So let's talk about your your color is blue. So let's talk about what blue means and why somebody might choose blue for a primary color.

Michelle Lewis 14:40
Absolutely. I always recommend to use blue sparingly because this industry uses a lot of blue. So if you can use another color please do it will make you stand out more. But the reason why I chose blue is because the first thing when I'm thinking about my ideal client, whether they're just starting out in their business or they're a couple years in they're usually feeling pretty tired, pretty discouraged, pretty overwhelmed. They have done a lot of research, been in a lot of courses, memberships programs, but it just hasn't worked. So in my mind, I picture my ideal client, like laying on the couch with their laptop, just like, okay, like maybe one more month. And that's it. I just can't do this anymore. And so the first thing I need them to feel is a little bit of motivation to like sit up on the couch and go, Oh, well, that's interesting. Oh, I didn't think of it like that, and feel a little bit inspired. And so that happens in the blue family blue. Technically, in film, you would call it like the intellectual color or the detached color. But for online purposes, it's very much about social media trust. That's why you see, like, for example, Grey's Anatomy. Everyone's in blue scrubs, right, it represents trust. So for me, I knew that that was going to be a great color, it resonates in the heart and lungs, and mammary glands. So for me, it just was a really great fit for people to feel that like, okay, like I can breathe, I can try this one last ditch effort and see if it works for me.

Yong Pratt 16:13
So amazing. And I really appreciate that you tie in the different glands and the different body areas, because we all feel things in different places. So knowing what that feels like and where you want your target market your audience to feel like what what emotions you want them to feel, I really like that. So let's talk about this yellow color. So this, I took your brand quiz. And yellow was the one that I got. I actually took it several times. We can talk about that later. However, the first time I took the quiz was you know that the gut reaction, I got this color. And it's a color that I've been leaning into for a while, but I haven't finally, I haven't committed fully. So now I'm totally gonna be committing to this yellow color. Let's talk about yellow and why somebody might choose a yellow color.

Michelle Lewis 16:56
Yellow is one of my favorite colors to talk about. Because it is so powerful. I have two students that I'm thinking about who have moved over to yellow and one used it in a Human Design coaching business, which totally revolutionized her brand. Her name is Tiffani. Tiffani Purdi. And then the other one, she's actually in the lounge with you young and that is Marjolein Kok. And she is a financial strategy experts. So totally different fields. But what they both really wanted to focus on was giving people that sense of hope. Giving them a look into the future that could be different than the one that they have currently. And that's what yellow is so powerful in doing. It resonates in the pineal glands. And it really helps us be able to see ourselves differently in the future. So if you are wearing yellow, have yellow in your brand color, use your students are going to know that you're leading them somewhere somewhere really amazing and transformational. So that's why it's such a strong color. And on screen, it's seen as a as the cautionary color. Which is why when you're choosing your hex codes, you do need to be careful. That's why I like your that you're wearing a little bit of like a burnt yellow. I think that's really wise, the stronger you get with yellow, the more that people are going to be like, nyah, so you do have to be a little bit careful. But it's a fantastic color.

Yong Pratt 18:19
And it's one of my favorites. It has been for a long time. So it's been fun to dive into the hex codes. And interestingly enough, when I set out in the lounge, just a couple weeks ago, I was talking to my youngest daughter, who is being homeschooled now, so she has a little extra time on her hands. I was telling her about the colors and what they signified. And you know, she knows me really well. She knows who I want to help. And she made me this mood board. And the picture she chose I thought that is exactly what I want people to feel. And it was something that I couldn't do. I tried to do it myself, but I wasn't hitting the nail on the head really with it. And you know, in a few minutes, she picked this, this beautiful image. And it's a woman out in the field of sunflowers and she's jumping looking up at the sky, very hopeful, very joyful with this, you know, beautiful green in the flowers and this blue in the sky. And I thought Yes! That is exactly what I want to convey.

Michelle Lewis 19:14
That's awesome.

Yong Pratt 19:14
Sometimes it something outside of ourselves to to, to really help us to focus. So when you are advising people on choosing colors, I know you have a brand quiz. Can you tell us about a brand quiz? I'm sorry, the color quiz. Can you tell us a little bit more about what that is?

Michelle Lewis 19:31
Yes, absolutely. I had so many people ask me Well, what's my perfect color? What's my perfect color, especially when I would speak it took up so much time and energy to try to figure out what people needed. So I sat down and I made this quiz. I recommend taking it twice. Because sometimes the first time we take it we project kind of what we think we should say. Usually the second time can be more accurate. But this quiz is designed to help you really figure out what your client needs and what color is going to be most effective in alignment with your message. There are seven options. As those are the primary light spectrum colors. People sometimes are like, Well, why isn't pink in there, and it's like, Well, technically pink is not a light spectrum color that's visually visible, both in the light in the dark. It's a whole like scientific thing. But we can always talk about what it means. If you want to reach out to me on any social platform, I'm happy to go over it with you. But it is at VisibilityVixen.com/colorquiz. And if you want to take it, you can see a pretty good barometer of what might be the best color for you that's going to support your ideal client.

Yong Pratt 20:36
And it's so good. And I literally took it three times. And so interestingly enough, those were the three colors that ended up being in this perfect image that I wanted to convey to my audience. And so my secondary now is going to be this beautiful, like a green color. And as I'm recording right now, and looking out, it's not very green right now. But I know in the springtime, it'll be a little more green. And then of course, the blue sky. So I mean, everything that I hold dear. And I know we talked about not making it about ourselves. But really my brand is about tapping into your strengths, speaking your voice, really having the motivation, the inspiration to continue on to create that future self. So when I took this, I just sat back and thought, Wow, this is so powerful. And I knew that I needed more people to hear about this, because it really is just so often overlooked. And I think like you said, it's such a crucial part of helping our ideal client to feel a certain way, helping them to understand or love themselves at a deeper level, helping them to understand that we're taking them into this, this new space. And so all these colors working together, and the possibilities, really of these colors. That's the fun part. Because just like choosing a business and doing things your own way and not following the rules, the idea of picking these colors and choosing them to help your audience I think is just so profound.

Michelle Lewis 22:01
I appreciate that so much. I think it's amazing. I think that everyone should be able to if we're in an elevator together, and someone says, hey, why is your brand color orangez? You should be able to say exactly why. And that's so empowering. And it really drives a lot behind your brand and the products you create and how you communicate with your customers. And if you need any more time to research and see if this is true, I challenge you start watching commercials, especially if you if you watch Hulu, they're very strategic with their commercial placements and color psychology. I was watching a Popeye's commercial yesterday. And I noticed like, okay, they've always had a little bit of orange in their branding, but everything was orange, like, why are they choosing the balance color, and the guy comes on. And he's like, now with our new spice blend. It's perfectly balanced. I'm like, of course. So it's really interesting to watch that, and especially the medical commercials, they have the color psychology down. So you'll really start paying attention now that I've ruined everything.

Yong Pratt 23:04
You know, that really goes back to the whole your whole Hollywood background and bringing that into business and helping business owners to tap into things that were not really so available to them. So for that I thank you so much. So once people take this quiz, what is the one step that you would recommend taking next, after they've taken the quiz to help them really start to become more visible?

Michelle Lewis 23:28
I would start polling my audience. I would start putting my two top colors on and taking selfies in them and start putting it online and seeing what people's responses are. You're going to be really surprised at what people like what they respond to. And to them, it's going to make instant sense because they already know you. they're familiar with your posting and stuff. That color is amazing on you. Oh my gosh, that color is so you and you're going, no it's not. It's like it's you like you're my ideal client, but they're gonna have an emotional response and identify you with that color. So that would be my challenge. And I hope you'll let me know how it goes.

Yong Pratt 24:05
Well, absolutely. I did that just yesterday. I was in this new space. I wore a green color. And people in my group were like, oh, that color is so amazing. And I and I've worn this sweater before it wasn't like it was something brand new. But it was fascinating to understand it from a different perspective onto why they would they would resonate with that. So yes, for all of you out there, go take Michelle's quiz. I'm going to link it up in today's show notes. Because once you are empowered with that information and you understand how you show up in the world and how you can help your audience connect with you on an emotional subconscious level with color. I think you definitely are going to want to connect with Michelle further I know that I just joined her Visibility Lounge. I'm having an awesome time really going back through sort of the foundational things and it's been so fun for me to to really think about that future self right the yellow the future self and helping my clients move into that space. So Michelle, I want to thank you so much for your time. I appreciate your wealth of knowledge, and really opening our eyes to how color can really help us become more visible in this very crowded online space.

Michelle Lewis 25:16
Thanks for having me, this has been so much fun and good luck finding your new signature brain color.

Yong Pratt 25:21
So what did you think? Are you so excited about color psychology and what it could mean for your brand? I know for me personally, understanding the rationale and the psychology behind choosing new colors has been really, really powerful. And it's been so much fun interacting with all of you inside the Arena of Awesome, my Facebook community as you vote on colors and give feedback on this new brand. Because here, Amplify Your Awesome™, we're all about making you look really good. And by choosing these new brand colors, we know it's going to attract the right people and resonate with the right people who need us in their lives. It's a pretty awesome thing to watch unfold. And be sure to stick around for next week's episode because I'm gonna take you behind the scenes and show you the messy middle of my new experiment into joining the 5 am Club. I'll catch you then. Cheers.

Yong Pratt 26:22
Thanks for tuning in, do the Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast. Let's continue this conversation inside my Facebook community, the Arena of Awesome while it's still free and open to new members. Come share your biggest takeaways and ahas. Plus, every week inside the Arena, you'll get access to me and I may even share content I don't share anywhere else. Until next time, my friend, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™!