Owning Your Image, Maximizing Your Confidence

Rachel Cossar: Everyone, and welcome to another episode of conversations in the future of work. Today, we’re talking about a fascinating nonverbal. Your style. Right? Nonverbal communication is anything that communicates a message that is not a word specifically. And so in today’s episode, owning your image and maximizing your confidence, I’m thrilled to have with us Jenny Eversoul. Jenny, over to you. Hi. Thanks, Rachel, for having me on today.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: It’s so great connecting. And there’s so much overlap in what virtual sapiens does and what style space my company does. We are in the business of personal and professional style. How we present ourselves through our clothing, through anything else according to our physical appearance. And so ultimately, we work with business professionals and individuals to help them discover their most elevated style and ultimately express who they are as an individual when you show up in a room or on a virtual camera setting, are we showing up as ourselves? And that’s what we help people to. We work with companies and individuals to help do this. Awesome. Alright.

Rachel Cossar: Let’s let’s get into it. So what are the most common pitfalls you see when it comes to people and their workplace style?

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So I would say ignoring it and not owning it, covering it up, or just not developing it, that is the most common pitfall when it comes to people’s personal style. Especially in the last 4 years as people, as workplaces have become a lot more casual, people are a little bit uncertain, a bit confused about how do I show up? And professional style used to be a big, it used to influence people so much more. You would see someone’s professional image before you would see the individual. And it has changed so much now. There’s so much more flexibility and room for personal expression in style. And so I would say people need to own what their personal style is and who they wanna reflect through this professional image and also marrying the 2, the personal and the professional together. Right. Yeah. Fascinating.

Rachel Cossar: So we’ll actually get into that in in a moment because there’s a lot of discourse out there in general about, you know, who we show up as in general at work. Right? And some of the younger generations in particular are very, much aligned with I’m showing up as my as the fullest version of my authentic self whereas older generations are like, no. Like, I have a a a different version of myself who I may be at home or with friends. And then when I show up to work, I am my professional self. Right? So we’ll get into that in a second because I just think it’s fascinating. I was gonna say one more thing about that before you jump into this question. But Oh, yeah. Go ahead.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Ultimately, when we define what our personal style is and marry it with a professional style, I know we’re gonna get more into that, but It ultimately helps us show up as the most confident authentic versions of ourselves, and that makes us more productive. It makes us engage better with people. For with the people that we work with, We have pulled them and we 82% of them say that they hesitate to turn on their cameras because they are unhappy with how they are showing up on camera. I’m sure, Rachel, you look fantastic in this interview, but would you have hesitated to turn on your camera if you didn’t put a little bit of thought and intention into dressing today?

Rachel Cossar: I’m like so I always turn on my camera, but because I always turn on my camera, I also always think about how I’m showing up, not only to external face it, like, on a talk show. Of course, I’m always thoughtful about how I show up, and how people will be perceiving me. Obviously, I’m obsessed with that. Right. But yes. I I also think and, this is actually the the the question that’s coming up next, but, like, you know, the differences between walking into a room in person versus connecting virtually. Right? But, yeah, so I do. I I always am thoughtful about the mess because sometimes I join, you know, I I look at my schedule and I have team calls or internal team calls, and I’m like, I can be a little more casual. It’s okay. Mhmm. Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: But if we, to your point, our conversation would be so different if you did not turn on your camera. It would be very awkward. I was on and you were off, and it It’s just incredibly awkward, but 82% of people are either doing this or hesitating to engage virtually because they don’t feel confident in their appearance on camera. And those things are so fixable. We have very simple tools that people can apply to to discover their personal style and to express it. Yeah. Absolutely.

Rachel Cossar: So the here’s an interesting kind of question I had. When it comes to some of those professional, virtual environments or or even in person environments. Right? Like, I think especially because of what we were discussing earlier in terms of these, like, different expectations generationally in terms of how you should show up at the office. Like, companies I and this is also kind of part of the question. Do you feel like companies have stepped back a little bit in being like I don’t know. Like, I don’t know. What, like, you wear whatever you wanna wear or, like, not, like, what happens what happens when companies are either maybe over defining what you should be wearing versus or not defining it at all? Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So we’re finding there are so many companies that are just dropping their dress code because they don’t wanna deal with it. And what that does as a result is it makes people very confused in our workshops and our programming that we do with people. The most common question we’re getting is Is it even appropriate to wear jeans in the workplace? Is it appropriate to wear sneakers with suits? Is it appropriate to wear my hair this way? And these are things that in the past, dress codes have been very extreme and limiting as far as personal expression. And post the pandemic, there’s so much more room for flexibility, but We’re coming back and these dress codes are not being redefined and open. We’re just asking our manager, for example, is this appropriate? What do you think? And every manager has a different style that they’re we’re all from different generations. As you mentioned, someone that is just entering the workplace versus someone that is closer to retirement. We are having very different ideas of what is professional, and so identifying what is appropriate is incredibly important. And that’s something that we help companies do. Okay. Right.

Rachel Cossar: Cause I feel like that topic must be a mind field for most leaders. Yes. For sure.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Well, if the especially if they don’t have a guide to reference, since they’re just going off of their own professional experience. Like, I wouldn’t wear this, but you go for it. Or I would, I don’t know, maybe be cautious about this color when really if it’s in a guide, it gives people clear expectations of what’s expected, how to thrive in this culture, and so on.

Rachel Cossar: Can you give us an example of, like, a a recent dress code that you’ve helped a company establish? Yeah. So for example, smart casual.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So what it what is smart casual? And, like, where can you for what does that mean? Does it mean jeans? Does it mean elevated slacks or casual slacks. So just defining what that is for the company culture because a lot of tech companies, for example, they are way more casual. And if you are showing up, for example, in the way that finance sectors, dressing. Yeah. It’s very inappropriate. So defining what that culture is and implementing that into the dress code. That is that’s ultimately what we’re doing for companies. Right. Okay. Yeah.

Rachel Cossar: Okay. You were gonna say something else?

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: No. So I would just say giving people the inspiration to define what their personal style is within the context of their culture and their expectations. That’s ultimately what we do as well. So Right. Right. So you would you would come in to a company.

Rachel Cossar: You would consult, like, you would start with the company values and the company environment and the company expectations, and then you could help people understand how they can kind of flourish within that. Is that the idea? Exactly. Exactly. So helping people dress professionally and personally within their cultural context. Oh my god. Everyone every company needs to have you in Jenny. I just feel like this is such It’s such a tricky topic. It is. Absolutely. Like, I remember this was pre pandemic, and I was working in a fundraising role. So I, as a, like, as a professional ballet dancer, our dress code was like leotards and tights. You know? And then I went from that to, like, working at Harvard in their fundraising department And to me, yeah, like, putting, like, jeans and, like, a t shirt on was, like, you know, like, wow. That’s, like, very dressed up compared to, like, my leotard and tights. So it was a really interesting transition. And especially in these, like, fun I remember I then moved to New England Conservatory and, like, dress code was a big part of, some of the conversations I would have with our VP because she was like, you have to be very aware of what you’re wearing with donors because you can’t just be shlepping around in, like, casual clothing when they’re wearing, like, Hermes, whatever, you know, like, but you also can’t be, like, ups, staging them. You know, like, you have to be like absolutely newer and very mindful. Yeah. It’s just like, yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Well, and it’s showing a level of respect to whoever you’re communicating with, whether that’s a client a potential donor, you you definitely have to dress that part to communicate how serious you are about your job and your role and how proficient you are at it too. If you’re coming in, dressing like, a dancer, which is super appropriate on the dance floor and Yeah. Really respectable there. However, that does not translate as well to a fundraising department. So, yeah, it’s scandalous.

Rachel Cossar: Definitely jump different departments there. Yes. Okay. So Let’s move on to this next question. We’ve touched on it a little bit already, but, like, whether you wanna talk about the benefits or the challenges or just the impact of workplace style when connecting virtually versus in person. Absolutely.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So virtual dressing is laced up and in person dressing is headed to a dressing. So in a virtual setting, you’re gonna be focusing more on the details around your face. Your face is the main focal point. So wearing expressive, for example, expressive collars, accessories. I’m pointing to my earrings right now. If anybody’s listened to this and that’s in the visual, but basically you’re focusing on the head and the shoulders and the waist up. Versus in person, you want the whole ensemble to have harmony and cohesion. So, the challenges to virtual dress code is that It can be very casual on the bottom where no one else is seeing and polished on the top. And you see it, though. You see it. You feel it. You feel either put together or not. So Yes. I always encourage people in a virtual setting whether people see your sweat pants or not, you see it. And dress for your whole look, dress stress your whole body. You’re gonna see it. You’re gonna fill it, and it will ultimately translate into how you carry yourself for the day and engage with people virtually. Yeah.

Rachel Cossar: That’s I’m I’m I’m glad to hear that. That’s that’s the advice that I usually give. It’s like no one wants to hear this, but, like, you know, yeah, like, you’re the way that the message it’s like your own it’s like your posture. Right? Like, the posture that you hold also influences the way that you feel your energy, your level of confidence. Right? It’s not just to send an impression to someone else. And so in that same way, you know. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: And with the dressing in person also, as I mentioned, it’s head to toe. Mhmm. And as I mentioned in this workplace, modern era, there’s so much more room for flexibility. So as things that become more casual, I encourage people to focus less on casual and more on the flexibility of it to allow you to integrate more of your personality into your style. Right. And, you mentioned earrings.

Rachel Cossar: I I like love earrings, like, to make sure there’s some fun, yeah, fun part of, like, that personality. But so you don’t find, like, dangle earrings or anything distracting, or do you sometimes if they’re, like, waving all over the place? What do you think about that?

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: I mean, I don’t usually go lower than an inch or so, but that’s my personal preference. That’s my personal style. Yeah. If you can rock it, do it. Yeah. If it’s gonna be distracting though, if you feel like people are going to focus on the earrings dangling back and swaying with every motion of your head. If it’s going to go in the distraction category, I would opt for something a little bit more manageable. Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. But the main in virtual, the main focus is you, your message, and everything should aid that, not compete with it. Right. That’s a really good point.

Rachel Cossar: So you’ve mentioned, and, like, we’ve talked about this a little bit personal style, workplace style, you know, some people really separate their personal cells from their workplace selves. So how do you generally discuss, like, where that line lies or if there should be a line there at all. Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So I don’t actually think there should be such a massive distinction between your personal and your workplace style. Like, bring your whole bring your whole self to work that is very much applicable with your style. And a lot of challenges I see with people is they’re distinguishing may maybe they’re still holding on to past corporate wardrobes that we’re way more formal. And they see their style as this is my work wardrobe, and this is my personal, like, on the weekend wardrobe or my evening wardrobe, but they should all be cohesive So we encourage people to build something called a capsule wardrobe or a capsule collection. So they’re basic pieces between 8 to 16 pieces that are what I consider your workhorse pieces. They’re they’re your staples. So they go with everything. They mix and match. They’re in a color palette that look great on you that are interchangeable with one another. A a challenge people have is they’re buying a lot of statement pieces that they’re the wow factor pieces, but they have too many wow factor pieces. So you need to have cohesive pieces that interchange. So that way those casual work slacks, they’re gonna work in a personal or a less formal setting and so forth. And having those basic pieces like t shirts, they’re layering pieces as well. So They’re gonna be casual and they’re also going to be professionals depending on what you pair with them. So to dress it down, you’re gonna be dressing in more sneakers or yeah. But ultimately, every time you show up, you should have an element of your personal personality in your style and yeah. Right. I was going to go a little bit more in detail about how to build your personal style just so you know how to integrate that into your professional style. Yeah. How you integrate the 2? Yeah.

Rachel Cossar: Well, I mean, I know you had mentioned that you had some thoughts about, about my style and yeah. We need to talk about that. Absolutely. Okay.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So how do you do you wanna move on to the next question? We have, what are your thoughts on distinguishing personal style? Do you wanna move on to the I think we we’re gonna talk about. Oh, I was gonna I mean, yeah, I can I can slide in? It’s okay.

Rachel Cossar: Figure out my style. Geez. Got it. Okay. I’m just wondering if I’m jumping ahead.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So not at all. Okay. Let me drink a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you want me to We’re about to get into some serious conversation about I know.

Rachel Cossar: Well, I’m nervous now.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So I’m like, god. It’s so exposed.

Rachel Cossar: But, yeah, no, let’s just let’s just go right into it here. Alright. So how do you define your personal style?

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: We’re gonna use you as an example, Rachel. So I found images in your personal Instagram account, and then I found images in your LinkedIn account. And you dress a little bit differently according to context. And I have some suggestions on how to merge the 2 together. First thing we say at stylespace is how you define your style is you think of 3 to 4 words that describe your style, and we give a whole list of things. So adjectives like classic whimsical, sporty, chic, elevated, polished, and so forth. Yeah. In the the, there’s really no limit to how many, like, how we what excuse me. There’s no limit to what your style work can be. However, you need to define it to 3 to 4 style works. Okay. Many people are challenged with this because they either do too few or way too many. And so they’re confused about their style because they have way too much or they’re just they’re not leaning into their style. So what I am seeing when I see you in a LinkedIn professional environment, whether it’s on video, is I’m seeing minimal polished classic elegant. Are those your four styles? Did I get you right? Oh, yeah. I love that. Okay. Good. So I note so when you’re defining your style, you don’t want your words to be too similar because then you have a one dimensional style. So I would classify minimal and polished to be kind of similar. The classic and element, elegant to be similar as well. So I am encouraging you, Rachel, to lean into a style word that you show up as in your personal life. And I think it relates back to you as a dancer and Uh-huh. The movements and the whimsical nature of your art. Yeah. So I recommend romantic Oh. As a third style word. Okay.

Rachel Cossar: Interesting. Because I’m seeing a lot of these whimsical or romantic.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Choose which one you want because they’re quite similar, but they’re different at the same one time. So I saw a lot of floral flowy pieces in your Instagram account, like, whether it was your wedding gown, which is so gorgeous, by the way, it looks so perfect on you. To just your going out at the beachwear to being with friends. I noticed way more romantic flowy whimsical pieces. Yeah. Okay. Interesting.

Rachel Cossar: So one one word that was coming to mind for me, and I don’t know if this is in the same vein as, like, whimsical romantic, but it was, like, more approachable, like, being approachable. I don’t know if that would help cut the I don’t think you lack approachability, though, at all in your style. I think it’s very approachable. It’s Oh, that’s good. Yeah. Absolutely.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Well, I’ve I’ve noticed you wear a lot of solid colors, minimal. I took some notes. Solid colors, minimal, and you’ll get details such as the lace on your shoulders or your neckline, and soft solid minimal colors. So I encourage you to and, also, some of your colors are a bit more conservative in your professional appearance, and it doesn’t need to be that way. So we’re gonna take a little bit more personal aspects of your style, we’re gonna throw them in. So I would encourage you to wear softer palettes. You, I would say, are a true spring. So some of those softer, like, violets and purples would look so beautiful on you. And green, of course, your hair being red, the compliment of course to red is green. So some of those soft greens would look so lovely on you. So implement more color into your wardrobe. That is Mhmm. Romantic. And also, Like, if you don’t want to do as many patterns on camera, I know that some people get fussy about patterns on camera, which I just have a really hard time following them. Hey. Interesting. Yeah. I was gonna ask specifically about that.

Rachel Cossar: Like, I try to avoid definitely stripes because I feel like I think the camera has a hard time with that. I know. Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: I find I just find camera quality has gotten so much better. And Yep. I mean, if you have subtle patterns such as like a paisley pattern or light florals. Mhmm. I think it’s fine. And or maybe implementing that through a scarf or Yep. A headband.

Rachel Cossar: If you wanna throw some kind of interest in there.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: But Yeah. You know, patterns I’m a pattern person, so it’s really I wear a lot of solid colors on camera too, but Yeah. I threw in the pop of earring, which is bright yellow, and that’s one of my colors that I absolutely love. So So I would say romantic, maybe you wanna do a floral velvet headband, like something that’s really subtle and soft or maybe a scarf or a broach broaches are not for old women there for everyone. Like, men, women, everyone. They like, a acute broach would look so lovely, or, as I mentioned, earrings Yep. Watches, details, rings. If you do a lot of gesturing, Yeah. So that’s my challenge to you is be a little bit more romantic and whimsical in your style, not just minimal polished classic and elegant. That’s a way that you’re gonna implement more of your personality into your professional style. Yes. And it’s accepted now in the workplace. That’s what I am here for.

Rachel Cossar: It’s Yes. We have so much more flexibility in how we can show up.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: And Mhmm. Kink is very appropriate in the workplace now depending on your workplace, of course, but I’d say even if you are in a more conservative environment, if you have an element of pink integrated with your suit or maybe it’s a pink in your lapel, like, popping out, there’s just a lot more acceptance and celebration of your personal style. And so your next challenge after so we’ve defined your personal style words. Yes. You’re gonna lean more to romantic whimsical. Which one? Romantic or whimsical?

Rachel Cossar: I think I would say that whimsical maybe more so than romantic. Okay. Yeah. Sounds great.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So we wanted to whimsical classic and polished or minimal.

Rachel Cossar: So take those 3 style words and put them into Pinterest.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So you’re going to want to put in romantic clap so whimsical classic, it’s minimal style women outfits. So put that into a Pinterest search, and you’re gonna come up with 100 of images that you can start pinning. Start pinning them, and you’ll get more inputs based off of those pins. And you’re going to identify, like, what those four 3 to 4 words mean for you and how you wanna show up. So it basically gives you a visual style blueprint for your aspirational style. So you’re gonna take a 100 images and then you’re gonna narrow it down to 20. And then throw it into Canva and put your Rachel’s style words or style blueprint, whimsical, classic, and polished, and then put those 20 images printed out put it visually in your closet or above your workspace just so you have a reminder, a visual reminder of what your aspirational style is. Yep. And ultimately as you start dressing this way, you start carrying yourself this way and you think this way and you ultimately become this elevated version of yourself. Mhmm. Or an elevated representation of you. I mean, you are already all of these things. It’s just Yes. How you’re presenting yourself is It it agrees. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god. I love it. Okay. I’ve written my words down.

Rachel Cossar: I’m gonna do this and then and then I’m gonna report back. But, no, I do love, I love the challenge. I think it’s really it’s a really fun one. I also just feel like everyone can relate to, like, getting, like, you know, a new wardrobe or, like, a new, like, couple of items and then you put them on and you just, like, that day you feel so much, like, more energized or excite whatever. You know? Absolutely.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: And I will say too, you do not need to get a whole wardrobe. You probably already have so many of these things in your closet. Yes. Yeah. However, you probably have to if you’re like anything if you’re, like, 80% of the population, you are only wearing 20% of your wardrobe. Uh-huh. 80% of the time. Is that right? Or are you ahead with that? You’ve already made that.

Rachel Cossar: I think I’m I’m I’m pretty equal opportunity with my stuff. The other funny thing is that, I was, I put, like, all I put, like, my entire professional wardrobe into storage during the pandemic. I know that husband and I were digital nomads for three and a half years. Okay. And so, we finally came back emptied out the storage, and I was like, wow. I have so many amazing clothes like, I be it was like going shopping in my own closet that I, like, forgot about. It was something. So I’m feeling very, like, jazzed about my closet at the moment, because a lot feels new. So it’s it feels like it’s intentionally curated.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Rachel Cossar: I mean, if it’s currently, yeah, some pieces, I was like, wow. This, like, has to go immediately. Yeah.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: If it’s not intentionally curated, like, the majority of people, I would just say start editing. If it’s If it’s not representative of those 3 to 4 aspirational style words, let it go. Or maybe you can alter it. If it doesn’t fit, for example, tailors do wonders. They can bring in pieces. They can extend pieces. Yep. Add sleeves. I once took a dress. I didn’t quite like the length. So I’m like, can you just cut off the bottom a bit and throw on some more details on my sleeves? And it’s a way for me to design your own clothes, really, with Yeah. Co design with your tailor. Right. So, yeah, so basically just edit your closet so that you can make room for the things that you love. It’s visually there for you to see. You’re not going to think overthink what should I wear. Yep. It’s gonna streamline your decision process and just make everything easier for you. And back to the style word exercise. If you enjoyed the challenge aspect of it. That’s something that we do in our workshops, for example, with companies, for example, with sales teams or women’s ERGs or Yeah. Basically ERGs. We challenge them to do this. And then afterwards, we say, okay, share this with your team. Share it with us, share it among each other and say, am I showing up this way? Just as an an additional engagement activity. Yeah. And people are really surprised at what they discover, like, from the people that see them every day and the input that they give. Yeah. Based off of what they think their style is and it’s it’s an awesome exercise. Yeah. Oh, man. That’s amazing.

Rachel Cossar: Well, thank you so much for taking the time to do that. I’m I’m excited to, you know, think about that more. Yeah. You’re most welcome. Awesome. So to wrap up, Jenny, what is the most impactful thing for our audience members to think about when it comes to owning their image?

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: So I would just say as we talked about before, just define what your style is and own it and think about the context that you’re in. But regardless of the context you’re in, whether it’s work, a play date with your kids, or a fancy event, your personality should be showing through all of your pieces, through your whole outfit ensemble. And it is the most style is the most powerful nonverbal expression tool, and you Like, that can seem daunting to someone. Like, people are judging me. I don’t wanna be judged. They don’t even know me before you even have the chance to open your mouth. However, the most empowering part of this is you have control over that narrative. Yes. You get to use this to your advantage as an expression tool of who you are and, own it. That’s awesome. I love it.

Rachel Cossar: Jenny, thank you so much for all of your insights. I mean, this is such a critical part of our experience as humans, personally, professionally, you know, all of it. So I I have found this conversation to be absolutely fascinating. Where, I mean, every company needs you and your company services. So how how can people get in touch, follow your work? Yeah. So You can always reach out to me on LinkedIn, Jenny Eversall.

Jenny (Hill) Eversole: I think I’m the only one on LinkedIn so far. Yeah, connect with me there. I’d love to start this conversation further with you or just have more people in the network. And you can go to stylespace.com and you can book a discovery call with me if you want to if you want this for your organization, or you can book a one on one styling session with one of our expert stylists and We have 50 different styling sessions to go through. So you can do hair, clothing, makeup, skin care. We have it all in style space. So but thank you, Rachel, so much for having this conversation. And for all the work you’re doing at virtual Sapiens, I’ve followed your work for a while now, and I absolutely love what you’re doing and the impact that you’re making. Awesome. Well, I appreciate that.

Rachel Cossar: And as always, thank you to our audience members for tuning in, and we’ll see you next time.