True Beauty: Image vs. Authenticity & The Power of Color with Jennifer Butler

Welcome to the Conscious Pivot Podcast with international speaker, business mentor, best selling author of Pivot, and your host, Adam Markell. The Conscious Pivot shares the stories and wisdom of people who have successfully reinvented some area of their business and personal life. You'll gain powerful insights into how you can fully embrace new opportunities, increase your performance, and master the art and science of innovation and resilience. So please join Adam as he guides you on your Conscious Pivot.

Welcome everybody. I'm so happy to be with you with another incredible episode of the Conscious Pivot podcast. And it's a beautiful day, actually, it's really cool today because the first day that we're recording a podcast in our new studio and you can see the background, we've already done a training in here. The walls are this magnificent color and it's such a perfect, perfect opportunity and a segue to the, to the individual that I get to share you with today. I get to share her with you. Who's spent the last 35 plus years helping people to live lives they love by creating a very intentional, I want to say, a process to use color in their life. How to not just with what they dress, but the colors in their home, the colors that are around them, the colors that bring them energy, that ground them, that have them feel powerful, have them feel worthy. All the, all the things that are kind of going on on the inside where we have some insecurities or we feel lack or we feel we're not entirely on purpose. And where does color play a role in our betterment, in our development? It's just magnificent. And this incredible, beautiful woman that I get to introduce to you in just a moment has been helping people in that area because most of the communication is really not even verbal. It's the things that we see and that we sense in other ways. So I am so honored to have you with us here today. And I'll say this, you've done something incredible. And I want, as my listeners know, I always ask the person on the other end to introduce themselves because it's just more fun that way. So would you be kind enough to introduce yourself in the most authentic way, meaning whatever comes up for you and however you feel and share anything at all about yourself, that would be magnificent.

Well, thank you for the invitation. I feel like in the context of knowing you now and reading your book, I would say that I am living my life's purpose. And I began really early on. I remember my story as a little girl. I was standing out in front of our house in Hibbing, Minnesota, with my mother. And I told her that she was really beautiful. And she said something to me. She said, you know, it's important to not talk like that, because beauty. What's important is beauty on the inside. And when I recall that moment, she was standing in front of a house that she designed for her six children. And the door of the house was her eye color. The brick of the house was her skin tone. And she had a romantic color, her beautiful shades of pink in the flowers. And I probably was about six years old, right? And so at that moment, I had this experience of authenticity. And then this dialogue of like, well, gee, what the inside the counts? Well, what if the inside and the outside are the same? What if they're aligned? What if the essence of what I'm experiencing of you is on the exterior of the body as well as the interior? And so that really started my life. And I was trained at Bloomingdale's. And one day a woman came up to me and she said, I'd like you to help me with my personal style. And I said, well, the coat department is over here. And she said, no, you're not hearing me. I want help with who I am and how I need to dress. And I realized, well, I don't know that answer. And that became my quest of, like, why, you know, I've spent 10 years in the fashion industry. Why do I'm not learning about who I am? And I realized, of course, the answer wasn't there. And my life's work came from living in an ashram with Muktananda. I know, right in the early 80s. And I had wanted to be married. And we had decided three days before the wedding to cancel, but we still loved each other. So I went to join him. And of course, I thought I was going to move in. And he. He dropped me at the steps of this ashram. And so Muktananda was really the person, really a spiritual teacher. My roommate moved in, and she said, I've had my colors done. And I said, well, what does that mean? And when she held them up, I realized I was experiencing who she was. And it wasn't just about what she was wearing or how she looked. I realized that the human essence lives in the way that we are created physically. Like, Mother Nature has thought of everything. And I remember my teacher used to say, we're not thrown here by mistake. There's this master design to the universe that Mother Nature has given us, and we're part of that. So as part of that There's a synchronicity to us. There's an alignment. There's a balance that directly comes from Mother Nature. So I get to be her diplomat.

So, Jennifer Butler, is it fair to say that you, quote, found yourself. I know that's a cliche. You found yourself in Bloomingdale's.

I did. Isn't that amazing?

That's a pretty funny tagline, right?

I know it is.

I found myself in Bloomingdale's.

Bloomingdale.

There would probably be a lot of men and women who would think that's a pretty cool place to find yourself.

Yeah, exactly. Or the question. Right. To lead me to find myself. And then the extreme of giving up all of fashion and living in the. This Osram. Dropping all knowledge and. You know, when I interviewed with my teacher, I was very excited because she was the originator. And when I walked in, I said, you know, I've been trained at Bloomingdale's. And I noticed that she was really quiet. And she said to me, well, you know, that's about image, and I'm about authenticity. And that really, really struck me because I realized that, you know, she's right. I was trained in image and how people should impress themselves and each other, not in who someone really was. So it's. The training for me is almost deconstructing myself and looking at the way that I was seeing myself. And was I willing to be authentic? Was I willing to be real? Was I willing to be seen as a person? Or was I still caught up in not trusting myself? And that's a really important question when you have your colors done, because I'm giving you the colors that are intrinsically your DNA map of yourself. And it would take me six hours to paint the colors. So I'm trained as a fine artist, but my background is sociology and art history. And then recently I've been studying spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica. So for me, it's been a spiritual journey.

Yeah. For all of us.

I know, right?

What other journey is there, really?

Exactly.

Interesting. Wow. Yeah. This idea. What a great dichotomy. The fact that when you're in a beautiful place like Bloomingdale's or some other magnificent store. Was that Bloomingdale's in New York or was it.

Yes, yes, it was in New York.

So I'm a native New Yorker.

Oh, I love it.

Yeah. Living in San Diego, and I wouldn't live anywhere else at the moment. I think this is the most amazing place. And at the same time, there's nothing at all Ever will ever be like New York. And that's a flagship store. That's an iconic place.

Yeah, yeah. And I was there at a very important time because designer was going into Ready to Wear. All these designs were becoming more available to the public. You know, it was a really, really important time in fashion in the 80s. So that's when I was there sort of in their heyday, and they sort of became more important than Fifth Avenue. So it was a whole kind of cultural thing that I got to experience. And then, you know, having had all that, there was this moment like, oh, is this everything? And then I got a phone call, and it would have been, let's see, in the early 80s. And this woman at the other end of the phone said, is this Jennifer Butler? And I said, yes. And she said, well, I am going to be putting together a very important meeting to world to end world hunger. I need to be dressed, and I'm wondering if you can help me. And at that point, I hadn't really done that for people, but I just found myself saying, yes, I can help you. So she flew in, and we went to 7th Avenue together. And what was amazing, I thought, okay, we'll put her in navy. You know, navy in front of 200 people is really good. It's commanding. And we couldn't find anything in that color. And what we found was her skin tone, which is the color fellowship and intimacy. And on her, it was a beautiful shade of pink. And we both looked at each other, and she said, okay, you know, guess what? I'm bringing all these hunger organizations together that have never been together before. And it set a whole new. It set the tone of the whole event just by wearing that shade of and that color. And so I was convinced after that, I said, all right, I got it. Yeah, you're absolutely right.

So it's fascinating. We were. I was on a. On a training this morning with a group on Facebook of people that are wanting to build a business that they love. They want to be in a business they love, versus sort of being in a business that you do because it's out of obligation, for example. And a mutual friend, dear mutual friend of ours, Trina. Trina Watten, was on. And she. She was commenting below about that. You know, the. I think it landed. It was pretty poignant for her that sometimes you're in a business or doing something out of obligation versus it being more of a right livelihood. And what is that? You know, what does that look like in it? So it sounds like you had a pivotal moment And I know you. You've read the book Pivot, so thank you. Oh, my goodness. And you even said to me, it was so kind of you, before we even pushed the record button that you enjoyed the book. I would love to get a sense from you of either. What was that pivotal moment for you? And I shouldn't say that, that pivotal moment, because we have pivotal moments kind of all the time. But there are some that stand out as being those moments where, like with Robert Frost and the Road Less Traveled, you know, that place in a quiet wood where there's the two roads and you choose whichever one you choose. I don't know that it's. It's romantic to choose the road less traveled by. And that's why that poem resonates, you know, deeply with people. But whatever road, whether you choose the road that's more traveled or you choose the one that's less traveled, you've got to choose the road of your. That your heart wants to travel. That, to me is the distinction. And so it's. And then there is an obligation attached to it. It doesn't sound like there's. There's that your pivot was very much a heart driven experience.

Yes.

Or a spiritual path of sorts. So would you share something about your pivot along the way?

Yeah, I feel like. Remember you talked about being a lawyer, and so my experience was in retail, and I love fashion and I loved all the shows and the glamor of it. And so I thought that's what was going to make me happy. And so I did that for 10 years. And then at the end of it said, you know, is this all there is and am I living my life's purpose? And so I would say the Hunger Project, the S. Training that I did was a pivotal moment because it was sort of asking not just what I like and what I do well, but what do I want to contribute to the planet? And so that was pivotal for me, that training and that I took in 1978. So I was sort of primed, you know, to kind of leave the fashion industry because I realized I was not living my life of contribution. And so I would say after that Hunger Project event is when I went to train to do the colors. And that would have been the pivotal moment of realizing, I think I asked myself the question of, if I'm born with an innate purpose, what is the way that I can give the biggest contribution to the planet, if that's really why I'm here? And. And it had to speak for me from, you know, from the inside, which for me was a very heartfelt question.

Would you repeat that question?

So where. Where in my life could I make the biggest contribution? If I had a life of purpose, then there, you know, I was being purposeful, but where could I make the biggest contribution? And so that's what shifted. It shifted from an inner self accomplishment and proving myself to letting go of the ego piece and listening to the greater conversation of the universe. And to me, that greater conversation is contribution and service. Right.

Yeah. And it is a letting go.

Yes, right.

Like you say, letting go of proving and letting go of ego.

It is because, you know, when I started doing the colors, I didn't have a color system. I have over 4,000 colors. So here I am, like, letting go of everything. I let go of all my jobs, and I was doing personal shopping, and then someone in the ashram wanted their colors done. And so what I did was I kind of painted everything, and then I went to shop for fabrics. So that started. And now it's over 4,000 colors, but it started at zero. And, you know, again, it was just that thing where I know that I can trust because I felt from a very deep place inside me that the universe was taking care of me.

Yeah. It's interesting. Is your sense of trust, of self trust one of the. Because the universe is taking care of you, or is it because you are the universe in many or somehow that the universe that you yourself are a trustworthy being? Yeah.

Yes. Yes. I. You know, the spirit has always been a really important part of my life. My parents, we belong to many churches, but it was all about the community and the fellowship. It wasn't about any kind of religious dogma. So I've always had a really good relationship with religion. So whenever I traveled, I would go to all the churches and give a blessing. I feel very divinely guided by the angels and the Blessed Mother. So that's been a very important part. And then it's interesting, in 1968, I went to India. I was there with the experiment in international living. So that would be another important piece. Right?

Tell us about that.

Well, it was. I was living with an Indian family, so I had, like. And I wanted to be kind of this ambassador of the country and become part of the community. And, you know, that was interesting because in India, they want to know about you as a United States citizen. I was trying to become one of them, and they wanted to know more about me in my role in the United States. But I loved living with the family, and it just taught me about the universality of everything. And we would go to a community event in India, and then they would want us to sing an American song. And we would sing, remember this song from King and I getting to know you. They would just love us kind of representing our own community. And of course, they wanted to know, like, why people were living together and what was happening with our culture. And they loved Kennedy at the time. You know, it was a very. It was a good time of very good relations and mutual admiration.

Yes.

Because I love. To me, it's a very feminine country. And everything. Every. Every time you turn around, it's of spirit. So, you know, and the beauty and the colors there have always. In fact, I'm wearing an outfit from India right. Right now.

And when you say it's a feminine country, I'm curious about that. And you know what? I remember before we turned on the recording, you were sharing a little bit about the colors you're wearing and why you're wearing them. And I want folks to hear that, since that wasn't.

Well, I think in India, because there's so many people, you have to have an allowing of space. And because I was there in 1968, so it wasn't cleaned up in any shape or form. You know, it was in more of its raw form. And so you had to have compassion for people because they were all around you. They had nothing. And you had to create community instantly because it was so crowded. And so there was more of a. I want to say, a softening, allowing, a sense of forgiveness, a sense of compassion is what I came home with. And because we were. Went to a lot of spiritual gatherings, maybe it's because of what I was drawn to. Right. I came away thinking of. And I got to hear Indira Gandhi speak. So for me, it was all about peace, interrelatedness, international understanding, worldwide community. So that was instilled in me in a very crucial time in my life.

Yeah. And from. And how did that inform, do you think, the decision that you ultimately made to work with colors in the way that you do to help people transform not just their environment, their outer environment, but really their inner environment? It sounds very much like that's the environment that you work in more than anything else.

You're right. I feel like that beauty, to me, is a spiritual principle. That's my mission. And I realized, because I work directly with Mother Nature's energy and how it lives in people, to me, that's a very divine experience. It's sort of like a ritual of connecting yourself back to back to the bigger nature of Mother Nature and her template and how she lives her life in flow and balance and harmony. And so, because I had to learn that fundamental in my work, it's really how I do a palette is what is the essential nature of this person? So it's not how they look to me. It's the sacred geometry of their design, and it's their innate inner energy. Because a lot of people try to mask who they are. Right. They try to be something different. And so I can't go by that. I can't really go by what they like. And remember, we're attracted to the opposite. And so I thought, okay, I've got a reach in. So I have to reach into my own inner nature to have that stability within me to see through someone's disguise, let's say. Right? And so that's my work. And it's always very humbling because I can't make up that you look like somebody else, because then I'm not seeing you. So it's this moment of always going inside, always being in the moment with the person and myself. And then, you know, kind of the human pigment is this earthly record of our human experience. Right. I wouldn't see you without the pigment of your skin. Right. The pigment of your eyebrows, the pigment of your eyes that creates you in physical form. So if spirit lives there, then I'm experiencing an energetic exchange, and that's how I'm doing a palette. Right. So it's a surrendering, I guess I want to say.

Yeah, and the surrender is you surrendering judgment. What is it you're surrendering?

Definitely judgment. I think in spiritual psychology, that's what we looked at a lot at, is that essence lives in unconditional loving. So if I'm holding judgment in some way. Right. If I say, will you to you? Well, I don't really like my skin tone. I wanted pink skin, and my skin is peach. Well, my skin tone is my self love. Right. So right there, I've tried to detach myself from who I am. So the reason the work is important is you really come to terms with honoring your own creation and realizing that your physical design is one with your essence, and that's one with why you're on the planet. Right. Where you're physically designed to do your work as a teacher. Right? Yeah. And so the psychology of color, what we were talking about is that today I'm wearing my support color. So when I do a color palette, there's this whole range of colors that we give you. So the Support color is the color I wear to be there for other people. And then I'm wearing my eye color, the gold, which is the mirror of the soul and balancing in nature. So what for you as a trainer, you'll say, well, what is my basic intention on the first day of this training? Is it to have people feel comfortable? Is it to have people feel challenged? Am I kind of balancing the room? Then? It might be your eye color, right? At some point, it might be your power color, because you have a really important message to get across, and you want to have that sense of authority in the room that's a power color. So there's a whole range we give you to get your message across.

Yes.

Yeah.

And what's. Describe a little bit what that process is, like, how it is that you create that palette for people.

First of all, I'm trained to paint it. So when you train, when you paint something, you get to the very core combination of colors that create the skin tone. So let's say your eyes are in the golden brown family, and you say to me, well, my skin is olive. Well, part of olive is combining gold with purple. And then your skin tone shows up. So I have a whole class that Trina just did. Right. It's about painting your own skin tone and then going to the museum and recognizing it and then practicing it in what you wear. Because every day we get dressed and have an intention in the world. Right. So while we were talking about the. The walls of your office, the intention is. And to me, I'm seeing kind of an orangey amber color. So the intention is from the root chakra. Right. Which is power, and yet the amber tone of it is knowledge. So power. And knowledge is what you've created as the baseline of your. Of your training with your staff and whoever you bring into that office. It's, I think, a lot of when you have to pivot, there's that certain alignment, but there's a certain motivation, there's a certain power that has to come from within a very base part of you to get you motivated. Right. And to be willing to make that shift. And you're shifting emotionally, as you said. Right? I'm shifting psychologically, but it definitely is a pivot. And I feel the reason your book is so timely for me is that I'm making a new shift because I work with people privately, but now how do I get this message out internationally? I have people right now who fly from all over the world to see me, but how do I get. So we have now teaching Modules that we have created for people. And this is a way that. It's a template that I followed to teach people and a lot of people understand by contrast. So if I say to you, okay, here's your skin tone, here's a skin tone that's too dull, here's your skin tone, here's a skin tone that's too bright, then what happens is the mind and the body and the visual attunement catch on. But they catch on through contrast, right? It's like the before and the before and after. They're so powerful.

And you spoke earlier about something that's really important to me, which is the. Important to me personally, but important as the sort of the most important thing that I want to teach or to help people with. So the most important thing, the core for me is self love. That people will. That everything, all roads will lead there. And to the extent that. Let me scratch that. That's an old lawyer expression I actually, actually really despise.

It's okay.

So it just came out of my mouth.

I have five brothers and some of them are lawyers, so I appreciate it.

It's sort of a filler. And I just realized as that was coming out of my mouth that it was, it was filling space and I didn't need to fill space. So.

Okay.

Self love. What can you say about colors and self love and how the work that you do with people helps them to experience some greater understanding of their self of self love?

Well, I think it's fundamentally what happens out of the work. So one thing we have to look at is the mind is constantly stimulated. After you get yourself together for the few minutes in the morning, then you're open to all these stimulations outside of you and particularly in this country with the media and the Internet, right. There's such a strong stimulus, so there's a strong pull to go outside ourselves for the answer. And of course, you and I know that the answer is never outside ourselves. It's always within. So that's. That's fundamental to this work is that sense of self love. That you're going to wear your skin tone to love yourself, that you're going to wear your passion color to celebrate life, that you're going to wear your basic neutrals that are the foundation of who you are. So there's a. It's a kind of a turnabout because the world lives by being attracted to its opposite polarity. Right? It lives in that polarity. And so given that polarity, I have to bring myself home. So when I realized when I had my colors done, I thought, you know, why didn't I figure this out? I had 10 years in the fashion industry and all this opportunity, if anybody, I should have been the one who gotten it right. But when I looked at my closet, there was my whole family's colors in there and all of my friends. There was none of me. And I finally.

So were those the opposites? Is that what that was?

Yeah, they were the opposite. And there was my physical proof. So when, when someone says there's a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear, there probably isn't. Right. Because we bought that. We bought into the attraction. We bought into, oh, it's better over here opposite of me than it is to myself. So there's this core self trust that has to show up. A commitment to yourself to do my work, because I'm going to give you yourself. And then there's this gap like, oh, you gave me green. I don't really like green. That's my eye color. But green is the power of money and green is your power of negotiation. So there's this shift, shift in your self talk that has to happen. Like, number one, I'm committed to myself first. Right. That's what I had to say. Well, gee, why? I have to be my own home base. I have to come home to myself. I have to arrive at my own door looking in my own mirror and smile at my own self. Welcome myself to myself. And so when I make that choice as a fundamental choice to be who I am, a fundamental choice to be self nurturing and self loving, that I'm okay exactly as I am, I don't need to prove anything and you don't need to be anybody else all of a sudden and saying, wow, I really love my purple. I really feel good in this color. I feel like I can settle down. I feel I can be there for others. So a new conversation begins.

So the purple isn't a color that you're attracted to as you're wearing it. It's a color that's you.

Yes.

And so it's not a polarity. This is what's, what's the opposite of that? What would be the word to describe how you would describe it not being polarity but being a truth. Is it?

Yeah, a truth. Authenticity, I would say. Right. I'm committed to my own authenticity and I, I really trust that how I've been created this, you know, like the universe always didn't stop at my door and say, well, everybody's going to be beautiful.

But You, Jennifer, you know, beautiful, Beautiful, beautiful. Not beautiful.

I know, right, exactly. So, you know, I drew. Drew the bad card or something. And that's not true. I mean, really, when we say it, it's kind of a funny statement to even make about ourselves. So if I know that. That the universe created me with divine inspiration, then what is that really like? Like, right. So it's this inquiry. It's like this fun game that I can play. Like, oh, okay. So within that, I can be all these different parts of myself. Right. I can be on my first date wearing my skin tone. I can be with on stage wearing my power color. I can be with someone I love and celebrate their birthday in my shade of red. So it's all about wearing my own coloring to celebrate who I am and then celebrate the world around me. And that's what I love, that dressing with intention. Because I'm saying, well, how do I need to be today on screen with you? I said, well, I want to be supportive, and I really want to wear something that represents either my hair color, which would be like silver jewelry with purple, but my eye color is related more to your eye color. Right. So when I saw your picture, I said, what would be relatable to you? Isn't that fun?

That is fun.

Yeah. Wow. It's a whole new language of being. Realizing the color is an access to being who you are.

Yes. And it's the intentionality that's so among the things that are so powerful.

Yes.

Right?

Yes. I want to say something else about my life's work, because I grew up in a brother of five brothers. Five brothers. And I was the only girl, or am the only girl. Three brothers are older and two are younger. So I was definitely the harmonizer. So I didn't really think of myself as, okay, I'm gonna be out in the world. I'm gonna be a presenter. I'm gonna really own my power. It was the opposite of that. And so when I had my colors done and I was told I was a winter, I thought, well, that's not really good news. That's really being out there. You know, it's high profile. It's being the hero is the man. It's being the. The heroine is the woman and the priestess and really powerful in my own right and dressing in these vivid colors. And so I had to come to terms with that. But once I did, it didn't help me inform my gift. Right. Because I wasn't trying to hide out in any other place.

Right. And you. You described it as A season as well, which you haven't said so far yet, and I know. So would you share a little bit bit about where the seasons come into play?

Well, I'd like to share the inner light, because that's my love story about Mother Nature. So she's given us this love story, and it's like a fairy tale. So in spring, the spring archetype exudes the sunlight. And the sunlight archetype is really our country on a good day, right? We're the cheerleaders of the universe. We're the youth culture. We're, you know, we're really about inspiration and upliftment and the simple solution. Then we move to. And so the process is the process of renewal. Then we move to. Mother Nature moves to her sustaining energy, and that's summer, and that's people who are lit within by the twilight energy. So it's inner light. It's an inner light that comes alive when you're wearing your coloring. So that's the agreement you have with the universe after we're Maya coloring and then your lip from within. And the twilight is all about softness. Receiving the intensity of the heat fades the color. And so it's almost like the English mist, right? The fairy tale of the gentleman and the princess and the lady. It's really true. It's really alive in us. And then after we have the sustaining energy, we move to the harvest of autumn. The autumn is lit from within, from the fire, the firelight, to get that fire going, to have the crops harvested, right? So it's an energy of harvest and abundance and leadership and manifestation and appreciation and thanksgiving. And then we move to. I think you might be the same as me. We appreciate mastery. We always are. Learning that nobody else cares about perfection except us. And one of our life lessons. And the winter man is the hero, and the winter woman is the priestess. And we are lit by the moon. We're the inner mystics, right? So we have this power of really looking within ourselves. We're naturally in a more meditative state. That's why meditation every day is so important for us, right? Because we go to that stillness within where our power resides, where everybody power resides. But it's a very strong conversation because the moon is at a distance from the earth. So it's sort of this advisor, but at a distance, carrying the big vision. So that's the story. We have this creation of spring, the sunlight, the sustaining energy of summer, the twilight, the manifesting of autumn and abundance in the fire. And then the moon, the inner moonlight. And so when you reside in your zone, right in your archetype, in your tribe, and it's my rite of passage, then I'm all seasoned. Right. In the human experience. You could relate to everything I said, but my rite of passage. And really what I'm in charge of on the planet is the moon energy.

So.

And I, you know, that's what I have need to own in order to be authentic.

Mmm. Residing in your zone.

Yes. Right.

That's. That's your. That's your zone of greatness. That's the zone of authenticity.

That's my zone of contribution and service.

That.

Right.

Oh, my goodness.

And so when someone knows they're a spring, they realize I'm a cheerleader. My job is to bring joy and simplicity to any situation. The summer is. I want people to appreciate the process of life and slowing down and having this deeper, softer listening for each other. And the autumn is teaching us all about, like, gee, there's a win win in the world. We can all have it. There's an abundance for everybody. So, you know, we're teachers in every season. But it's sort of like if I tried to be the spring template, it wouldn't be authentic. But what's interesting in my family dynamic is that's how I was raised. Because my mother lives in heaven now. Looking down at us today, Ms. Maxine, and she's the spring. Right. So I was trained by somebody to be somebody that I wasn't because we always pattern ourselves after our. The men after our father and the women after our mother. So the colors was so important to bring me home to myself. There's lots of psychology in this work as well.

And the winter you were summarizing. And the winter is.

Yes, the winter archetype. We call the man the hero. Right. And the woman the priestess. The love of perfection, but the love of mastery. It's like the master teachers are winters. We look at the bigger view like in the new year. Right. We're ending the new year. So what did we learn right this year? And how do we want to be in the next year? Yes, that's kind of our. On our watch is who do we want to be in the world right now?

This is a much bigger topic, so we won't take on this one. I'm just curious how much. How much does the time of year that you're born, you know, the. The astrological component play a role? And then, you know, my dad studies the. I think it's the nine star key. There's so many different ways to look at when you're born and all that kind of thing. You know, year and that sort of thing. But how much does that play a role in those seasons? So.

Yeah, I'm born in June. I'm born on June 18, but I'm still a winter.

So you're a Gemini? Yes, my daughter Chelsea is a Gemini, so I know that sign well. I'm a Pisces. I'm born in March.

Okay. So I feel like there's a bigger part of the astrology that I don't know yet that connects us to our season. But I don't think it's the main one, because we've asked number of people I have asked that through the years. I wanted to know the astrology because I know it relates in some way, but we haven't discovered the tie in yet.

Beautiful.

Because I appreciate it's all a pattern. Right. Astrology is a pattern of the stars and how they inform energy, and so is mother Nature. So I feel we're very aligned, but I don't know the dynamic of that yet.

Now, the clothing that we wear, how we clothe ourselves, that's the prime. Is that the prime? That's your primary, right?

Yes, it's the clothing we wear. But also I do a lot of interiors and wardrobing and shopping for people. So it's a whole. It's telling the whole story. So someone leaves fully empowered and. But the color is fundamental. That's the first thing. And then from there, we. We work on the design. So the sacred geometry of the design. So I want to show something because we can see it if you look at the length of your face, where you have your shirt unbuttoned, if you go from the shoulder, like where your neckline is right up here, right here to where your shirt is unbuttoned. Right. That's about your head length.

Wow.

And so that's what we call mirroring. So the geometry of the work takes a sacred geometry of how your face is designed and your features and learns and you learn how to repeat it. So for the guys, your jawline, for example, shapes the collar, the shirt collar you have on. So the jawline comes from right from here to here. Right. And then we repeat it right where the neck meets the shoulder on down. So you can see the points of your collar could be a little lower. Right. You could say. Can you see that for yourself?

I can, yes.

Yeah, yeah. So then what happens is what we call congruency. And when you're aligned with yourself, you offer me that alignment Right. So you're dressing in a way as a contribution to others. Because if I'm missing myself, then you're trying to figure me out. Right. And then you're trying to say, well, is this woman for real?

Yes.

Right. Is this guy for real? Is what he has to say, you know, knowledgeable. Is it, is it, is it truthful? And you can get that, that I'm being truthful because I'm dressed in my own design.

So your congruence will allow another person the opportunity to be more present with you and potentially with themselves. With themselves. Because you're mirroring for them either one or the other. Whether if you're mirroring for them that it's. Something's off.

Right.

It only brings up. Or you're saying it will help them either to feel more aligned themselves or to feel less aligned by what they see in another person.

Well. Or to realize they are out of alignment with themselves.

Interesting. So it triggers, it'll trigger something.

Right. So if they say, for example, in your level of self esteem you do not feel powerful, let's say that's your issue. And you don't. You want to feel more powerful in the world. So if you were to go shopping, you would buy something that's probably too strong for you because you feel inadequate.

At some level because you're overcompensating.

Yes, you're overcompensating. So then everything is way too bright and too strong. Right. Or let's say the other. Let's take the other case where you feel, oh my God, I'm way too strong for people. I have to really tone myself down. Then you're going to go shopping for yourself and buy something that's way too dull. So what we do is bring you in harmony and saying everything is just okay the way it is. And so how do you mirror that back to yourself and in turn add harmony and balance to the universe?

Jennifer. Oh my goodness. Okay, so it looks like the, the Internet may have gone out just a little bit.

Yes, a little bit there.

We'll edit around that. That's not a problem.

Okay.

Yeah, terrific. So here's what I would love to do. We'll pick up right where we left off. And. And it's so funny, I just looked at your website and when you were talking earlier, I wrote down true colors that I did find truth inside that. The colors are such a big part of that. I'll say this. Oftentimes it's my wife who will shop for me and she buys me things that I Wouldn't necessarily, you know, buy myself. And, you know, I take. So when you try on clothes, when you see yourself in clothes, Right. Is your instinct usually the right instinct, or is it usually that. It's not necessarily, you know, that accurate.

You know, for me, I know this is strange because it looks like I'm looking at a visual, but for me, I train myself to look from the inside out. And usually when we put something on, we're reacting. And what I've trained people to do is respond. So you might say, okay, does this collar mirror my jawline? Does this color add. Does this color enhance me? Does it make me look alive? Right. So you ask yourself these questions because we're sort of like, I want to be comfortable and I want what's on sale. Right? That's our criteria. So we have to come at it from different place. Right. A different level of intelligence, which is, does this color make me look alive? You know, does the shape of this collar mirror my face? Right. Like I'm looking at your watch. Look, can you see I'm looking at your watch right now? So if you said to me, I need a new watch, I was able to buy an oval or rectangular watch. Like the pendant you have on. You have a rectangular pendant on.

Yes.

And that's matching the length of your face. Long equals long.

I'm asked about that pendant so often over the last eight, nine years. I mean, anywhere in the world that I've been, people have asked about that. They've inquired.

Exactly.

Use the word inform, which is in the word information. Right. So it's. To be informed is so important so that you can respond versus react. I love this. This amazing book which every opportunity I get, our. Our listeners know for sure. I'm going to say it again until. Until everybody gets this book and reads this book. It's the Presence Process by Michael Brown. It's a beautiful book about that. In many, among other distinctions and things that are really informative in that book is why where. And where we react versus respond, where we're in reaction and what that is, that's producing reaction versus.

I think what we're. You're learning to do is really be present with yourself. Right. With this work. Right. Because I'm giving you the colors that present you to yourself as you really are. And so when you're shopping, you're saying, okay, let me presence myself with myself. And is what I'm. Is my choice an honoring choice? Is it honor my coloring? Does it honor my strength? Does it honor, you know, my authenticity?

Is It a representation of my true self.

Yes.

And because those words get tossed around, those terms are used, and people don't often know exactly what that is. What does it look like to be in my true self? And the only thing I've come up with is that when we're caring for ourselves, when we are giving ourselves unconditional self care, unconditional attention, that's an act of self love.

Yes.

And in that moment. Yeah. What does self love and self care look like in terms of the clothing that we adorn ourselves with or the colors of the environment that we're in? And I think the. The thing that I would like folks to take away, among every other amazing thing that you said, is the intentionality piece. That idea that this is an intention. It's not a lucky group of people that get it. Like rich people get to have it, but poor people don't. Or people that some have more educational, more advantages, get to have that and others don't. This is a very level playing field. Yes, it is, but it is being informed about something that we're otherwise uninformed about. And so this is a part of that journey of discovery and being curious and not just sort of settling for what is or what's been shared with us or modeled by our parents or peers or what have you.

Yes, yes. Bringing your home to yourself instead of following the image or the dictates of other people or how it should be or, you know, even what's appropriate. What's appropriate is you or the media owning your own self.

What we are marketed, since the time that we're so very young, that this is what beauty is supposed to look like. This is what a woman is supposed to look like, what a man supposed to look like, what success looks like or whatever. Right. So it's a very personal inquiry. I would love it for people to be able to find out more about you so that they can inquire in themselves and have assistance to do it. Because this is your gift. This is your. This is your special contribution. Right. It seems like it became your dharma to do this.

Yes, definitely.

Right. But in the best way. It's not a. A duty, but a privilege to do it.

Yes. My seva. I think. Let's see. My website is jenniferbutlercolor.com and there's so much free information. There's a place on there where you can actually take a quiz. There's this free slideshow with music to work out your season. Obviously, we have people that come in from all over the world to work with me privately. But we have amazing classes and. And then we've developed this online program which is the seven principles of design. So I don't know if you can see. This is the book.

Would you hold it? Reinventing your style.

So what it does is it takes pictures from mother Nature and the seven principles give you these tools of how to dress as yourself. So there's an exercise in how much texture you can wear and how much design and proportion and scale and all of these wonderful things that you and I would recognize in great works of art. Now we get to apply them to us. And then also we have the true beauty movement. This is my affirmation card, and it says, in my life, getting dressed is a spiritual experience because I believe that my presentation is an extension of my Soul. Here are 10 principles I live by. I invite you to embrace them. Make them your own. And so that's on the website as well.

The affirmations.

Yeah, yeah. It's really about a declaration of self. Right.

Magnificent. Well, I saw the website. I thought these are incredible resources. So those that could work with you and would love to either work with you privately or to attend a class or just take, you know, advantage of those resources that are right there that are, you know, for anybody. And such a generous offering. So, Jennifer, thank you again. Say the website one more time. It's Jennifer Butler.

Jennifer Butler.

Colors, Color. Got it. Is color with the color noise. Beautiful. Yeah. Fantastic. In fact, you know what? Well, I just want to be sure of it. So I'm going to take a look right now. Yes, just. Jenniferbutlercolor.com Perfect. Make sure we get that right.

And.

And we'll let our folks know as well. Is there a ritual or a practice? This is how we always finish up with one thing that sustains you because, of course, you're a human being. And like every other human being, you have your challenges and you have your moments of whatever those moments look like.

Yeah. Now I would say definitely the meditation for me, which is daily. And then I also do Kundalini yoga. I love it because, you know, we get up and we dance and we yell and it's just such a good combination. And the breathing, it really lets me let go of things and begin my day newly and really have my connection with the divine and with spirit that I just, you know, cherish and. Which is the fundamental to my life. So I would say the meditation and the yoga, which of course you said the exercise, you know, and I've just. This is my seventh, seventieth year on the planet. And, you know, I feel even younger and younger in spirit because I know the spirit is eternal within me. And so that's really what I want to pass on to anybody who's listening. It only gets better and better. And I just appreciate you and the book you've written. It's definitely changed my life. And I'm looking forward to meeting you in purpose and person and doing one of your courses as well.

Looking forward to collaborating. I've already got the wheels in my brain are already spinning and thinking how many of our students, how many of the people that we are working with would benefit from what you're informing people about. And this is so beautiful. So, Jennifer, you've been a magnificent person to have on our podcast. So thank you so much for your just who you are.

Yes, thank you for who you are and for the invitation. Really appreciate it.

A pleasure. So for everybody that's listening, watching and listening, maybe even definitely a spectacular podcast. So, I mean, it's just opening up a whole nother vista for how it is that you can care for yourself and be the recipient of yourself, of self love, which then produces self trust. And to walk in the world with full trust in yourself and trust in spirit, to be in spirit. And you are, we're all divine. And in your 70th year, you are out picturing quite a spirit. So what a blessing. And for everybody, as a reminder, when you wake up tomorrow, and I pray and I give thanks for are waking up, for me personally to wake up, and for all of you too, because we know that the physical waking is a gift. It's a blessing. The metaphoric waking is our journey. And in that moment, when you take your first conscious breath, acknowledge and be aware that in that moment, there are people taking their last breath in this physical body on this planet. And so it is truly a sacred moment. It's a sacred day, as they all are. And so with whatever's going on, no matter whether you love it or you don't, you get to make a choice in that moment to love yourself fully, to love your life. So wake up, be in gratitude, stand up, put your feet on the floor and say, or think at least I love my life. I love my life. Love my life. You all have a beautiful, amazing rest of your day, wherever you are, and we'll see you very soon. And of course, if you haven't yet subscribed to the Conscious Pivot podcast so you can hear all the episodes, go ahead and subscribe. And if you are a Pivoter, you know what I mean? You are making some changes, and maybe some changes are around you and you don't know quite what to do with them. Then join our community on Facebook startmypivot Community there's so many people just like you who are reinventing things in their life, who are pivoting or being very courageous and very vulnerable. And there's incredible support for you in the StartMyPivot community. So we'll see you very, very soon. For now, I'll say ciao.

Thanks for listening, everyone. We hope you now have the tools and greater insights to navigate your own pivot. You help us inspire others by sharing this episode and leaving your comments over@admarkelle.com podcasts for more tips, strategies and support as you consciously pivot into a new business and lifestyle you love. Join our Pivot Community on facebook@pivotfb.com.