The Psychology of Colour in the Workplace with Shirley Philips

This is the transcript of The Refreshing Leadership Podcast episode: The Psychology of Colour in the Workplace - with Shirley Phillips, published on 9th March 2026.

Welcome back to the Executive Coach podcast. I am delighted to have Shirley back with me today from House of Colour. We are going to be talking all things colour, identity, and relating that to leadership shifts and the workplace - getting into a bit more of the psychology of colour when it comes to our identities and those shifts.

Shirley, absolute delight to have you back on the podcast.

Shirley: Thank you for having me talk about something I'm absolutely passionate about, Maya. It's great.

How colour and style support career transitions

Maya: Let's think about the workplace. Some of my listeners and clients might be in big transition moments - returning from maternity or parental leave, or stepping into a bigger leadership role. How can colour and style support those shifts?

Shirley: It can help you be more confident in who you are. It can also give you the tools to add a little bit more impact to your look. If you're in a situation where you need gravitas or to project authority, there are things within our clothing that we can use to up our game and actually give that message. It's subliminal - people don't know they're picking up on it - but it very much adds impact and allows people to relate to you in a really good way. You're not just being the best, most authentic version of you, you're also carrying a little bit of authority with that look.

Maya: And I think this is where there are going to be differences - demographic ones. I was just having a conversation with a cardiologist who said she's a brown woman and the only brown female amongst about 20 or 30 white male doctors. She feels there is an element of assumed authority for them which is not given to her, so she has to work for it. In that context, I guess it could be helpful to think about how you dress?

Shirley: Yes. But also it's about not allowing ourselves to be our own self-sabotaging influence. Sometimes we can create doubts in our own mind. So sometimes it's about stepping into the confidence of who you are and what you're about, and not worrying too much about what other people are thinking. If you know your stuff and you know you're good, then it's about having that confidence.

That inner confidence permeates outwards and can be a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you are stepping out in your confident self, you find that people react to the way you are presenting yourself. So it can be a two-way thing.

Maya: Absolutely. And certainly that's what I work with - both parts of the process. But I don't want to ignore the fact that there is feedback people receive from the system, and that feedback can impact your confidence. So what's within our control? And perhaps stepping into the colour and style piece could be one thing in our control.

Shirley: Absolutely. Colour and style is about confidently being the best version of you, and that affects your inner confidence levels but also how you're perceived. Because if you're wearing colour confidently, there are very few people in the world who do that. So if you're wearing colour confidently, that can set you apart for the right reasons as well.

Dressing for the next level

Maya: When you are taking that upward step into a more senior role, are there any specific things you might have in mind for what to dial up? Often I'm working with people who are either going for a promotion and want to be seen differently ahead of time, or they've just landed it and want to create a bit of a shift. I can see you're smiling, so maybe you've got some ideas.

Shirley: Being the authentic version of you in any of those situations is always going to be the trump card. When your clothes are actually reflecting who you are on the inside - the best version of you - that comes with authenticity and credibility. It means that when people have any dealings with you, they get that consistency and understand exactly what they're getting whenever they deal with you.

For me, the key in any of those circumstances is doing some real self-reflection on how you want to be perceived. When we do a style class, we talk about personal brand and how you want to be perceived. Actually doing some deep work on that, and then making sure your wardrobe reflects it, is absolutely the game changer in each of those situations.

Maya: You're making me think about when I was at KPMG - once people got to partner level, they suddenly had a new wardrobe. That must have been the moment they were getting their colour consultant and their stylist in. So there is a really close link here. If you've just bagged that promotion or whatever it might be, that's your invitation, your moment to go and get this work done with House of Colour. It's a nice transition that can boost your confidence in that visual way, beyond some of the more cognitive and traditional routes.

Shirley: I've had clients who are absolutely certain that they were promoted because they went through the House of Colour journey. They started showing up with credibility and authenticity. And sometimes even when they weren't going for promotion, they've suddenly been noticed by senior management - because they're standing out for the right reasons, dealing with people more confidently, and stepping into their own superpower. That then allows the promotion to happen. So it can be either as a result of a promotion, or if somebody wants to be a bit more visible in the workplace, colour and style is definitely the way to go.

Maya: Absolutely. And I can only imagine that's the case, because I've talked here quite frequently about how when you're going for those promotions, you think it's all about the hard work, the output, the task delivery. But when you actually step inside the mindset - because I do a lot of 360 interviews, looking at perceptions all the way around - it's amazing how much the visual matters.

Often people responsible for those decisions have very limited interaction with some individuals. So the visual really matters and is an often-overlooked piece of the puzzle. I've told the story before about when I asked my partner quite early on - he was partner of the team - what my chances were for the associate director role. I was expecting feedback about the output of my work and what I could do to bring in more business. And the feedback was all visual. It was about how I was hunched at my desk and how I was holding back in meetings. Nothing to do with output. So this is why what you're talking about is really important. Why not lean into our more authentic selves, find colour that brings us joy, and therefore have more impact and be more visible in a positive way in the workplace?

Shirley: Research does suggest that only 5% of somebody's first impression of you is actually the words that come out of your mouth. So you can imagine for me as a lawyer, having spent seven years learning the craft and learning all this legal content, to come out the other side and find that only 5% of what I was doing was down to what was coming out of my mouth - and the rest was down to the visual, your tone, your confidence, your stance. It did make me wonder: why on earth do we not teach our professionals how important the visuals are, and how important confidence, intonation, and all those things are as well? Because ultimately in any profession, in any job, you're dealing with people.

And people buy people, people trust people. It is about building trust and building those relationships. When somebody is their most authentic self, it lends itself to easier rapport building in all those circumstances.

Maya: I've heard versions of that. There's the body language stat - I've heard that when you're talking, only 8% is about what you say and the rest is body language. And then a refinement of that is that this particularly applies when there's no cohesion, alignment, or consistency. So if there's a disconnect between the words coming out of your mouth and the rest of you - body language, how you've put yourself together - then it's only 5% or 8%. But if all of it feels very cohesive and aligned, people can actually focus on what you're saying.

Shirley: And that's why it's so important to make sure that what is visual is reflective of who you are and what's going to be coming out of your mouth. Because if there is that consistency and congruence, that builds trust and allows people to really connect with who you are.

Colour and style off duty

Maya: I was wondering if we could move a bit to the off-duty side, because I often imagine that people are listening to this on their walks or when they're a little bit more off duty. When you're not in your workplace outfits, sometimes the more relaxed version of you can go unloved or unnoticed - the school pickup, the dog walk, those sorts of things. What would you say for my leaders who are thinking about that part of their lives as well?

Shirley: We do cover that in the style class. We look at all the different aspects of your life, and it's about being consistently you throughout them, but being appropriate for the activity you're doing. When I go out with the dog, I look like a scruff - but I'm the best version of a scruff I can be because I'm in the right colours and the right style for me. I'm still off duty, but still authentically me.

Maya: Yes, and this is where I get a little bit stuck. I sort of tend to start from the position that off duty has to be very functional and very comfortable, and style doesn't necessarily come into it. How do you reconcile that?

Shirley: You can often do both. Comfort is different for different people. It might be about certain materials or fabrics that make you feel comfortable. But what's interesting is that depending on your style profile, your sense of what comfort means to you is actually quite different. If you've got a lot of natural in you, you'll want something looser and more free-flowing. Whereas someone who's got more classic in them is always going to want some structure going on, whether it's a day on or a day off.

Maya: Okay, so you've now introduced some more terms - natural, classic. Are there any others we should be aware of?

Shirley: There's drama. Some people have drama in their clothing personality and need big, bold statement pieces, asymmetry, and a lot of angles. Big scale works for drama. Another element can be gamine - that sort of French chic, mischievous character. People with gamine in their style often look younger than their years and tend to suit a preppy, fun look with a little bit of mischief going on. Then there's ingenue, which is a very feminine, youthful part of the clothing personality profile - the prettier detail works for them, delicate fabrics and delicate patterns. And then there's romantic. Romantics are very much about glamour, sparkle, and fabrics like velvet and faux fur. A little bit more flamboyant in pattern and detailing.

Maya: My husband has a really nice velvet blazer that he loves, so maybe he's a romantic. But yes, so actually understanding that part of your style even for your off-duty moments is interesting. I almost think we can learn a lot from our off-duty style, and that can actually influence our more put-together looks too.

Shirley: Yes, it's tapping into the authentic you. Sometimes people feel that when they're going to work or stepping into their role, they're putting on a mask or trying to be something they're not. And we strip that back at House of Colour, because what we want is for you to be authentically you, wherever you are. Yes, you want to dress appropriately for what you're doing in any given day, but we want it to feel like you, so you're not putting on a mask. You're still being the best version of you.

I think that's where the disconnect comes - when people feel like themselves on their days off and then feel like they're having to put on a suit of armour when they go into a work situation. It's about making sure that, authentically, we're looking at who you are and what works for you clothes-wise in any setting.

Maya: Oh, I love that. It's making me think - I used to just hate having to get dressed every day for the office. And it's making me think that at that time I should probably have leaned into some more cashmere jumpers and things that feel really comfortable but also look nice and can be warm. You can always add jewellery and things like that. If you can have a little bit more of a decision-making rule around that, it makes everything easier.

Shirley's own transition

Maya: Shirley, it's been really fascinating talking about both the workplace and the off-duty connection. Before we wrap up, I just wanted to ask about your own personal transition.

Shirley: I went through 25 years in the legal profession, and it's taken me to get to this point in my life to actually do something every day that I love doing. I am absolutely passionate about transforming people's lives through colour and style. I'm in a very blessed position that I'm doing a job that doesn't feel like work. I would encourage everyone to follow their joy.

Maya: I love that. Thank you so much for joining the podcast. Tell listeners where they can find you and how they can work with you.

Shirley: You can find me on Facebook at House of Colour Castletown Fife, and on Instagram at Shirley Phillips House of Colour. I would love to introduce people to the world of colour confidence.

Maya: Perfect. Thank you so much, and thank you all for listening. I look forward to connecting with you next time.

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Find Shirley here: https://www.houseofcolour.co.uk/

About Maya

Maya Gudka is an executive coach specialising in C-suite career progression and leadership development. She works with senior leaders in major organisations on strategic career planning, executive presence, and building sustainable influence. Maya hosts The Refreshing Leadership Podcast, which ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally and has nearly 300 episodes exploring the challenges faced by ambitious professionals.