In this episode of Women in Motion, host Lee Kantor interviews Rhoda Johnson, founder of Rhoda Design Group. Rhoda, a Hollywood-trained image brand strategist, makeup artist, and jewelry designer, shares her journey into image consulting and personal branding. She emphasizes the importance of aligning one’s personal brand with innate talents and aspirations, and discusses the psychological aspects of fashion and color. Rhoda highlights common mistakes in personal branding, the significance of wellness, and the impact of fashion on productivity. She also touches on her jewelry design work and the supportive community of WBEC-West.
Rhoda Johnson is dedicated to elevating the leadership presence of professionals with wellness-based image strategies as a Hollywood Trained Image Brand Strategist, Makeup Artist, and Jewelry Designer. She is the Creative Visionary and Founder of Rhoda Design Group offering Personal Branding Services for professionals and organizations with transformative private sessions and workshops sharing her expertise from over 35 years immersed in the Beauty and Fashion Industries working for prestigious brands.
Rhoda is a sought-after keynote speaker. She is the author of 50 Plus Marketplace News “Ageless Beauty” articles, Entrepreneur Platform Digital Magazine’s Personal Brand articles, and her blogs.
Rhoda has consulted Motown celebrities Stevie Wonder and Freda Payne; International Model Nikki Taylor, ESPN’s Joe Thiesman and Mike Patrick; Politicians, Attorneys; TED talk Speakers, Authors, and Global leader, Thandeka Tutu- Gxashe (Bishop Desmond Tutu’s oldest daughter). She has also consulted Sales teams, Executives, and Entrepreneurs.
Rhoda was a presenter for the 2020 Denver Startup Week, Women’s Forum, Women Playing Bigger Conference, and Second Act Women over 40. She has provided personal brand seminars to the Colorado Psychologists, CSU, Mile High United Way, College Track, Oakwood Homes Sales Teams, Emerge Political Candidates, and BBI. She was a featured guest on Dr. Peg’s radio show, on Judith Briles’s national radio show “Author U”, and on the Artful Entrepreneur Podcast.
Rhoda has a BA in Fashion Merchandising from Brooks College in Long Beach, California; Certificate of Makeup Artistry from Cinema Secrets in Burbank California, studying under the legendary Hollywood Makeup Artist Stein family. She is licensed to teach Personal Brand Development from John Robert Powers in Cerritos, California, and JF Images Talent Agency in Denver, Colorado.
She continues her professional education with mastermind groups, virtual courses, and networking.
Connect with Rhoda on LinkedIn, X and Facebook.
Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC
This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix
TRANSCRIPT
Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.
Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women In Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women In Motion, we have Rhoda Johnson with Rhoda Design Group. Welcome.
Rhoda Johnson: Oh, thank you, Lee. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Rhoda Design Group.
Rhoda Johnson: Oh, thank you. I am a Hollywood-trained image brand strategist and makeup artist. And so, Rhoda Design Group encapsulates the makeup skillset, the wardrobe development, personal branding is what I’m licensed to provide to individuals and corporations, and I’m also a jewelry designer. And all of that supports the personal brand transformation.
Lee Kantor: So, what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in this line of work?
Rhoda Johnson: Oh, wow. Well, it always makes me smile to think about what started this whole motion. Refined women in my community inspired me to invest in improving in my own image. And after I did so, I felt more confident and gained respect for mothers and received greater opportunities. And so, this led me to want to offer these services to others, so I pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fashion, an image consulting license, and makeup artistry training in Los Angeles.
Lee Kantor: So, how do you kind of approach a new client? Like how do you build an image brand for someone to marry their innate talents and abilities and their inner beauty with, you know, maybe what they aspire to be and do?
Rhoda Johnson: Oh, I love that you asked that. Well, I don’t know if you know this, but 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal. And my image brand strategies empower professionals to elevate their leadership presence by aligning their nonverbal cues to their brand message. My goal is to help professionals eliminate the daily frustration of dressing and applying makeup to ensure that their style matches their personality and their brand message so they’re seen as trustworthy, competent, and powerful.
Lee Kantor: So, how does kind of an engagement with you begin? Like, what are the first things you’re working on? How do you assess maybe the beginning and then show a path to some future self that they’re going to really fall in love with?
Rhoda Johnson: Oh, okay. So, the beginning is a kickoff call after we’ve done a needs analysis discovery call to find out what their specific needs are. The kickoff call helps to create the North Star as far as developing their personal brand based on the quiz and the questionnaires that I send them before that call. That helps me understand their personality, their unique value proposition, what their brand message is.
Lee Kantor: So, you have some kind of questionnaire or some assessment where you can kind of get where they are today kind of snapshot?
Rhoda Johnson: Absolutely. There’s an audit that takes place and also a deep dive into who they are and what their goals are. Because fashion tells a story, and so by aligning all those nonverbal cues to all of the inner parts of who they are and what their aspirations are, we have a clear message of how they want to be perceived by others, and it helps them show up more confident.
Lee Kantor: Now, are there some mistakes that you see people make time and time again where we go, “Oops. Here we go. They fell into this”?
Rhoda Johnson: Well, I love that you asked that. I think the biggest mistake that I see people making is they’re not intentional about how they show up. They don’t understand the depth of fashion psychology and color psychology. And so, they’re putting on clothes that are either on sale, what their favorite celebrity is wearing, and it really doesn’t represent who they are and who they’re meeting with, and that’s key.
Lee Kantor: So, is there any kind of low hanging fruit that a person can do on their own, you know, to at least improve their current state?
Rhoda Johnson: I would say make sure that you start with a wellness-based lifestyle, because there is no amount of fashion or makeup to cover up exhaustion and stress. And that’s the foundation for my work, I really start there because if there’s not work-life balance in place, this is just another thing on their to-do list that’s going to overwhelm them. And I want to be compassionate in holding space for them and the journey of transformation.
Rhoda Johnson: And so, that would be my biggest recommendation is to really create more work-life balance, put some wellness practices in every day, not just on a weekend or when you’re taking a vacation. It really needs to be a wellness-centric lifestyle in order to be unstoppable.
Lee Kantor: And then, when you’re using the word wellness, are you talking about kind of less stress, more sleep, kind of some of the basic tenets of wellness?
Rhoda Johnson: Definitely sleep, more sleep. But a lot of people are not eating healthy and they’re not hydrating well. And they’re sitting at their computer for hours on end and not taking the breaks that you need. Sitting is the new cancer, by the way. And getting daily exercise. These are just part of the wellness practices that need to be incorporated so that people can show up the best version of themselves.
Lee Kantor: Now, are your clients primarily celebrities or are they executives? Who kind of is the ideal client for your services?
Rhoda Johnson: Both celebrities and executives, but they’re also CEOs, C-suite executives that are really trying to take their career to the next level. A lot of times there are people that are making a career change, going in a completely different direction. I have a lot of Ted Talk speakers, and so people that are in the public eye. Politicians are part of my client base.
Lee Kantor: So, when people are approaching you, are they coming to you from having tried something and it not work? Or maybe the first time they’ve ever hired or worked with an image brand strategist? Where are they in their journey of kind of exploring this practice?
Rhoda Johnson: Oftentimes they’re preparing for something, like a speaker, a Ted Talk speaker, or someone that’s giving a presentation to a large group of people, or they’re getting ready to present a high level webinar. They are people that are rebranding. A lot of times people forget, they rebrand their businesses but they need to rebrand themselves to be in alignment with what they’re showing the public in their business so that the message is the same.
Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned that you’re also a jewelry designer, how did that come about?
Rhoda Johnson: I was going through a tough time in my life, and because I’m a creative at my core, Lee, art and nature tend to be my go-to’s for helping me get through some tough times. So, that’s how the jewelry came out. I had no intention of it being a part of my business, but that first year I was designing just for me, I sold $14,000 just off my body everywhere I went. So, I thought, “Oh, okay.”
Rhoda Johnson: And then, later – I just put out a blog on this – there’s actually research that shows that women that show up in makeup and jewelry, as well as a polished wardrobe, they earn 20 percent more. They’re considered more competent.
Lee Kantor: So, it’s an investment worth exploring?
Rhoda Johnson: Totally. This is why I do this work is because there’s so many studies that reveal that. I stay in research with neuroscience and the research that comes out about this work, there’s now more than ever, especially since we’ve come out of COVID, on how wearing the right colors and your fashion really affects how you show up in terms of your productivity. That was a research that came out of Northwestern University called the Enclothed Cognition. They were revealing how what you wear actually informs your brain and helps you to be more productive if you’re wearing something professional. And it also informs others on how to engage with you and interact.
Lee Kantor: Now, is there a different strategy, now that as we come out of COVID, that now you’re doing more face-to-face interactions as opposed to kind of on a camera?
Rhoda Johnson: I would say it’s blended because I do have clients that are not in my state. And so, that was the shift that happened in COVID, was making the services be just as effective virtually as they are in-person.
Lee Kantor: But when a person is interacting in-person primarily versus interacting online or virtually, is there a different strategy when it comes to your image?
Rhoda Johnson: Absolutely. And one of the things that I do that my competitors don’t do is there’s a whole piece on virtual presence. There are certain colors that you can’t wear when you’re on camera that you could wear in-person, for example. So, yes, there are different strategies that are in place for virtual presence as opposed to in-person.
Lee Kantor: So, what is that? Is that a secret the color to not wear on camera?
Rhoda Johnson: It’s per person. There isn’t a one size fits all, because all of us have different skin tones and personalities and also brand messages. So, we take into consideration all of those factors and curate a tailored presence that they should have for all of their business settings.
Lee Kantor: And that’s probably what is special about your practice is that everything is custom because every individual has their own individual goals, or own individual look, their own individual strengths. It takes someone with your kind of overarching skills to be able to meld all that so that you are delivering that correct image brand.
Rhoda Johnson: Absolutely. I’ve been in this for 40 years, and I’m more passionate about it than I’ve ever been. But I’ve worked with some amazing luxury brands in my journey, and it’s exciting to see how fashion is really catering now more to the mindset of where people are.
Rhoda Johnson: And I’ll tell you what I mean by that. Back in 2022, there was a global trend that came out, dopamine fashion. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. It came out of the U.K., and my daughter said, “Mom, you’ve always taught this.” But it was a fashion psychologist that was prescribing her clients to wear color to get them out of black. I tell people to wear color because color is actually light, vibrating at various speeds, and it has the ability to boost our mood. And that’s what this fashion psychologist had discovered, is by having her clients get out of the dark depressing colors and into more vibrant colors that it actually lifted them out of depression and suicidal tendencies.
Lee Kantor: Wow. Now, why was it important for you to become part of the WBEC-West community?
Rhoda Johnson: I love this community. I am inspired by the amount of support. And I’m almost speechless because it’s ongoing what I’m discovering the amount of support that’s available to me and also opportunities to serve, like today, that WBEC continues to roll out. I was part of the National Conference and it was my first conference, and I met so many people from all over the country, and even talking to different vendors at the booth, I can just tell you, I’ve never been a part of a community that’s been more supportive about everybody really maximizing their full potential.
Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more about your practice and maybe get on your calendar, is there a website? Is there a way to connect with you on social media?
Rhoda Johnson: Absolutely. I offer a free eBook if they join my email community. I’m on Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram, and I’m happy to offer what that looks like. Do you have links or —
Lee Kantor: Yeah. Can you share the website, please?
Rhoda Johnson: Yes. It’s rhodadesigngroup.com, and Rhoda is spelled R-H-O-D-A.
Lee Kantor: And it’s rhodadesigngroup.com. And then, if they search on Facebook Rhoda Design Group, they’ll find you there?
Rhoda Johnson: Right. And on LinkedIn, I’m Rhoda Johnson.
Lee Kantor: All right. Well, Rhoda Johnson, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.
Rhoda Johnson: Well, thank you for the opportunity to share. I hope that someone listening may be inspired. And I’m grateful to be a part of this community.
Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.
