A Year Ago Today Wasn’t Just Any Monday: My First Year as a Certified Image Consultant

A year ago today wasn’t just any Monday.

A year ago, I finished the last day of my Style by Color certification training, and officially became a certified image consultant. And friend, I had no idea what God was about to do.

I want to tell you the whole story, because I think it might be exactly what you need to hear today.

When God Sends You a DM You Can’t Ignore

I have been in direct sales for over 20 years. Pampered Chef, Usborne Books, Ruby Ribbon. I poured my heart into every single one of those businesses. And when Ruby Ribbon closed, I won’t lie to you, it felt like the floor fell out from under me.

But looking back, that closed door was actually God clearing the path.

In February 2020, I was at a women’s conference in Pella, Iowa. Now, Pella is not just any city to me. It is where Todd and I made our very first home as newlyweds back in 1989, where he worked as an engineer at Pella Windows. I had no idea that decades later, God would bring me back to that same town, not as a young bride starting out, but as a self-proclaimed cover-upper, helping women hide their bodies in shapewear, doing what I knew how to do, serving women the way I always had.

And it was in that city, in that conference room, that I first saw professional color analysis up close. Something stirred in me that day, a quiet nudge I could not quite explain. I tucked it away. Life kept moving.

Maybe it was not a coincidence that God chose Pella. Maybe He always intended to bring me back to the place where my story began, to show me where it was going next.

But God was patient. He kept nudging.

Fast forward a few years, and I found myself enrolled in Style by Color certification training under Shari Braendel. Last day of class was May 29, 2025. And here I am, one year later, as a certified image consultant completely in awe of what saying yes to that nudge has produced.

The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything

Here is what I want you to hear, especially if you are in a season that feels uncertain or like you missed your window.

I was in my mid-to-late 50s when I started over.

I had spent most of my life struggling with body image. I literally called myself a cover-upper. I built a business helping women find shapewear because I understood from the inside out what it felt like to want to hide. I spent years hiding behind oversized clothes, choosing “safe” colors, and not really understanding why nothing ever felt quite right when I got dressed. I wore a size 16 for years and carried wounds from a lifetime of body-image messages that were not kind or true.

And then I learned my colors. I learned my body shape. I learned what it actually means to style yourself, not just get dressed.

That knowledge did not just change my wardrobe. It changed how I show up in the world.

The mindset shift I had to make, and the one I now help women make every single day, is this: style is not about perfection. It is not about trends. It is not about a number on a tag. It is about understanding yourself, honoring the body God gave you, and showing up with intention and joy.

When I finally understood my colors, something clicked that I had been searching for my entire adult life.

I want that for you too.

What Happened in Year One as a Certified Image Consultant

In less than one year as a certified image consultant, I have had the privilege of serving over 500 women.

Let me sit in that for a moment, because honestly, it humbles me every single time I think about it.

Over 500 women who said yes to themselves. Over 500 women who showed up ready to discover something they didn’t know about themselves. And you want to know what tells me the work is real? It is not the bookings. It is the photos.

Women send me pictures of their outfits. They DM me from fitting rooms. They text me when they find something in their palette on a clearance rack and feel like they won the lottery. They tell me getting dressed feels easier. They tell me they finally know why things never worked before. They tell me they feel confident instead of hidden.

That is not a transaction. That is a transformation. And it is absolutely priceless.

What Color Analysis Actually Does for You

I know some of you are curious but not quite sure what color analysis even means. Let me break it down in plain language.

Color analysis is the process of discovering which colors work with your skin tone, eyes, hair, and contrast level, and which ones work against you. It is not guesswork. It is not trend-based. It is rooted in decades of color theory and personalized to you specifically.

When you wear your best colors:

• You look brighter, healthier, and more rested
• Your eyes appear more vibrant
• You need less makeup to look polished
• Shopping becomes easier because you finally have a filter
• Getting dressed takes less time and causes less stress

And beyond the practical? You feel it. You walk differently. You stand a little taller. You stop second-guessing yourself in the mirror.

If you are curious about how color analysis works in real life, including on video calls and Zoom, I wrote a whole post about that. You can read it here: Color Analysis for Zoom Calls: Look Radiant on Camera

Wearing Clothes vs. Styling Yourself: There Is a Difference

One of the things I teach my clients as a certified image consultant is the difference between simply wearing clothes and actually styling yourself.

Wearing clothes is grabbing something clean and calling it a day.

Styling yourself is understanding your colors, your body shape, how to balance proportions, which accessories finish the look, and why certain pieces make you feel amazing while others hang in the closet untouched.

Most women I work with have been wearing clothes their whole lives and have never been taught to style themselves. And once they learn? It is like turning on a light in a dark room. Everything makes sense.

That is the gift of working with a certified image consultant. It is not about buying more. It is about understanding more.

My Anniversary Special: A Gift to Celebrate Year One

To celebrate one full year as a Certified Image Consultant of serving women through color, style, and confidence, I am offering two appointment options that let you choose the experience that fits you best.

Mini Color Analysis, $115 A 30-minute appointment where you will discover your color code, metal color(s), and animal print. Plus lifetime digital color swatch access and free VIP community access.

The Color Experience, $195 (Most Popular) A 60-minute appointment with a 15-minute follow-up included. Everything in the Mini, plus your physical swatch deck, a 12-page ebook, a piece of jewelry, and guidance on your star style, makeup, shoes, and handbags. This is the full transformation experience.

Both options give you tools you will use for the rest of your life. Because your colors do not change. Once you know them, you know them.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Friend, you are His handiwork. You were created with intention and beauty. Knowing your colors is simply one beautiful way to honor that.

It Is Not Too Late. It Is Actually Right on Time.

I started this chapter as a Certified Image Consultant in my mid-to-late 50s. I have served women from age 8 to their 80s. I have worked with daughters and their moms, grandmothers and their granddaughters. I have watched women who came in feeling invisible leave feeling radiant.

It is never too late to reinvent yourself. It is never too late to learn something new about yourself. It is never too late to stop hiding and start showing up.

A year ago today, I said yes to a nudge from God that started back in a conference center in Pella, Iowa.

And I have never looked back.

If you are ready to say yes to yourself, I would love to be your certified image consultant who helps you discover your colors and step into the most confident version of you.

Click here to book your appointment: Book Your Color Analysis

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Have a question before you book? I would love to hear from you. Visit my contact page at royannastratmoen.com/contact-royanna-style-coach and let’s connect.