321: How to Be a Likeable Badass

321: How to Be a Likeable Badass

From Finding Brave by Kathy Caprino

January 8, 2026 · 42 min · Episode 321

About this episode

Kathy Caprino discusses with Alison Fragale the balance between being liked and respected in professional settings, particularly for women.

What if the very traits you've been told to soften, like being collaborative or agreeable, are actually essential to your success, not obstacles to it? In this episode of Finding Brave , we explore why so many professionals, especially women, feel trapped between being liked and being respected, and what it really takes to be both. In this episode, Kathy Caprino speaks with Alison Fragale , an organizational psychologist, professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and bestselling author of Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve . Drawing on her extensive research on status, power, negotiation, and influence, Alison helps individuals understand how respect is formed and how it can be intentionally built without compromising your authenticity. In our conversation, Alison breaks down the two core dimensions that shape how others evaluate and perceive us: warmth and competence. She explains how our behaviors signal, or fail to signal, competence, how feedback like "you're too nice" is often misunderstood, and why pulling back on warmth is rarely the right answer. Through powerful examples from her research, consulting career, and…

People in this episode

Host: Kathy Caprino

Guest: Alison Fragale

Topics covered

  • likeability
  • success
  • women in leadership
  • authenticity
  • competence
  • warmth

Keywords

  • likeable badass
  • women's success
  • organizational psychology
  • leadership
  • competence
  • warmth
  • professional development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

Books & works: Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve

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