399. Likable Badass with Alison Fragale

Psychologists Off the Clock

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399. Likable Badass with Alison Fragale

Balancing warmth and assertiveness, Alison Fragale shares how women can succeed with confidence and ease.

Psychologists off the Clock

Mar 19, 2025

Balancing warmth with assertiveness can feel like an impossible juggling act—too soft, and you're overlooked; too strong, and you're “too much.”

Alison Fragale's book, Likable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve, offers practical, research-backed strategies to help women excel at work and in life.

In this episode, you'll get to understand the science of power and status, self-promotion without the cringe, and overcoming gender biases with authenticity and confidence. We also include real-world challenges, making this discussion both insightful and refreshingly relatable.

Listen and Learn:

How power controls resources, but status shapes influence and why respect is the key to real authority
How women can play smart within unfair rules to spark real change
The science behind being a likable badass
Navigating the balance between assertiveness and warmth and finding your authentic style
Overcoming biases in social and professional settings
How to confidently share your wins without feeling boastful, while staying warm and relatable

Resources:

Alison’s Book: Likable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve
Alison’s Website: alisonfragale.com
Connect with Alison on:

Instagram

TikTok

Alison’s Substack: The Upper Hand with Alison Fragale
Alison’s Media Page: https://alisonfragale.com/media-research/
Alison’s Hidden Brain episode: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/how-to-win-people-over/
My WorkLife with Adam Grant episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-secret-to-success-isnt-power-its-status/id1346314086?i=1000668204498

About Alison Fragale

Alison Fragale is the Mary Farley Ames Lee Distinguished Scholar of Organizational Behavior at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School. As a research psychologist, award-winning professor, international keynote speaker, and author, she is on a mission to help others — especially women — use behavioral science to work and live better. Her scholarship has been published in the most prestigious academic journals in her field and featured in prominent media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Boston Globe, and Inc. Alison is the author of the national bestseller, LIKEABLE BADASS: How Women Get the Success They Deserve. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children, who are all named after professional athletes.