321: How to Be a Likeable Badass
Finding Brave
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 , an organizational psychologist, professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and bestselling author of . Drawing on her extensive research on status, power, negotiation, and influence,...
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320: Be Yourself at Work: Show Up, Stand Out, and Lead from the Heart
Finding Brave
What does it really mean to be yourself at work without hiding, performing, or shrinking to fit expectations? In this Finding Brave conversation, we explore why authentic presence is not a soft skill or a personal indulgence, but a powerful leadership practice that builds trust, connection, and impact in today’s fast-moving, emotionally complex workplaces. Today’s inspiring guest is , the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, where she partners with CEO Gary Vaynerchuk to shape culture and leadership at scale. A sought-after speaker and the author of , Claude brings a...
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319: A Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society for All
Finding Brave
The world around us has transformed dramatically—but has philanthropy kept up? For our Finding Brave guest today, , American-British investor and humanitarian and the author of the new book , this question isn't academic—it's deeply personal. His philanthropic journey began humbly, volunteering at a soup kitchen as a teenager. Today, he's recognized globally for transformative work addressing homelessness through London's Passage Day Centre and championing emerging artists through the . In the U.S., he serves on the boards of The J. Paul Getty Trust, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the...
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318: How Organizations Need to Change Their Narrative In Challenging Times
Finding Brave
Everybody wants to believe in something, but the truth is, if you're a leader who shies away from asking tough questions, you're making it harder for people to believe in you. In this Finding Brave episode, we are joined by , known as the Rapid Growth Guy and storytelling expert responsible for five multi-million dollar business success stories. He is the author of and has been featured in Forbes and listed by Global Gurus as one of the Top 30 Sales Professionals. In this conversation, we explore what it truly means to lead through authentic, compelling story, not spin. Matthew unpacks how...
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317: How to Attract Great Investors For Your Products and Business
Finding Brave
Protecting your ideas is a critical step for attracting excellent aligned investors. In this episode of Finding Brave, I sit down with intellectual property expert and attorney , senior partner at , to demystify what it really takes to secure funding and safeguard innovation. Drawing on his extensive experience helping inventors, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals, David shares how a strong IP strategy serves as both protection and proof of your business’s credibility. A registered patent attorney and professor at Temple University, Parsons School of Design, and Radzyner Law School,...
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316: Taking the Brave Leap to Live Your Life Purpose
Finding Brave
Why would someone walk away from a lucrative, 15-year career in software engineering? For , it came down to one thing: learning to prioritize the "spirit mind" over the "material mind.” That perspective shift gave him the inner clarity—and the bravery and courage—to finally move into a life and career of deeper purpose. Jeffrey is a spiritual teacher and energy healer whose work has empowered thousands of people, through ’s Healing Programs and through his own courses, trainings and years of individual and group work with thousands of people around the globe. His mission is to make...
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315: FAWNING: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves
Finding Brave
On the surface, you may look like the model employee, partner, or friend: always dependable, always agreeable. But beneath the surface, you may be carrying a lifetime of survival strategies that keep you invisible in your own life. This is the story knows both personally and professionally, and it’s the story she helps so many of us begin to rewrite. Dr. Ingrid Clayton is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced degrees in transpersonal and clinical psychology. She has maintained a thriving private practice for more than fifteen years and writes the popular Psychology Today blog, ,...
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314: You Are Not Your Trauma: How You Can Heal Your Life Experience
Finding Brave
What if the parenting behaviors you dislike most in yourself aren’t really “you”? What if they’re trauma responses your brain learned long ago to survive, and what if you could change them? In this episode of Finding Brave, explores how trauma shapes our parenting and what we can do to change the cycle. Dr. Koslowitz is a trauma expert, child psychologist, and author of the new book . She treats children, adolescents, and families at the , and hosts the Post-Traumatic Parenting and . In this conversation, she explains how trauma responses can surface in family life through yelling,...
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313: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change
Finding Brave
Uncertainty has become the defining condition of our time, yet most of us still struggle to find our footing in it. What if you could reframe change itself as a source of strength? Today on Finding Brave, we’re joined by global change advisor, futurist, and author to uncover how to cultivate a “flux mindset” and discover the hidden opportunities within constant change. April, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and one of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists, is a trusted advisor to organizations from Airbnb and Nike to the World Bank. She is the author of , a book that helps...
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312: How Confidence Is The Key and How You Can Get It, Build It and Keep It
Finding Brave
Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Career Podcasts! “Whether you’re on an athletic team, a sales force, or a symphony orchestra, you better be honest about what you think about yourself. What you think about yourself and what you think about all the things that happen day by day, that’s what constitutes your confidence.” – Dr. Nate Zinsser Confidence is a character trait that has relatively little to do with what happens to you, but rather it’s a function of how you think. Today’s Finding Brave guest reveals how you can change your...
info_outlineThank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Career Podcasts!
Please note: This is an updated re-release of Episode #197.
“What you want to understand is that before you leap you need to take action to address what is making you so miserable. If you don’t do that, you are going to wake up two years later in the new career and you’re going to be having the same problems.” – Kathy Caprino
I’m very excited to share this solo episode which is my “Editor’s Choice” for this week - one of the most downloaded episodes over the six years of producing this podcast. Today’s show shares important content and advice for professionals from all levels and industries who are ready to make an important career shift but want guidance on how to do it successfully, reducing risk and wasted time.
In this episode, I share what I’ve seen are the 5 biggest blunders career changers make, and I have to admit that I have made each one of these mistakes myself, which is why I can speak to how easily they can happen if we’re not aware of them and or we’re not making the right decisions and choices.
These blunders are costly, painful and take a tremendous toll on your self-esteem, confidence, and your hopes and visions for the future. And they can hurt your finances, personal relationships, mental and physical health and more.
But there is a way to avoid these career change mistakes, and it starts with remembering that you are an amazing individual with many important gifts, talents and capabilities to share and gaining clarity on exactly what those are.
The question is how to get on the path to leveraging these talents and abilities in new ways that authentically fit with who you really are, and what you want for your life, and for your family and your livelihood.
Listen in for a full look at how to avoid the 5 biggest career change blunders and stay to the end as I reveal the 5 essential steps to take when you want change of any kind, in your career and in any area of your life.
As always, thank you for listening, and please let me know if the information I share today helps you navigate these particularly challenging and ever-changing times we find ourselves in right now.
Highlights from this Episode:
- What is “The Pendulum Effect” that creates havoc in our careers, and examples of the ways that I and others have suffered from it [4:20]
- Why I believe that this is such a common mistake people make, and what to understand before you decide to make a career change [7:50]
- Why it’s essential to have sound financial transition plan in place before you pivot or change careers [10:50]
- How having a firm understanding of (and physically “trying on”) the actual work and tasks you’ll be engaged in in the new career will benefit you in the long run [12:30]
- Why doing functional tasks and work you enjoy is not enough to bring you career happiness and success if you can’t support the strategies, tactics and values of your company and work culture [15:10]
- Examples of times that I didn’t “dig deep enough” to understand what I really wanted and needed in my own career, and why I want you to avoid this costly blunder [16:46]
- How the trap of believing that success will be instant and automatic for you will be detrimental to you and your career journey [22:47]
- A powerful 5-step process to engage in if you wish to make any type of significant change in your career (and life) [27:27]
For More Information:
https://kathycaprino.com/ and https://kathycaprino.com/career-help
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathycaprino
https://www.facebook.com/ElliaCommunications
https://twitter.com/kathycaprino
https://www.instagram.com/kathycaprino/
Resources Mentioned:
Kathy’s Career Path Self-Assessment survey
AND COMING SOON! Kathy’s new Digital “Kathy AI” clone” - available through Delphi.ai!
Wish you had a digital AI career guide and mentor who could answer your career questions whenever you needed support, 24/7? I’ve got just the thing!
Stay tuned for the launch of Kathy’s new “Kathy AI” digital career coach platform via Delphi.ai where you can ask (in writing or via audio chat) your most burning career, professional growth and leadership questions and get immediate, on-the-spot tips and answers from Kathy’s AI knowledge hub. Kathy’s AI hub has been trained with over 2.5 million words from her 1,000+ articles, 2 books, many media interviews, over over 295 podcast episodes, webinars, interviews with over 300 experts and more. Stay tuned and I hope you find this new offering helpful!
READY TO JUMPSTART YOUR JOB SEARCH AND LAND YOUR IDEAL ROLE IN 2025?
Is your job search or interview process stalling (or about to start and you're unsure where to begin)? Let’s get you on track!
Join my new, 3-session private career coaching program - Jumpstart Your Job Search Success. This program is designed to give you the clarity, confidence, and tools to move quickly toward landing a role you’ll truly love.
In these sessions, you’ll receive direct guidance to tackle the essential steps for a powerful job search, including:
- Gaining clarity and confidence about your next chapter—and communicating that vision.
- Mastering interview skills and answering challenging questions effectively.
- Expanding your LinkedIn and real-world network to attract support from mentors and allies.
- Building standout LinkedIn recommendations that showcase your strengths and contributions.
- Strategically using LinkedIn to elevate your profile and stand out.
- Connecting with top recruiters who can advance your search.
- Evaluating potential job offers with insight.
Plus, I’ll guide you through 12 critical steps for a successful job search, setting you up to reach your goals in record time.
These 3 sessions will empower you with the clarity, courage, and strategies to succeed.
CLICK HERE to learn more and register today—spots go fast! Use code BRAVEPOD10 at checkout for 10% savings.
For extended support, explore my 6-session Career & Leadership Breakthrough program >> https://kathycaprino.com/careerbreakthru
QUOTES:
“Fix, strengthen, and change what is broken now, before you leave [your current position]. I promise you it will allow you to be a stronger, more energetic match to the better thing that you want.” [09:30]
“If you are not behind the strategies, tactics, and outcomes that your company is putting out, then you’re not going to be happy, even if you’re doing functional work that you like.” [15:43]
“You’ve got to dig deep to look at what you really want and need in your career. Will it make you the money you want, and will this full-time professional directly be what you want, or would it serve better as a hobby?” [20:21]
“What I see is that people are often not putting in the work. They’re giving up too quickly. You’re not going to have the success that you want if you just throw in the towel when it gets hard.” [24:04]
“Plan for a commitment to making a change, and don’t underestimate that it will take time, money, and energy.” [27:06]
“Get that empowered perspective before you try to move forward because if you’re coming from a place of disempowerment, the whole process isn’t going to go well.” [29:16]
Watch video versions of my interviews on Finding Brave!
Don’t forget – you can experience each Finding Brave interview episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my Youtube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please subscribe and leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!
Please share your positive ratings and reviews!
If you enjoy the show, we’d be so very grateful for a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts! These great ratings help us reach more and more people who are interested in boosting their careers, businesses, and their leadership, and keep in the Top 100 Apple Career Podcasts in the U.S. and around the world and in the top 1.5% of over 3.4 million podcasts! Thank you!
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Order Kathy’s book The Most Powerful You today!
In Australia and New Zealand, click here to order, elsewhere outside North America, click here, and in the UK, click here.
If you enjoy the book, we’d so appreciate your giving the book a positive rating and review on Amazon! And check out Kathy’s digital companion course The Most Powerful You, to help you close the 7 most damaging power gaps in the most effective way possible.
Kathy’s Power Gaps Survey, Support To Build Your LinkedIn Profile To Great Success & Other Free Resources
Kathy’s TEDx Talk, Time To Brave Up & Free Career Path Self-Assessment
Kathy’s Amazing Career Project video training course & 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz
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