Powerfully Likeable
  • Published: 9 September 2025
  • ISBN: 9781761350054
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99

Powerfully Likeable

A Woman's Guide to Effective Communication

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
9 Sep 2025
EBook
9 Sep 2025
Audiobook
9 Sep 2025
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A groundbreaking new roadmap for female success – how to be influential, respected and well-liked at work, at home and beyond – from a leading Australian business coach and communication expert.

Women the world over struggle to find a comfortable way to communicate with authority yet still be liked by a crowd. We grapple with being ambitious without seeming strident, giving direction without being too assertive, and holding our ground without upsetting the peace. We strategise before meetings, second-guess in bathroom stalls, text outfit options to our best friends, and try to anticipate every possible variable of our performance. This tricky business is what world champion debater and executive coach, Kate Mason, calls ‘communicating while female’ and frankly, it seems like it’s impossible to get it right.

Until now. In Powerfully Likeable, Mason explains that being influential and well-liked is not an either/or proposition. Furthermore, she shows that to have it both ways, women don’t have to imitate what men do; gaining respect doesn’t mean having the loudest voice in the room or the firmest handshake. Instead, the key is to choose communication tools that amplify what makes you unique – whether that be warmth, humour, competitiveness or a love of data – and wield your power from a place of authenticity. From personal presentation style and negotiation to handling adversarial conversations and becoming your own best advocate, Mason offers a game-changing toolkit of strategies to choose from and make your own, including:

- Scripts for owning your accomplishments instead of downplaying them and defending your ideas without being defensive.
- How to use clear logic, evidence and debate strategies to ask and answer clear questions without appearing ‘difficult’.
- Tips for overcoming ‘Imposing Syndrome’ – the disease of playing small and not taking up space – and channelling warmth as an alternative to deference in conversation.
- How to regulate your body language, voice and words to find your true communicative power.

A paradigm-shifting guide to dismantling and thinking beyond communication stereotypes, Powerfully Likeable will help you unleash your creative power and energy and embark on a journey of success on your own terms.
  • Published: 9 September 2025
  • ISBN: 9781761350054
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99
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About the author

Kate Mason

Kate Mason, PhD is a communications expert and world-champion debater who has spent her career working with founders and executives from tech startups to major global brands all over the world. She coaches executives on actionable skills to become the leaders they wish to be, and to amplify their voice, reach and impact at work. Kate lives in Sydney, Australia.

Praise for Powerfully Likeable

The competence-likeability bias is an absurd catch-22, but never fear! In this compelling, compassionate and funny read, Mason shows you how to break free.

Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean

Powerfully Likeable feels like having a wise, no-nonsense friend by your side as you navigate the twists and turns of leadership. It speaks directly to women who want to lead with strength and heart, without losing themselves along the way. A seriously helpful read for any woman charting her own path in today’s unpredictable world.

Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM, author of Blindspotting, Head & Heart and Women Kind

Kate Mason equips us with the tools we need to embrace our power and presence without alienating and distancing others.

Matt Abrahams, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

Powerfully Likeable is a game-changer for women navigating the messy middle of connection and credibility at work. This book, a blend of research and real talk, is bold, smart and deeply practical. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to shrink or smooth your edges to be accepted, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First and author of Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work

Women are not imagining it: the rules of communication at work are different for us. Speak up, and you’re “emotional.” Push back, and you’re “difficult.” Stay quiet, and you’re overlooked. Meanwhile, the same moves make men look confident and driven. Powerfully Likeable will help you find your voice and your presence without changing who you are. A must-read for every woman!

Amy Diehl, PhD, author of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work

Powerfully Likeable is the empowering playbook so many of us have been waiting for. Kate Mason tackles the tightrope women walk between being respected and being liked – and shows us how to rewrite the rules. With practical tools, smart scripts and a deep understanding of what it means to “communicate while female,” she gives us a roadmap to own our power without compromising our authenticity.

Fran Hauser, author of The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate
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