EEC 436: The Velvet No - How to Stay Aligned to Your Power, with Hoong Yee Lee

About this episode

Hoong Yee Lee discusses the concept of The Velvet No and how to navigate power dynamics in high-stakes decision-making environments.

Hoong Yee Lee is a speaker on power, language, and alignment—focused on what happens before decisions are made. A former funder and national grants panelist, she has awarded over $10 million and spent years inside high-stakes rooms where outcomes are shaped long before they're announced. You say power moves before the decision—can you explain what that looks like in real life? How can someone tell, in real time, that a shift is happening in the room? What is The Velvet No, and how do you actually use it in a high-stakes moment? What happens when you don't catch the shift—what does it actually cost people? What personal experience did you have to create your interest in the Velvet No? Hoong Yee Lee Hoong Yee Lee is a speaker on power, language, and alignment—focused on what happens before decisions are made. A former funder and national grants panelist, she has awarded over $10 million and spent years inside high-stakes rooms where outcomes are shaped long before they're announced. She is the creator of The Velvet No, a precise intervention used to intercept shifts in real time and restore authorship without force or escalation. Through her framework—Know Your Room, See the Shift…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Katrina Burrus PhD, MCC

Guest: Hoong Yee Lee

Topics covered

• power
• decision making
• alignment
• high-stakes situations
• leadership

Keywords

• The Velvet No
• power dynamics
• decision making
• leadership
• alignment
• high-stakes rooms

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