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Welcome to Smart, Amazing Conversations with Dr. Nancy, a podcast that explores the stories of life and leadership from extraordinary women – and men – who are making a difference and creating a better world. Each episode features powerful conversations filled with personal stories, insights, and actionable advice to inspire you to lead, learn, and make a difference.
Show Notes:
Dr. Nancy welcomes Hali Lee, a trailblazing philanthropist and founder of the Asian Women Giving Circle, to discuss her mission of transforming generosity into community-driven change. As a co-founder of the Donors of Color Network and Philanthropy Together, Lee champions the power of giving circles to unlock collective impact through community giving. She shares insights from her new book, The Big We, which critiques our view of philanthropy as giving from wealthy donors and highlights grassroots stories of generosity. Named to the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy list, Lee’s journey—from consulting global foundations to reshaping how communities give—illustrates how innovative approaches to giving can inspire lasting change.
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About Hali Lee:
In 2025, Hali Lee was honored on the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy list for her groundbreaking work in collective giving. A 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact honoree, she is the founder of the Donors of Color Network, the first national network of wealthy individuals of color, Philanthropy Together, a collective giving support organization, and the Asian Women Giving Circle. As the leader of Radiant Strategies, her boutique consulting practice serves clients like Fidelity Charitable, the Bill Gates Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. A sought-after speaker, Hali has appeared at over 30 events in the past year. Her work, celebrated by The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Good Housekeeping, inspires others to reimagine generosity.
Timestamp:
[00:03:08] Origin of Name and Immigrating to US
Hali Lee explains that Hali is her American name, and how her family immigrated because the Immigration Act of 1965 opened the borders to non-Western European people, after surviving as Korean refugees of two wars.
[00:07:12] Hali’s book, The Big We
Lee and Dr. Nancy discuss the purpose of The Big We to make giving a force among thousands of people who care about others.
[00:09:47] The Origin of Giving Circles
Lee explains that giving circles are rooted in the cultures of generosity we all come from, their impact on grassroots change, and how they empower collective action.
[00:13:39] Giving Circles Democratize Philanthropy
Lee and Dr. Nancy discuss how everyday people are working together through giving circles to put values back into their communities, caring for others, and philanthropy at a time when billionaires seem to be taking over government.
[00:17:33] Why Everyone Should Read The Big We
Lee explains that the book is for everyone from all points of view, who care about decency, being a good neighbor, and a responsible part of the community.
[00:19:59] Ways to Support Others
Lee and Dr. Nancy talk about what giving can look like, spending and investing as an expression of our values, and joining with others to create a network of people you can call upon to build resources.
[00:26:15] Organizing Around the Kitchen Table
Lee uses the kitchen table analogy throughout her book and encourages everyone to expand their table to include people outside of their comfort zone to broaden their impact, neighborhoods, and young leaders, for example.
[00:28:50] Giving Circle Network
Lee shares a story about young people in Arizona who started a giving circle with the money it cost to buy a latte, grew it through grantmaking to give away $133,000 in their first year, and now they’ve gone national, creating a network of teens.
[00:29:55] Where to Buy The Big We by Hali Lee
Lee shares that the book is published by Sweet July Press and is available in Kindle or print versions wherever books are sold.