Big Ask Blog


by Paul Quinn

Asking Big on Broadway: Joshua Ellis Remembers

Asking Big on Broadway: Joshua Ellis Remembers

What was it like to be the press agent for major Broadway shows and work closely with Yul Brynner, David Bowie, Lena Horne, and countless other stars? Joshua Ellis was the publicist for some of Broadway's biggest hits, including more than a dozen Tony Award winners....

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Is it Hard to Ask the One You Love?

Is it Hard to Ask the One You Love?

From dating to mating and beyond, many people find it difficult to ask their partners for what they want. I asked Rachel Sussman, LCSW, to shed some light on this topic. She is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert, writer and lecturer. Rachel is the founder...

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Becoming Siri: Susan Bennett’s Story

Becoming Siri: Susan Bennett’s Story

In this interview, Susan Bennett tells us what it was like to be the original voice of the iPhone assistant, “Siri” … her fear-busting “ask” that changed everything … her experience as a backup singer for Burt Bacharach … and her thoughts on the "happy accident" of...

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Asking for Shoes: Intel’s Brian Little

Asking for Shoes: Intel’s Brian Little

Brian Little is vice president and global head of corporate human resources for Intel. He previously served in senior human resources roles at companies including Ameritech, Amoco, and Zurich Insurance, and was recognized in 2017 by the industry magazine HRO...

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Holocaust Memory: The Ask That Changed Everything

Holocaust Memory: The Ask That Changed Everything

In her earliest memory of life in Poland, Ida Paluch was three years old when she, her twin brother, Adam, and older sister, Gienia, witnessed a woman, mad with fear, jump from a building to her death to escape forced relocation and inevitable murder by the Nazis. The...

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The Agent Who Busted Bombers

The Agent Who Busted Bombers

Could a single question get a bomber to confess? Could "playing dumb" catch an arsonist? What happens when you ask for the truth from powerful people who don't want to answer truthfully? Cynthia Beebe is a retired Senior Special Agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,...

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When Leaders Ask for Feedback

When Leaders Ask for Feedback

After a morning coaching several McDonald’s presenters for a company-wide conference, I left the rehearsal room to grab some lunch. On my way back, an admin staffer informed me that Paul Schrage, then McDonald’s senior executive vice president and chief marketing...

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A Gift of Cranes

A Gift of Cranes

Suffering the effects of a major illness can feel scary and isolating. Getting through it takes not only medical assistance but emotional support. In the story that follows, my friend David Fisk tells of four "asks" that loved ones made on his behalf during a health...

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