Conversation cards that turn everyday moments at work into meaningful connections.
52 conversation starters across four categories (Self, Team, Purpose, Joy) help people uncover what’s already good—in themselves, each other, and their work—and give it space to grow.
About Spark
-
Spark helps people uncover what’s already good—in themselves, each other, and their work—and gives it space to grow. Card by card, conversation by conversation, Spark builds trust, connection, and energy. The card deck features 52 meaningful conversation starters across four categories:
Spark Self invites people to notice their own strengths, values, and moments of pride.
Spark Team invites people to see how they and their teammates each contribute to the whole—and to say the appreciation out loud that often goes unsaid.
Spark Purpose invites people to reconnect with the meaning in their work and shape more of it around what energizes them.
Spark Joy invites people to be playful and imaginative together, sparking laughter and lightness.
-
Things are good and you want to make them better, not when things are broken and need repair
You’re ready for actual connection, not simply icebreakers
You want to build the trust and energy that makes problem-solving conversations actually work
You want to do any or all of the above with structure, intention, and adaptability
-
Use Spark anytime, anywhere. Open a meeting, deepen a one-on-one, build a team retreat, or turn a five-minute pause into something meaningful. No special facilitation skills required.
Choose a card at random or select one that fits the moment. Invite others to share—in pairs, small groups, or with the whole room—and let everyone answer however feels true to them. Listen to each other with curiosity, and give everyone the freedom to pass.
-
What value or belief do you bring into your work every day? (Spark Self)
Ruchi: Optimism and agency. I tend to believe there’s always something we can do, even when things aren’t going as planned. But for me, optimism isn't just believing things will work out. It's believing we have a role in what happens next. I naturally find myself asking: What can we influence? What can we try differently? What's still possible? That combination of belief and action shapes how I lead, and honestly, how I approach most things in life.
What is a strength you appreciate about one of our teammates? (Spark Team)
Ermine: Whenever I think of Ruchi, I hear her gently reminding our team to
“Satisfice!” We learned this concept in grad school: satisficing means making a decision that’s good enough and moving forward, rather than endlessly seeking the perfect option. Ruchi does this naturally, and as a team we’ve come to internalize her strength. Her ability to decide well and move with confidence has been essential in bringing Spark to the world. She helps to keep us grounded in reality and moving forward.Can you think of a moment when your work made a difference to someone else? (Spark Purpose)
Rachel: A young woman came to talk to me after I facilitated a CliftonStrengths workshop for a team she was on. She shared with me that she was an intern, and had spent a lot of time watching other people she admired in the organization and wondering how to be more like them. She told me that learning about her strengths made her realize that she should figure out who she is and be the best version of herself, not try to be someone else. “Life changing!” she told me. I think about her a lot!
What movie or musical scene would you want to be in, and why? (Spark Joy)
Leslie: I would be in the opening scene of The Sound of Music, where Julie Andrews sings “The Hills are Alive.” The gorgeous scenery, the way she is wandering about on her own, and the over-flow of joy she feels as she communes with her mountain never fail to lift me up. Of course, I would need to steal Julie Andrews’ amazing voice to really live in the scene ;)
Our Story
Four women. Different careers. One shared passion: positive psychology (the science of happiness and well-being) and the belief that workplaces thrive when people feel seen, valued, and connected.
We met as graduate students of MAPP (Master of Applied Positive Psychology) at the University of Pennsylvania. We formed a team for our MAPP service learning project, working with a non-profit client to design positive psychology interventions for their organization. We designed a simple, tactile, and portable 52-card deck of research-informed conversation prompts designed to foster high-quality connections and cultivate a sense of mattering. The work was meaningful, our collaboration electric, and when we finished, we didn’t want it to end.
Rachel saw the potential to build something bigger—a toolkit that could help any person, in any team, in any organization, create moments of genuine connection without requiring special training or expertise. Together with Leslie, they pursued a grant to bring the vision to life. When we won a small grant from the MAPP Alumni Association, Ruchi and Ermine joined the party. What started as a spare-time project among classmates-turned-friends has become Spark: a deck of conversation cards grounded in positive psychology, designed specifically for the modern workplace.
Our Team
Rachel is a Gallup CliftonStrengths practitioner and workshop facilitator with 15 years of experience helping teams and their managers build the climate, norms, and systems that let people do their best work together. She began her career in college student services, designing psychoeducational interventions for campus well-being, and has since translated that grounding in behavioral science into strengths-based learning experiences for organizations.
Rachel is faculty for the American Management Association and an Assistant Instructor in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel lives in the great state of New Jersey with her husband and three kids. She loves being outside, hosting friends and family, and taking road trips.
Rachel Wainer
Leslie is a proud mother, wife, pediatric dentist, and small business owner whose work is grounded in a lifelong interest in how people grow, connect, and flourish. She began her professional journey studying psychology at Brigham Young University before earning her Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Education degrees from Columbia University, completing her residency at Yale University, and earning a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Leslie is passionate about building teams that bolster their members by weaving webs of positive mutuality. She believes that when we intentionally Spark positive connections, those moments can create waves of benevolence that ripple outward—strengthening teams, workplaces, families, and communities, and ultimately helping to change the world.
Leslie Blackburn
Ruchi is a people leader, lifelong learner, and natural optimist who is endlessly curious about what helps people thrive. Over a 23-year career spanning analytics, sales, and sales leadership, she has worked across Asia and the U.S., including more than a decade at LinkedIn, where she has built and led high-performing sales teams. She is especially passionate about creating teams where people feel seen, valued, and able to do their best work.
Ruchi earned her Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, deepening her interest in how leaders can build psychological strengths and create small moments that matter through everyday interactions. Outside of work, Ruchi loves cooking for family and friends, traveling, learning new things, and spending time with her husband and son.
Ruchi Sarnot
Ermine is a “spiritual scientist” whose 16-year career in tech reflects a desire to be of service to people. At Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, she bridged technological gaps in underserved communities around the world. At Apple, she influenced and shipped inclusive and accessible AI & ML features that millions of customers use everyday.
Ermine’s top character strength is love of learning and she earned master’s degrees in Public Management (Carnegie Mellon University), Applied Positive Psychology (University of Pennsylvania), and Social Business and Entrepreneurship (London School of Economics). She splits her time between Dallas, San Francisco, and Manila—exploring what motivates individuals, organizations, and systems towards sustainable change, and the conditions that enable human flourishing.
Ermine Teves
Let’s Stay Connected!
Be the first to know about news and updates.