Sparks Squared Speakeasy

Cassandra Sparks and Ewan Riccio-Laing share a lighthearted “leadership confessional” episode about what real leadership looks like when things get messy and you don’t have the answers. They recap the prior courage challenge—when frustrated, clarify expectations—and Euan shares how redefining quality expectations with a QA specialist resolved recurring slide issues. Cassandra describes the sting of proposal rejection as a small business owner and reframing it as “not right now.” Ewan recounts leading a major customer-service initiative that was paused late in the process due to shifting business priorities, leaving him to manage team disappointment without clear answers. Their takeaway: ground yourself in reality, acknowledge frustration, ask for help, and give yourself grace.

Follow @CassandraSparksYou and @EwanRiccioLaing & @FigaryLearning.

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00:00 Cold Open & Banter

01:56 Intro to Leadership Confessionals

03:02 Courage Challenge Recap

03:24 Ewan's Story: The Pixel Princess

06:56 Cassandra's Story: Handling Rejection

10:52 Ewan's Story: The Shelved Project

14:50 What To Do Without Answers

21:22 Wrap-Up & Courage Challenge

21:59 Outro & Socials

In this episode, Ewan Riccio-Laing and Cassandra Sparks tackle a workplace frustration we’ve all experienced: someone arrives late to a meeting… then feels compelled to explain every detail of why.

Together, they explore why the real issue isn’t usually the lateness itself, but how leaders respond to it. From setting clear expectations to creating a culture of respect without embarrassment, this conversation is packed with practical leadership advice you can use in your very next meeting.

They also celebrate a listener’s success from last week’s Courage Challenge and introduce a brand-new challenge to help you create greater clarity with your team. 

✨ In This Episode:

• Why late arrivals aren’t the real problem
• How leaders can protect meeting momentum
• The difference between intent and impact
• Setting expectations without calling people out
• Creating a culture of accountability, not punishment
• Why meaningful meetings deserve meaningful standards

🎯 Friday Courage Challenge:

The next time something frustrates you at work, don’t just vent about it.

Ask yourself:

• What expectation is missing?
• What needs to be clearer?
• What conversation do I need to have?

Set the standard. Have the conversation. Protect the culture.

📱 Follow:
@FigaryLearning
@EwanRiccioLaing
@CassandraSparksYOU

Why do so many leaders avoid difficult conversations… even when they know they need to happen?

In this listener-requested episode, Ewan and Cassandra tackle one of leadership’s most common challenges: having the conversations you’d rather avoid.

From fear of conflict and being disliked to worrying you’ll make things worse, they unpack the real reasons leaders stay silent, and the hidden cost of doing nothing.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
🔥 Why avoiding difficult conversations slowly erodes trust
🔥 The warning signs that small issues are becoming big problems
🔥 How silence can damage team performance, morale, and culture
🔥 A simple framework to make difficult conversations feel less daunting
🔥 How to move from avoidance to action with confidence

Plus, Ewan shares the powerful GROW Model for handling difficult conversations in a way that creates clarity, accountability, and ownership instead of defensiveness.

Think about a conversation you’ve been avoiding.

Ask yourself:

1. What am I actually afraid will happen?
2. What’s the cost if I do nothing?

Then take one step toward having that conversation this week.

Because every difficult conversation you avoid comes with a price tag… and sooner or later, another one bites the trust.

🎙️ Pull up a chair and join the conversation.

#SparksSquaredSpeakeasy #Leadership #DifficultConversations #LeadershipDevelopment #Trust #PeopleLeadership #CommunicationSkills #Management #WorkplaceCulture #Figary #CassandraSparks #AnotherOneBitesTheTrust

Ever feel like your brain is working against you?

In this episode of Sparks Squared Speakeasy, Ewan and

Cassandra pull up a stool and tackle one of leadership’s most common (and least talked about) challenges: self-doubt.

From failed water-skiing attempts and stubborn entrepreneurs to Thomas Edison’s 2,774 tries and the accidental invention of beer by monks, this conversation explores why success often comes disguised as failure.

You’ll discover:
✨ Why even confident leaders experience self-doubt daily
✨ A simple two-question framework to break the anxiety spiral
✨ How to stop letting imposter syndrome run the show
✨ The surprising link between resilience, leadership, and water sports
✨ Why “failing into success” might be the most important leadership skill of all

Plus, Ewan and Cassandra share personal stories, practical strategies, and a few unexpected rabbit holes along the way.

This week’s Courage Challenge: The next time self-doubt creeps in, ask yourself:

1. What do I think?
2. What’s the proof?

Because sometimes the only thing standing between you and success is one more try.

🎙️ Pull up a chair. The Speakeasy doors are open.

#SparksSquaredSpeakeasy #Leadership #SelfDoubt #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #CourageChallenge #LeadershipDevelopment #FailingIntoSuccess #Figary #CassandraSparks

In this episode of Sparks Squared Speakeasy, Ewan Riccio-Laing and Cassandra Sparks dive into the concept of the Emotional Bank Account and how trust, empathy, communication, and authenticity shape our relationships as leaders, colleagues, friends, and humans.  

• Why leadership is built on trust and meaningful human connection
• Understanding the “Emotional Bank Account” concept from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• The importance of making intentional “deposits” through listening, empathy, respect, and support
• How poor communication, negativity, and lack of trust create emotional “withdrawals”
• Why different people value different types of recognition and connection
• Emotional bank accounts in leadership, friendships, and romantic relationships
• The impact of “emotional vampires” and draining workplace cultures
• Real-world stories about vulnerability, authenticity, and human kindness
• How self-awareness helps leaders strengthen relationships and reduce friction

This week, pay attention to:

1. One way you intentionally deposit into someone’s emotional bank account
2. One moment where you may have unintentionally made a withdrawal

Awareness is the first step toward stronger, healthier relationships.  

Cassandra Sparks
Instagram: @CassandraSparksYOU

Ewan Riccio-Laing
LinkedIn & Socials: @EwanRiccioLaing
Follow Figary Learning for leadership and learning content.

Own the Room, Tell Your Story
A workshop experience designed to help people communicate with confidence, present authentically, and tell powerful stories.

In this episode, Ewan Riccio-Laing and Cassandra Sparks kick off a fresh new format for Spark Squared Speakeasy while diving into a powerful concept: Boldness Plus.

Together, they explore how boldness changes depending on what we pair it with. From confidence and empathy to creativity and even arrogance, this conversation unpacks how intentionality shapes the way we lead, communicate, and show up in everyday life.

The episode also revisits the latest Friday Courage Challenge and highlights the power of pausing before reacting in difficult conversations.

• The meaning behind Spark Squared Speakeasy
• What “Boldness Plus” means
• Confidence vs. arrogance in leadership
• Why self-awareness matters
• The power of intentional communication
• How boldness evolves moment to moment

This week, add something to your boldness equation:
Boldness + Grit
Boldness + Creativity
Boldness + Empathy

Ask yourself:
How are you showing up boldly this week?

📱 Follow:
@FigaryLearning
@EwanRiccioLaing
@CassandraSparksYOU

This week on Spark Squared Speakeasy, we’re talking managing up and why it’s not about saying more… it’s about making your message land.

Because here’s the truth:
👉 People don’t hold back because they lack ideas.
👉 They hold back because of how they think they’ll be perceived.  

In This Episode

• Why “saying it right” isn’t enough
• How small word changes (hello “and” vs “but”) shift conversations
• What happens when passion turns into tension
• How to stay grounded when pressure hits

The Big Takeaway

If your message creates resistance…
👉 it’s not what you said, it’s how it landed.

Friday Courage Challenge

Don’t hold back your point.
Pause, ground yourself, and ask:

👉 “Am I proving something… or moving this forward?”

What if the problem isn’t what you’re saying… but how you’re showing up?

In this episode of Spark Squared Speakeasy, Ewan Riccio-Laing and Cassandra Sparks pull back the curtain on one of the biggest leadership myths out there: that more explanation equals more clarity. Spoiler alert… it doesn’t.

Because here’s the truth most leaders miss: your team can understand you perfectly… and still not move an inch.

So what’s really going on?

This week’s conversation dives into the gap between understanding and buy-in, and why logic alone isn’t enough to create momentum inside your team. From real-world training rooms to global leadership experiences, Ewan and Cassandra unpack what actually drives engagement, ownership, and action.

You’ll hear how over-explaining can quietly erode connection, why leaders often default to “more detail, more slides, more talking,” and how that approach can leave teams feeling talked at instead of brought in.

And here’s where it gets interesting…

Understanding is logical.
Buy-in is emotional.

Which means if your team isn’t moving, you don’t have a clarity problem… you have a connection problem.  

The conversation then shifts into a powerful reframe around confidence vs. presence. Because while confidence might look good on the surface, it’s presence that builds trust.

Cassandra shares a standout moment from a live training where dropping the “perfect delivery” and leaning into real, human emotion completely transformed how the message landed. The result? A room full of people leaning in, connecting deeply, and actually feeling the message instead of just hearing it.  

Ewan brings in his global leadership experience, highlighting what it takes to lead diverse teams across cultures, and why the most effective leaders don’t just repeat the message… they adapt how it’s delivered without losing its core.

Together, they land on a bold but simple truth:

👉 Leadership isn’t about saying more.
👉 It’s about connecting more.

This episode is packed with real talk, practical insight, and a refreshing reminder that leadership isn’t performance… it’s presence.

• Why more explanation doesn’t fix disengagement
• The difference between understanding and emotional buy-in
• How over-explaining can damage team connection
• Why presence beats polish every single time
• How to adapt your leadership style without losing your message
• What your team is really asking in every conversation

In your next conversation, focus less on what you’re going to say…
and more on how you’re going to show up.

Try this:

• Ask one better question
• Pause longer than feels comfortable
• Actually listen to the answer

Because when people feel connected… everything else gets easier.

Pull up a chair, leaders. This is the conversation you weren’t meant to overhear… but absolutely needed to hear.

Navigating Change: From Survival Mode to Sustainable Leadership

Welcome back to the Speakeasy. The doors are open, the conversation is real, and this week we’re diving into one of the most constant forces in leadership… change.

From new leadership energy to ongoing organizational shifts, Ewan and Cassandra unpack what adaptability really looks like and why most teams don’t resist change… they quietly survive it.

This episode explores two powerful realities leaders face:

• The impact of new leadership entering a team
• The weight of constant, layered change over time

At the heart of both? One question every team member is asking:

👉 “What just changed… and what does that mean for me?” 

This week, don’t just announce change.

👉 Answer the question your team is already asking:

“What just changed… and what does that mean for me?”

Be intentional and specific:

• What stays the same?
• What is shifting?
• What should they focus on right now?

Because when people don’t have to guess…

👉 They can actually adapt.

If this episode sparked something for you, pull up another chair and share it with someone who needs it.

Because leadership isn’t about controlling change.

It’s about helping people move through it… with clarity, confidence, and just enough spark ✨

• Cassandra Sparks: @CassandraSparksYOU
• Ewan Riccio-Laing / Figary Learning: @FigaryLearning & @ewanricciolaing

And yes… do it for Laura 😉

This week, we’re getting real about change, adaptability… and giving a fig.

From rebranding a business (👀 hello, Figury Learning!) to navigating the messy middle of transformation, this episode is all about what it actually takes to lead through change without losing your mind—or your authenticity.

💥 Inside the conversation:

• Why people don’t resist change… they resist how it’s done
• The power of keeping it simple (and honest) when everything feels uncertain
• What it really means to meet people where they are
• How bold, human communication beats corporate polish every single time
• And yes… a LOT of fig-based puns 🌱

This one’s equal parts leadership insight, real talk, and chaotic brilliance—just the way we like it.

🎯 This week’s Courage Challenge:

Pause.

Ask what feels unclear about a change you’re facing.

Then listen—without fixing.

Because real change starts with understanding.

Pull up a chair. The speakeasy doors are open. 🍸