50 Podcast Conversation Topic Ideas (and how to turn them into great episodes)

Episode 0006: Joshua Graves

Author Joshua Graves joins So Many Questions to explore difficult conversations, power dynamics, listening skills, and practical tools for healthier communication.

One of the hardest parts of hosting a conversational podcast isn’t recording, it’s deciding what to talk about.

Below are 50 conversation-first podcast topic ideas, organized by theme, with guidance on how to turn each into a meaningful episode rather than surface-level chatter.

Personal & Reflective Topics

This is where I like to start. It helps get the guest into a reflective and open place. A guest’s answers open up infinite paths for follow up questions, or directions to go with other topics.

1. A moment that changed how you see the world
2. The beliefs you’ve had to unlearn
3. What you wish people understood about your work
4. Failure that taught you more than success
5. How your childhood still shapes you

Tip: Ask follow-ups that explore emotion, not just events.

Creativity & Process Topics

These questions dig into how the guest operates. What they think about as they go through their life, and pursue interesting projects in their life.

6. How you know when an idea is worth pursuing
7. Creative burnout and recovery
8. The role of discipline vs inspiration
9. How feedback changed your work
10. Creating without an audience

Check out How to Host Better Podcast Conversations

Work, Career & Identity

These topics hone in a lot on professional pursuits, don’t be afraid to take that and dive into how that was either shaped by their broader life experiences, or how that has shaped other areas of their life.

11. Careers that didn’t exist when you were young
12. Redefining success
13. Work you’re proud of but no one sees
14. Learning to say no
15. When work stopped feeling meaningful

Culture & Society

These topics provide a broader landscape to ground your conversation. How do things fit into the larger context of a specific area, or the world at large? These conversations can get very philosophical and allows you and your guests to explore the edges of topics.

16. Community in a digital world
17. What “progress” really means
18. Technology and human connection
19. The cost of convenience
20. Whose voices are missing from the conversation

Learning & Curiosity

We’re constantly learning. These topics can help call out areas where our curiosity has led to growth and new understanding. They also allow for very open ended conversations about things we’re learning, or have learned.

21. Something you changed your mind about
22. A book that reshaped your thinking
23. The best question you’ve been asked
24. What you’re still trying to understand
25. How curiosity has shaped your life

Relationships & Communication

We all have relationships. Talking through how relationships have shaped our lives, and our worldviews are relatable to everyone. Our relationships teach us so much about ourselves, our limits, our past and our future.

26. Difficult conversations done well
27. Learning to listen
28. Conflict and repair
29. Boundaries vs demands
30. Trust and vulnerability

Identity & Lived Experience

Every experience that we have shapes us. We are constantly evolving in our own understanding of ourselves. These topics about identity and lived experience provide an opportunity to see who we are, and what we’ve experienced.

31. Where you feel most yourself
32. Navigating change
33. Belonging and exclusion
34. Growth that didn’t look like growth
35. Holding conflicting truths

Reflection & Meaning

Providing our guests with an opportunity to slow down and reflect on their lives, experiences and what they have meant to them will always be a place where great conversations happen. It also prompts us to reflect and see where we are on a regular basis.

36. What gives your life meaning right now
37. Letting go of old versions of yourself
38. Advice you don’t usually give
39. Hope in uncertain times
40. What you want to protect

Meta & Podcast-Specific Topics

These are great questions and topics for you to reflect on as you continue to have conversations. To look a little more deeply at your motivations, expectations, and how they are continuing to evolve. Doing this will allow you to show up more authentically and intentionally.

41. Why you started this podcast
42. How your questions have changed
43. Conversations that surprised you
44. Mistakes you’ve learned from
45. What listeners don’t see

Wildcard Topics

There are always outliers that defy categorization. These are places where you can let your voice and perspective ring clearly. Don’t be afraid of topics that might seem “weird” or out of left field. Often, these are the topics and questions that your guest hasn’t been asked, and they find it refreshing and have to spend a little time thinking about their answer, instead of firing off the same answer that they’ve said dozens of times.

46. A memory you return to often
47. What you’re afraid to talk about
48. A belief you’re still wrestling with
49. A question you don’t have an answer to
50. What you want people to remember

Turning Topics Into Episodes

• Start with why this matters
• Let the guest help shape the direction
• Follow curiosity, not outlines

Read: The Ultimate Guide to Conversational Podcasts