An engaging conversation is a great foundation for a podcast episode. And when you have good rapport between the host and the guest, the audience gets a lot from the conversation, too. But one of the biggest challenges I faced during my earlier days in podcasting was with the opening phase of a podcast interview. During my first few interviews, I stumbled out of the gate. And I found that it was hard to build rapport before getting into the core topic. So how do you open a podcast interview? How do you create a welcoming environment for your guest and create momentum right after you hit the record button?