How FlourishTalk Works
A step-by-step guide to meaningful conversations
Getting Started is Simple
FlourishTalk makes it easy to have deeper, more meaningful conversations. Whether you're using it alone for reflection or with others for dialogue, the process is straightforward and flexible.
📂 Choose a Category
Select from 37 evidence-based conversation categories
🎲 Draw a Question
Get one thoughtful question at a time
💬 Have the Conversation
Talk with others or reflect on your own
📝 Journal Your Thoughts
Capture insights and reflections privately
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Browse and Choose a Category
Start by exploring our organized categories. Categories are grouped into six main areas:
- Wellbeing & Happiness – Personal flourishing, mental fitness, lifestyle medicine
- Relationships & Connection – Deepening bonds, small talk, meaningful dialogue
- Character & Personal Development – Strengths, virtues, growth mindset
- Thinking & Learning – Metacognition, academic success, clear thinking
- Leadership & Growth – Professional development, coaching, SEL
- Understanding & Engagement – Current events, diversity, critical conversations
Each category card shows the number of topics and includes a "Learn more" link to explore the category in depth before diving into questions.
Learn About the Category (Optional)
Click "Learn more about this category" to visit a dedicated information page that explains:
- What the category is about and its purpose
- The research and frameworks behind it
- Who benefits from these conversations
- What to expect from the questions
- Real-world applications and use cases
This helps you understand the context and choose the right category for your needs.
If you're new to FlourishTalk, reading the category information pages helps you understand the frameworks and get the most from your conversations.
Select a Topic Within the Category
After choosing a category (or clicking "Choose a Topic" from the category info page), you'll see all available topics within that category.
Each topic card displays:
- The topic name
- The number of questions available (rounded for surprise)
For example, in "Character Strengths," you might see topics like Creativity, Courage, Kindness, Fairness, Self-Regulation, and more—each with 50+ questions.
Draw Your First Question
Once you select a topic, FlourishTalk randomly draws one question for you. The question appears on screen with:
- The category and topic name (for context)
- The question text, displayed prominently
- Four action buttons below
The random selection ensures fresh conversations every time—you never know which question you'll get!
🎲 Why Random Questions?
Random question selection prevents overthinking and creates spontaneity. It helps you explore topics you might not have chosen yourself, leading to unexpected insights and authentic conversations.
Choose Your Next Action
After reading your question, you have four options:
🎲 Draw Another Question
Get a different random question from the same topic
📝 Journal on This Question
Opens the journaling panel to write your reflections
📖 Need help with a term?
Opens the Term Helper to look up definitions
🔄 Choose Different Topic
Go back to explore other topics in this category
Journal Your Reflections (Optional but Powerful)
Click "Journal on This Question" to open the built-in journaling feature. This is where FlourishTalk becomes a powerful tool for self-reflection and personal growth.
What You Can Do:
- Write freely – The text area expands as you type, with no character limits
- Track your progress – Word count displayed in real-time
- Take your time – Your reflection stays until you clear it or leave the page
- Private and anonymous – Nothing is stored on our servers; your thoughts stay on your device
Save Your Reflections:
When you're done writing, you have multiple options to save your journal entry:
📄 Download as PDF
Creates a formatted PDF with the question, your reflection, date, category, and topic
📝 Download as Text
Saves a simple .txt file you can open in any text editor
📧 Email to Myself
Opens your email client with the reflection pre-filled
📋 Copy to Clipboard
Copies the text so you can paste it wherever you want
🔒 Your Privacy Matters
100% Private: Your journal entries are never uploaded, stored, or transmitted to our servers. Everything stays on your device until you explicitly save or send it yourself.
Anonymous by Design: Even if you share your reflections, there's no account system or tracking—complete privacy and anonymity.
Use the Term Helper (When Needed)
Encounter an unfamiliar word or concept in a question? Click the "Need help with a term?" button to open the Term Helper panel.
How It Works:
- A side panel slides in from the right
- Type any word or phrase you'd like to understand
- FlourishTalk fetches a clear, concise definition from Wikipedia
- The definition appears instantly with the source cited
- Close the panel when done and continue your conversation
This feature ensures you fully understand every question without having to leave FlourishTalk or search elsewhere.
The Term Helper is great for learning as you go—especially helpful for students, educators, or anyone exploring unfamiliar frameworks and concepts.
Search for Specific Topics
Can't remember which category a topic is in? Use the powerful search feature at the top of the categories page.
How Search Works:
- Enter any keyword or phrase (e.g., "gratitude," "communication," "stress")
- FlourishTalk searches through all 23,000+ questions instantly
- Results show matching questions with their category and topic
- The search term is highlighted in yellow for easy scanning
- Click any result to jump directly to that question
- Click "Clear Search" to return to browsing categories
Search makes it easy to find exactly what you're looking for, especially when you have a specific conversation goal in mind.
Share Your Story
Having a transformative experience with FlourishTalk? We'd love to hear how you're using it! Click "Share Your Story" in the menu to:
- Tell us your story – Share how FlourishTalk has impacted your life, relationships, or work
- Sign up for our newsletter – Get conversation tips, new questions, and flourishing insights
- Both! – Share your story AND join our community
Your stories inspire us and help others discover the power of meaningful conversation. All submissions are reviewed with care, and we may feature selected stories (with your permission) to inspire others.
✨ Why Share Your Story?
When you share how FlourishTalk has helped you, you inspire others to have deeper conversations. Your experience might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to take that first step toward more meaningful dialogue.
Different Ways to Use FlourishTalk
FlourishTalk is flexible and adapts to many contexts. Here are some popular ways people use it:
Solo Journaling
Draw questions for personal reflection. Journal your thoughts, track your growth over time, and process emotions privately.
Couples & Partners
Set aside weekly "question time" to deepen intimacy. Take turns drawing questions and sharing authentically with each other.
Family Conversations
Use questions at dinner to spark meaningful dialogue. Create traditions around drawing and discussing questions together.
Friend Groups
Move beyond small talk. Draw questions during gatherings to go deeper and strengthen friendships.
Team Building
Leaders use questions in meetings, retreats, or one-on-ones to build trust and psychological safety.
Classrooms
Teachers use questions for discussion prompts, character education, SEL activities, or reflection assignments.
Coaching Sessions
Coaches draw questions to guide client exploration, goal-setting, and breakthrough conversations.
Healthcare Settings
Providers use lifestyle medicine questions for patient conversations about whole-person health and behavior change.
Support Groups
Facilitators draw questions to guide group dialogue, ensure everyone's voice is heard, and create safe sharing spaces.
Tips for Getting the Most from FlourishTalk
Don't rush to the next question. Sit with one question long enough to explore it deeply—whether in conversation or journaling.
When using questions with others, truly listen to their answers without planning your response. Curiosity and openness create the best conversations.
Even brief journaling strengthens self-awareness. Try drawing one question per day and writing just 5 minutes—the insights add up over time.
The same question can spark different insights at different times. Don't be afraid to draw the same question again—your answer might surprise you.
Make FlourishTalk part of your routine—Sunday morning reflection, Friday dinner conversations, monthly team check-ins, or bedtime journaling.
When using questions with others, establish agreements about confidentiality. What's shared in the conversation stays in the conversation.
Don't limit yourself to one category. Human flourishing is multidimensional—explore relationships, character, thinking, wellbeing, and more.
Ready to Start Your First Conversation?
Choose a category and draw your first question—it only takes a minute to begin