Whatever someone brings up three times in one conversation is what they actually came to talk about.

People circle the real subject before landing on it. It arrives as a passing mention, then a joke, then a detail that did not need including, all while the conversation is officially about something else. They are checking whether it is safe to say out loud. Repetition is the signal, and it usually goes unnoticed because everyone is busy answering the surface topic.

Count the repeats this week, in person or in a chat. When something comes round a third time, ask about it directly and gently. That one question is often the entire reason they wanted to talk.