It's a verbal tick, a meaningless bit at the start of the sentence because the person feels uncomfortable starting the sentence right off and wants a bit of lea

It's a verbal tick, a meaningless bit at the start of the sentence because the person feels uncomfortable starting the sentence right off and wants a bit of lead-in, or as a short pause for rhythm. Same thing with "basically" - I've seen people start basically every single sentence with "basically" when they're even a bit stressed.