What does it truly mean to find connection in an increasingly fragmented and isolating world?
In this episode of The Kitchen Table, we are joined by Kim Samuel, author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation and founder of the Belonging Forum. Kim is a leading global voice in the movement to understand and address social isolation. We explore why belonging is not just a soft aspiration or a well-being add-on, but a fundamental human right and a design principle for our communities, schools, and public life.
What You’ll Discover
- The Four Ps of Belonging: How our connection to people, place, power, and purpose forms the foundation of what it means to truly feel at home in the world.
- Belonging as a Birthright: Why we must move beyond treating belonging as a tick-box exercise and recognise it as an inherent human right that requires us to dismantle systemic barriers.
- Designing for Connection: How our physical spaces, educational systems, and social structures must be intentionally architected for belonging, rather than leaving isolation to thrive by default.
Kim’s powerful reminder is that while we can never force another person to belong, we can hold the space and design the conditions that allow them to find it. In a world that often leaves us feeling depleted, this conversation offers a hopeful vision for how we can build communities where every person is seen, valued, and heard.
Connect with Phil Banks
thebelongingcollective.blog.
Connect with Mohamed Abdallah
Substack.
Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu
Substack.
The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Ambition Foundation, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.
