What a Walk with Maxine Russo Taught Me About Belonging
There are some places that become woven into the fabric of our lives.
Places we return to when we’re celebrating.
Places we return to when we’re grieving.
Places that witness us through heartbreak, change, reinvention and joy.
When I met Maxine Russo, chair of Contemporary Kent Artists and Fishslab Gallery in Whistable, for this episode of Where We Come Alive, we walked along the shoreline beneath Tankerton Slopes in Whitstable. Sailing boats bobbed in the distance. Their masts gently rattled in the breeze. The sea stretched endlessly before us, shifting shades of blue and grey beneath a vast summer sky.
As we walked, it became clear that this wasn’t simply a place Maxine loved.
It was a place that had held her.
And perhaps that’s something many of us are searching for.
Not just beautiful landscapes.
But places that help us remember who we are.
1. The Landscapes That Witness Our Lives
One of the things I love most about recording Where We Come Alive is discovering how deeply people connect to the places they choose.
Every guest brings me somewhere different.
A woodland.
A canal.
A flower farm.
A coastline.
But beneath every conversation lies the same question:
“Why here?”
For Maxine, Tankerton has been the backdrop to some of life’s biggest moments.
It’s where she scattered her mother’s ashes.
It’s where she came after her divorce.
It’s where she began rebuilding a new chapter of her life.
And it’s where she found a sense of peace and belonging.
Listening to her speak reminded me that landscapes often become containers for our memories.
We leave parts of ourselves in places.
A stretch of coastline becomes linked to someone we’ve loved.
A woodland becomes associated with a period of healing.
A bench becomes a place where difficult decisions were made.
Long after the moment has passed, the place remains.
Waiting quietly for our return.
2. Finding Perspective at the Edge of the Sea
Standing on Tankerton Slopes, you can see an enormous sweep of coastline.
The horizon seems endless.
The sky feels impossibly large.
And suddenly, whatever has been occupying your mind feels a little smaller.
Maxine described it beautifully.
She talked about how the sea helps her step outside her own worries and anxieties.
How it reminds her that the world is far bigger than whatever challenge she’s facing.
I think many of us experience that feeling in nature.
Whether it’s standing beside the sea, walking through woodland or looking up at a star-filled sky.
Nature has a way of putting things into perspective.
Not because our problems disappear.
But because we’re reminded that they exist within something much larger.
One of my favourite moments from our conversation came when Maxine said:
“It survived. So you will survive too.”
She was talking about the coastline.
About its permanence.
Its resilience.
Its ability to weather storms and return to calm.
And yet it felt like advice for life itself.
3. Creativity Begins with Connection
Although Maxine isn’t a practising artist herself, creativity runs through everything she does.
As founder of Contemporary Kent Artists, she spends much of her time bringing creative people together.
Connecting artists.
Supporting exhibitions.
Championing local talent.
Creating opportunities for collaboration.
What fascinated me was that her motivation isn’t really about art.
It’s about people.
Again and again, she returned to the idea of connection.
Introducing one person to another.
Helping relationships form.
Creating spaces where creativity can flourish.
It made me realise how often we think creativity is a solitary pursuit.
An artist alone in a studio.
A writer alone at a desk.
A photographer alone with a camera.
But perhaps creativity is just as much about community.
About conversations.
About shared ideas.
About feeling seen and supported.
The more we spoke, the more I realised that Contemporary Kent Artists isn’t simply an arts organisation.
It’s a community.
And community, perhaps, is one of the most creative forces we have.
4. What Artists Teach Us About Being Human
One of my favourite questions in the episode was:
“What have artists taught you about being human?”
Maxine’s answer surprised me.
She said they had taught her not to be so hard on herself.
To stop trying to control everything.
To trust the process.
To allow life to unfold.
As someone who has spent much of her own life trying to plan, organise and manage every possible outcome, I deeply related to that.
Many of us are taught that control equals safety.
That if we work hard enough, plan carefully enough and think far enough ahead, we can protect ourselves from uncertainty.
But life doesn’t work like that.
And creativity certainly doesn’t.
Artists understand something many of us forget.
You cannot control every outcome.
You can only show up.
Pay attention.
Stay curious.
And trust what emerges.
It struck me that the sea teaches exactly the same lesson.
The tide comes in.
The tide goes out.
You don’t get to control it.
You simply learn to move with it.
5. The Search for Belonging
Towards the end of our conversation, I asked Maxine what she thought people were really searching for when they stand looking out at the sea.
Her answer stayed with me.
A sense of place.
A sense of understanding.
A sense of grounding.
In many ways, I think that’s what this entire podcast is exploring.
Not simply where people feel alive.
But where they feel they belong.
Because belonging isn’t always about geography.
It’s not necessarily where you were born.
Or where you live.
Sometimes belonging is a feeling.
A feeling of being held.
Of being understood.
Of being connected to something larger than yourself.
For Maxine, that feeling lives on the Tankerton coastline.
For someone else, it might be a garden.
A woodland.
A mountain path.
A flower field.
What matters is finding those places and returning to them.
Again and again.
Because in a world that constantly demands our attention, asks us to hurry and encourages us to stay busy, these places offer something incredibly valuable.
Perspective.
Presence.
Connection.
And perhaps most importantly, a reminder that we’re part of something much bigger than ourselves.
As I left Tankerton that day, I found myself thinking about something Maxine said.
That life is a balance between the challenges we face and the things that bring us joy.
Perhaps that’s what these conversations keep returning to.
Not the absence of difficulty.
Not the pursuit of perfection.
But the importance of making space for wonder, creativity, community and connection alongside it all.
And sometimes, all it takes is a walk beside the sea to remember that. 🌊✨
Listen to the full episode of Where We Come Alive with Maxine Russo, where we explore belonging, creativity, community and the landscapes that help us find our way back to ourselves.
Listen to the episode
If you enjoyed this conversation, you’ll find more episodes of Where We Come Alive waiting for you on Spotify, Apple, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. Each week, I spend time outdoors with inspiring women in places they love, exploring how nature, creativity and landscape shape the way we live, see and feel.
Louisa Peacock creates fine art photographic prints that celebrate the beauty, stillness and wonder of the natural world. Inspired by the changing seasons, wild landscapes and the quiet moments often overlooked, her work is an invitation to slow down, notice more deeply and reconnect with the places that make us feel most alive. Each piece is thoughtfully produced as timeless artwork for homes that value beauty, nature and meaningful living.
The Where We Come Alive podcast is on all major platforms including Apple, Amazon and Spotify. Please follow me wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you don\\\\\\\’t miss an episode.
