What It Takes to Belong

With researcher Sophie Johnson and a short film by Erifili Davis. On fitting in versus belonging — and the difference that makes.

The first taco of 2025 asked the question under all the others: what does it take for people to feel they truly belong?

At some point, every one of us has had to learn how to fit in — a new team, a new school, a new street, a new country town. The journey to belonging is universal. But is belonging the same thing as fitting in? Regulars will know a certain researcher would say absolutely not — fitting in means changing who you are; belonging means being who you are.

We opened with a short film by Erifili Davis, sharing her journey of belonging across three places — Dubbo, Wollongong and Greece. Watching someone map their sense of place across continents does something useful to a room: it reminds everyone that belonging isn’t a fixed address. It’s something we carry, lose, rebuild and choose.

Our expert guest, Sophie Johnson, is a Research Associate at the University of Sydney’s School of Business, specialising in refugee workforce integration — including studying the successes and challenges of a migrant program inside a multinational organisation. Her research digs into what actually helps ‘new kids on the block’ integrate: what works, what doesn’t, and how the lessons of workforce belonging map onto every other kind.