Better Together: Embracing the Discomfort of Difference
| Reggie Davis, 2025
What’s It All About?
There are certain people I can learn from in almost any conversation. Reggie Davis is one of them! It’s easy to be dismissive of diversity, equity, and inclusion when you believe you don’t hold biases. I’ve always considered myself a good person, but Better Together: Embracing the Discomfort of Difference reminds me is that being good doesn’t mean being perfect.
When ideas challenge who I think I am or how I see the world, it can be unsettling. Yet if I want to grow, I need to stay open to concepts that stretch me. Consuming information I already agree with just reinforces more of the same. That’s not development. This book is about how we can grow, both individually and together.
Reggie’s lessons hit me like the gym analogy: discomfort is required for progress. It’s uncomfortable to get out of a warm bed, but I know I’ll feel better once I move. Same with difficult conversations. It might feel awkward, but afterward I know more about others and gain a better version of myself. Who doesn’t want that?
Still, I know I sometimes avoid risk. There are conversations I’ve stayed away from because they felt uncomfortable, and I now see how that costs me from learning and connection. This book helps me push through that hesitation with personal stories and reframes that make you feel like you’re right there with Reggie.
Better Together also taught me to get more out of every conversation. Less small talk about weather and sports, more curiosity about how others think and see the world differently. It’s a quick read, about an hour and a half, but I’ve already gone back through it multiple times to pull out what I can apply now.
Favorite Quotes
“I believe that most human beings tend to gravitate toward conditions that minimize effort, reduce risk, and provide certainty more than we recognize.”
Biggest Takeaway
We are constantly changing, day by day. The question is how we change. When we embrace discomfort instead of avoiding or getting consumed by it we grow. Even small courage builds new capability. We each decide how far outside our comfort zone we’re willing to go.
After reading this book, I feel more equipped to step into deeper conversations and let them change me for the better.