Source: APO – Report:
Jennifer Nadel, co-founder of Compassion in Politics and co-author with Gillian Anderson of We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere, joins Dominic Wilhelm on the recently released Closing Distance podcast to show why compassion and trust are democracy’s fiercest allies.
“Compassion isn’t soft. It’s fierce.” That was the message from barrister, award-winning journalist, and political reformer Jennifer Nadel in conversation with Dominic Wilhelm on the Closing Distance podcast. Nadel, who co-founded Compassion in Politics, argues that embedding compassion at the heart of political decision-making is not a luxury, but a democratic necessity.
Nadel’s career has been defined by confronting power with honesty. As an investigative journalist at ITN, she exposed war crimes and provided evidence to the United Nations. As an author, she co-wrote We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere with actress Gillian Anderson, a book that urged a shift from the me-centred way of living to a we-centred one. Nadel’s and Anderson’s manifesto championed resilience, compassion, and collective responsibility, principles that Wilhelm develops through the Global Trust Project’s focus on trust as the essential condition for closing distance between people and societies.
Through Compassion in Politics, the cross-party group she co-founded, Nadel has championed reforms that bring empathy and integrity into the heart of public life. Its initiatives include mental health support for MPs, culture-change campaigns such as Stop the Nastiness, and the Honesty Standard in Parliament – now being piloted in Wales to sanction politicians who deliberately deceive the public.
“We’ve normalised politics that causes avoidable suffering,” Nadel says. “But compassion means action. It means standing up to dishonesty, refusing to turn away from hardship, and insisting that politics return to its moral compass.”
Nadel acknowledges that compassion can be dismissed as naïve, even “churchy.” Yet she insists the opposite is true: “Compassion requires courage. It means walking into adversarial spaces and saying there is another way.”
Her work resonates with younger generations disillusioned by politics. Only 1% of Britons under 35 believe politicians tell the truth, a statistic Nadel cites as evidence of a trust crisis that Compassion in Politics is determined to address. “When people know that dishonesty carries real consequences, public trust can begin to be rebuilt,” she argues.
The conversation with Wilhelm underscored the alignment between compassion and trust. While Wilhelm’s Global Trust Project works to operationalise trust in organisations and governments, Nadel insists that compassion is politics’ “magnetic north” – the principle that can guide choices back to fairness, dignity, and truth.
Her own journey adds weight to the message. After years at the frontline of journalism and campaigning, Nadel burnt out, forcing her to rebuild her life from the inside out. That experience, she says, clarified the urgency of compassion not only as a personal practice but as a political framework.
“For me it always comes back to action,” she reflects. “Compassion isn’t sentiment. It’s activism – a call to act for the world we long for, not the one we settle for.”
– on behalf of VUKA Group.
Available on Spotify:
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Episode Link: https://apo-opa.co/4n17sJj
Available on YouTube:
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Episode link: https://apo-opa.co/3Vb6SMX
Contact:
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About Jennifer Nadel:
Jennifer Nadel is a barrister, award-winning journalist, author, and co-founder of Compassion in Politics. Her investigative reporting for ITN exposed war crimes, providing evidence to the United Nations. She has authored We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere (with Gillian Anderson) and How Compassion Can Transform Our Politics, Economy and Society. She is Director of Compassionate Politics at Stanford University and a founding figure in the Global Compassion Coalition.
About Compassion in Politics:
Compassion in Politics is a cross-party organisation dedicated to embedding empathy, fairness, and integrity into the political system. Founded by Jennifer Nadel and Matt Hawkins, the group campaigns for systemic reforms that address the culture of adversarial politics, promote honesty in public life, and reduce avoidable suffering caused by government policy.
About Closing Distance:
Closing Distance is a podcast hosted by Dominic Wilhelm, Executive Director of The Global Trust Project – a proud venture partner of The VUKA Group. Through candid conversations with global thinkers, it explores how trust can close the distance between people, leaders, and societies – and bring us closer to what matters most.
Coming Up Next on Closing Distance:
In the next episode, Wilhelm is joined by Jim Harter, Chief Scientist at Gallup, to examine how trust is faring across society – from leadership and governments to non-profits and organisations. Harter reveals where trust is faltering, where it is thriving, and why leaders who build authentic connections with their people achieve not only higher engagement, but stronger resilience and profitability.
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