We are thrilled to announce the launch of With Compassion, a new podcast hosted by Jennifer Nadel, founder of Compassion in Politics – UK and proudly sponsored by the Charter for Compassion. In our debut episode, Jennifer sits down with Greg Fischer, former Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, for a deeply insightful conversation on compassion, civic responsibility, and compassionate leadership in politics.
Greg Fischer is not your typical politician — under his 12-year tenure as mayor, he made compassion one of Louisville’s three core city values, alongside health and lifelong learning. Here’s a glimpse of the powerful themes explored in the episode:
Compassionate City Movement: Fischer led Louisville’s commitment to the International Charter for Compassion, turning it into one of the world’s model Compassionate Cities.
Give A Day Week: His signature civic initiative, an annual week of service, volunteerism, and acts of kindness, inspired citizens across the city — and broke its own world record for number of compassionate acts.
Institutionalizing Compassion: In 2019, Fischer helped launch Compassionate Louisville as a 501(c)(3) organization — ensuring that the city’s compassion work would outlast any single mayoral administration.
Leading in Crisis: Even in moments of tension and tragedy — like the vandalism of a mosque — Fischer called on the community to respond with unity and generosity. Within days, hundreds rallied to repaint and restore, turning an act of hate into an outpouring of solidarity.
Global Compassion Leadership: Louisville, under Fischer, wasn’t just locally minded — he led delegations of mayors to meet his Holiness the Dalai Lama, and nurtured a network of other cities exploring the Charter for Compassion.
In their conversation, Jennifer and Greg dive into the power of compassion in public life: How do you make “compassion” more than a slogan — building it into the fabric of a community? And how can civic responsibility thrive in turbulent times?
