Have you ever had a debate in a rainforest? Over three days at the end of March, I found myself discussing education, economic growth, equity, AI and other big societal questions while surrounded by towering tropical plants inside the Eden Project’s biomes. It was surreal, inspiring and, at times, a little magical.
Anthropy, now in its fourth year, takes over this extraordinary venue and fills it with 2,000 responsible leaders and organisations. More than 200 sessions and 600 speakers all focused on one ambition: inspiring a more united future for the UK. It’s a cross‑sector network designed to spark real‑world change, building partnerships, influencing policymakers and shifting behaviour. Rather than “what happens in the biomes stays in the biomes”; it’s what happens afterwards that counts.
I was lucky enough to attend on a bursary ticket gifted by Anthropy to EmpathyLab, and it was quite the three days. Anthropy is built on the belief that the future is a shared responsibility, and what struck me most was how genuinely democratic it felt. No keynote hierarchy, no “us and them” conference culture, just focused conversations and the chance for someone like me, from a small social‑impact organisation, to speak directly with cabinet members, big‑tech leaders, business innovators and civil‑society changemakers.
But surrounded by very brilliant minds tackling the biggest questions about our future, one thought kept cropping up: are we collectively scared of a single word?
Empathy.
Every panel, every fireside chat, every workshop session circled around a core theme: disconnection. Between people, leaders and employees, children and schools. Across our communities and between humans and the natural world, in our online personas and our offline lives.
We talked about the urgent need to rebuild trust, strengthen the “glue” of our communities, create belonging, foster collaboration and restore cohesion. But strangely, almost no one named the thing that actually binds all of that together.
Empathy. Empathy is connection.
I think I heard the actual word twice in three days (other than when I threw it into the conversation, which I often did!)
Right now, we need empathy more than ever. But how do we build it if we can’t even name it?
Empathy in Business: The Human Skill That Will Outlast Every Technology
There were, frankly, some really terrifying thoughts from people in the know about where AI might be heading. But all agreed that as AI and automation accelerate, the value of human skills is skyrocketing. Understanding, perspective‑taking, emotional literacy – empathy – are what we need in the workplace to succeed, not just for supportive cultures but also for economic growth.
Yes, leaders need empathy to build workplaces where people feel seen and motivated and employees need empathy to collaborate, innovate, and solve real problems. The future workforce — today’s children — will need empathy to thrive alongside technology rather than compete with it.
If you can understand someone else’s experience, you can design better products, build better teams, and create better solutions. Empathy is a growth strategy, not a “nice to have”.
Empathy in Education: The Foundation for Learning and Belonging
Many conversations I attended focused on the urgent change needed within an education system that isn’t currently fit to prepare children for the future. But schools are highly relational places, children cannot learn if they don’t feel safe, connected, and understood. Empathy helps them regulate emotions, build friendships, trust teachers, and feel like they belong in school.
It supports mental health, which helps improve academic outcomes. It keeps children engaged and attending.
If we want happier, healthier, more resilient young people, empathy isn’t optional, it’s essential. Not just to keep them happy and thriving in school now, but to be prepared for their future work needs. Economic growth doesn’t come from skills development for innovation once you’re in work, it comes from planning ahead right from primary.
Empathy in Communities: The Antidote to Polarisation
We’re living in a time when disagreement often feels dangerous. Online, it can feel impossible, and in real life, it can feel uncomfortable.
Empathy doesn’t mean always agreeing, it’s not about being soft – it’s simply having greater understanding. It’s the bridge that keeps us connected even when we see the world differently.
Communities with empathy are communities with cohesion. Communities without it fracture, something we are seeing right across the world, with the flames often fanned by those with access to the loudest megaphones who themselves seem devoid of empathy. If we educate communities for empathy, then our collective action means those with the megaphones have lose their power.
Is Empathy Too Intangible?
Maybe that’s why we avoid the word. It feels soft, unmeasurable, and unscalable. But empathy is not abstract: it’s learnable, teachable, and grounded in psychology and neuroscience.
At EmpathyLab, we see this every day. One of the simplest, most powerful tools for building empathy is something almost every child already does:
Reading.
Through stories, we step into someone else’s shoes. We ask, “I wonder how it feels to be you?” and we can experience perspectives we may never encounter in our own lives.
It’s accessible. It’s evidence‑based. And it works. And as we’re currently in the National Year of Reading, we need to be supercharging this empathy-building tool, this year and for the decade beyond.
If we truly want to address the disconnection we keep talking about, between people, within place, and between us and the planet — empathy is not the thing to avoid. It’s the thing to embrace.
What could change if we nurtured empathy? Everything.
I’m now following up on dozens of rich conversations had a Anthropy to turn discussions into real life action, aiming to place empathy at the heart of thriving education, community cohesion and young people’s wellbeing.
I really hope to return to Anthropy next year, with news of the difference we’ve collectively made, and with the hope of hearing empathy discussed as vital ingredient to move us forward, not a word to be avoided.