Claude Silver, the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, joins us to share how leading with empathy transforms teams and culture. Partnering with Gary Vaynerchuk for 11+ years, Claude has scaled “the honey empire”—kindness first, results second—and now distills her approach in her new book, Be Yourself at Work, out tomorrow.
We explore Claude’s journey from struggling student to 93 days in the wilderness, where a guide’s challenge—“get another song in your head”—helped her shift from external to internal locus of control. That moment became the cornerstone of her people-first leadership. Claude later built teams across VaynerX and reimagined hiring from “culture fit” to “culture addition,” even removing degree requirements to widen the door for talent.
Her book guides us through three arcs: know yourself (“You are the CEO of you”), know how you show up on teams (radiator or drain), and lead culture every day—with practical tools like a personal roadmap and her L.I.E. exercise to tackle impostor syndrome. It’s a pragmatic playbook for bringing more humanity, tenderness, and emotional intelligence to work—one intentional choice at a time.
The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway
Remember everyone is carrying something—and most people’s intentions are good. Lead with that assumption.
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Produced by NOVA