Passion Struck with John R. Miles
Episode: Claude Silver on the Courage of Being Yourself at Work – EP 682
Release Date: October 28, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, host John R. Miles sits down with Claude Silver, the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia and right hand to Gary Vaynerchuk, to discuss her new book, Be Yourself at Work: The Groundbreaking Power of Showing Up, Standing Out and Leading from the Heart. The conversation explores the vital force of belonging in the workplace, the courage it takes to be authentic, and actionable ways leaders (and all employees) can foster connection, psychological safety, and true fulfillment by embracing their full selves at work.
Claude shares pivotal moments from her journey, the lessons that shaped her leadership, and practical tools for building workplaces where people don’t just fit in, but truly belong and thrive. John and Claude’s engaging, heart-led discussion will resonate with anyone looking to bridge the gap between professional performance and personal authenticity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Personal Evolution Behind Purposeful Work
- Growth Through Parenting: Claude opens by reflecting on how much her children’s growth has changed her, emphasizing the importance of giving herself grace as a parent and evolving alongside them. (08:00)
- Grounding in Mission: She’s now more focused than ever on her personal mission: “My mission is to be of joyful service each and every way I can be...to help people remove shame so they can thus remove the masks that they carry.” (08:41, Claude)
2. The Origin of the Chief Heart Officer Role
- A Defining Career Pivot: Claude recounts a transformative conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk that led her to step away from advertising strategy and co-create a role focused solely on the company’s “heartbeat”—its people and culture.
- “I only care about the people here. I care about the heartbeat of this place. Heartbeat, the culture.” (13:38, Claude)
- Gary’s approach: “She will do things that do not matter on paper, but they matter on heart. She will be the extension of me in all of those rooms.” (15:45, Claude quoting Gary)
3. Values in Action vs. Values on Paper
- Culture as a Competitive Advantage: John highlights his own corporate experiences, drawing the distinction between companies that actively live their values and those that just display them. Claude emphasizes that values should permeate daily habits, not just sit on a wall—“We want people to embody the values, not just read them off the sheet.” (17:38, Claude)
- Self-Awareness as the Starting Point: Authenticity at work begins with self-acceptance, then sharing your true self with others, which drives camaraderie, creativity, and collaboration.
4. The Fragmentation Gap and the Challenge of Showing Up Fully
- Living Fragmented Lives: John introduces “the fragmentation gap”—the disconnect between how we act at work, with friends, family, and our true selves. Claude credits music and pivotal moments of being seen (like a wilderness instructor who told her “you better get another song in your head”) for helping her reframe her self-narrative and find the courage to climb her own mountains.
- “Only I can change this. The lie going on in my head. The darkness or the imposter syndrome. But she met me where I was. And that is...something I aim to do every day, which is meet people where they are.” (23:25, Claude)
5. Practical Steps for Authenticity and Connection at Work
- Start Small, Be Curious: For those anxious about showing up as themselves, Claude recommends beginning with one or two trusted colleagues. “Try to dip your toe in with one or two people by sharing yourself...It takes some vulnerability. But you’re not going to know unless you try.” (25:48, Claude)
- Grassroots Culture Building: She describes how starting a small book club of like-minded colleagues sparked connection and shifted her former agency’s culture incrementally.
6. Building Social Networks & Culture Champions
- Proactive Connection: Claude makes intentional introductions for those struggling to connect—“I have a list...of what I call culture champions. They are people that I know I can send you to...that’s how the culture grows. That’s how it scales.” (29:44, Claude)
- Supporting Belonging: This “connective tissue” ensures new people quickly find a sense of community and support.
7. The Three Pillars: Emotional Optimism, Bravery, and Efficiency
- Emotional Optimism: Accepting emotions without letting them define you; knowing you can and will move through tough times. (32:14, Claude)
- Emotional Bravery: Taking action even when it’s scary or emotionally fraught; not shrinking from discomfort.
- Emotional Efficiency: Recovering more quickly from emotional dips, individually and as a team, through self-awareness and open communication.
- “You don’t have to become the emotion...Tomorrow will be a new day. That’s the optimist.” (32:45, Claude)
8. Belonging is a Verb—Not a Perk
- Daily Practices: Belonging is created through presence, listening, and signaling psychological safety.
- “Every single person is allowed to take up space. You were hired for that reason...Please share.” (38:50, Claude)
- Psychological Safety for Teams: The number one step: leaders must get honest with themselves about how they show up and be willing to mirror their behaviors. (40:26)
- Ripples of Kindness: Small acts of attention and generosity “unlock serotonin and oxytocin and create a ripple effect throughout the company.” (44:18, Claude)
9. Team Citizenship Rules
- Trust is the Blood of Teams: Trust is fragile but critical; it must be actively nurtured through vulnerability and consistent support.
- Be an Energy Source: Avoid being a drain; contribute energy, appreciation, and positivity to your team.
- “Energy radiates when you say the following: I’ve got your back. How can I support you? I believe in you...” (49:57, Claude)
- Rituals for Connection: Simple exercises like appreciation circles or team rituals strengthen bonds and raise morale.
10. Every Decision Leaves a Tattoo
- Leadership Lessons: Claude shares a lesson learned from a misjudged company-wide email: “That was a moment that is tattooed on me and not in a bad way. Just as a reminder that face to face, or at least phone, is better than an email.” (52:26, Claude)
11. What Every CEO Should Know About Belonging
- The Macro Impact: Claude urges leaders to prioritize heart and people-first systems, which yield immense retention, opportunity, and joy that positively ripple outward to clients and society.
- “By putting more heart into your organization and by putting more people in there that actually are there to hold space for other people, you create enormous amounts of retention…and you create a lot of people that are wedded to knowing the fact that you can feel good at work.” (53:54, Claude)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Sometimes your decisions make no sense on paper, but make all the sense of heart.” – Gary Vaynerchuk (as quoted by John, 15:16)
- “We want people to embody the values, not just read them off the sheet.” – Claude Silver (17:38)
- “You can control you. And so what I would say is try it.” – Claude Silver (25:48)
- “You have to take that step forward, ignite the trust through being open and vulnerable and ready to step into whatever is next.” – Claude Silver (48:19)
- “Bad leaders leave a mess... Good leaders leave a mark, but great leaders leave a map.” – Claude Silver (46:08)
- “Every single person is allowed to take up space.” – Claude Silver (38:50)
- “By putting more heart into your organization...you create enormous amounts of retention…you create a lot of people that are wedded to knowing the fact that you can feel good at work.” – Claude Silver (53:54)
Key Timestamps
- 08:41 – Claude’s personal mission: “to be of joyful service”
- 13:38 – Pivot to Chief Heart Officer & focusing on “heartbeat”
- 15:45 – Gary Vaynerchuk’s philosophy: heart over paper
- 17:38 – Values in action, not just display
- 23:25 – The impact of being “met where you are”
- 25:48 – Advice for those afraid to be authentic at work
- 29:44 – Creating social networks of “culture champions”
- 32:14 – The three pillars explained
- 38:50 – Creating belonging: “everyone is allowed to take up space”
- 40:26 – Psychological safety and self-awareness for leaders
- 44:18 – The ripple effect of kindness and generosity
- 49:57 – Energy radiates from language and support
- 52:26 – A leadership tattoo: lessons from a communication misstep
- 53:54 – Macro impact of heart-centered leadership
The Takeaway
Authenticity at work isn’t a performance—it’s a daily practice. Claude Silver’s lessons are clear: Belonging and psychological safety begin with the courage to show up as yourself, are nurtured through daily, small actions, and are amplified in organizations that value the heartbeat of their people above all else. Heart-centered cultures don’t just retain talent—they send positive ripples beyond the company walls.
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Next episode: Resilience with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic.