LEAD with HEART or DON’T LEAD | Talk2Rami feat. Claude Silver
Mon Jan 26 2026
What if the real measure of leadership isn’t your title, revenue, or followers—but how safe people feel to be fully themselves around you? Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia and Gary Vaynerchuk's right hand on all things people and culture, isn’t interested in performative “culture” or polished buzzwords; she’s interested in the messy, human reality of work—belonging, psychological safety, emotional optimism, and what actually happens when leaders care more about people’s hearts than their job titles.
Spending time with Claude feels like getting permission to stop performing and start leading from who you really are—whether you’re a CEO, founder, HR leader, manager, or just someone who refuses to numb out at work. If this hits something in you and you’re ready to bring more heart, honesty, and humanity into your leadership, go deeper with Claude’s book Be Yourself at Work here: https://www.claudesilver.com/book
00:00 Lead with heart or don’t lead
00:29 Why people matter more than anything
02:10 Survival Camp, discomfort, and waking up to yourself
04:50 Walking away from advertising and choosing people
06:20 Becoming Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia with Gary Vaynerchuk
08:05 Be Yourself (Be a zebra)
10:05 Hiding at work, fear, and judgment
12:15 Psychological safety and speaking your mind
14:20 Belonging, being known, and feeling seen
16:25 Emotional intelligence and emotional fluency
18:30 Leaders as light‑switches, not heroes
20:40 Protecting your people and choosing health over accounts
22:45 Kindness, chance encounters, and the quiet ROI of empathy
25:00 Knowing your own strengths and owning your story
27:10 Legacy, kids, and bringing heart home too
31:00 A simple challenge: reach out, be human today
🎧 Listen to the podcast and follow on Social Media 📲
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talk2rami/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raminjahedi/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2rami
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talktorami/
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/@talk2rami
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Talk2Rami
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk2rami/id1525226939
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2u1ISRm24IjnFlaDQpVSrb?si=81342232784c441c
Website: https://talk2rami.com
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What if the real measure of leadership isn’t your title, revenue, or followers—but how safe people feel to be fully themselves around you? Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia and Gary Vaynerchuk's right hand on all things people and culture, isn’t interested in performative “culture” or polished buzzwords; she’s interested in the messy, human reality of work—belonging, psychological safety, emotional optimism, and what actually happens when leaders care more about people’s hearts than their job titles. Spending time with Claude feels like getting permission to stop performing and start leading from who you really are—whether you’re a CEO, founder, HR leader, manager, or just someone who refuses to numb out at work. If this hits something in you and you’re ready to bring more heart, honesty, and humanity into your leadership, go deeper with Claude’s book Be Yourself at Work here: https://www.claudesilver.com/book 00:00 Lead with heart or don’t lead 00:29 Why people matter more than anything 02:10 Survival Camp, discomfort, and waking up to yourself 04:50 Walking away from advertising and choosing people 06:20 Becoming Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia with Gary Vaynerchuk 08:05 Be Yourself (Be a zebra) 10:05 Hiding at work, fear, and judgment 12:15 Psychological safety and speaking your mind 14:20 Belonging, being known, and feeling seen 16:25 Emotional intelligence and emotional fluency 18:30 Leaders as light‑switches, not heroes 20:40 Protecting your people and choosing health over accounts 22:45 Kindness, chance encounters, and the quiet ROI of empathy 25:00 Knowing your own strengths and owning your story 27:10 Legacy, kids, and bringing heart home too 31:00 A simple challenge: reach out, be human today 🎧 Listen to the podcast and follow on Social Media 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talk2rami/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raminjahedi/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2rami Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talktorami/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/@talk2rami YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Talk2Rami Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk2rami/id1525226939 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2u1ISRm24IjnFlaDQpVSrb?si=81342232784c441c Website: https://talk2rami.com