Live 2026: Boston Half-Day Benefits Conference
What Makes a Company Totally Rewarding to Work For
The role of chief heart officer may not be a job title you come across in business every day. While rare in name, it’s powerful in impact, keeping employees connected and turning a company into a place worth showing up for.Claude Silver, chief heart officer at VaynerX and author of Be Yourself at Work, spoke about her book and how she’s helping employees show up as themselves at work during a fireside chat at From Day One’s NYC benefits conference.When the CEO of VaynerMedia asked Silver to be the chief heart officer at VaynerX, she had three questions about the job position, including what her role would be in an HR department setting, what they are building there, and how to know if she’s successful. As for what they’re building at VaynerX, “He said, we’re building the single greatest human organization in the history of time,” said Silver. And when it comes to knowing when she’s successful, CEO Gary Vaynerchuk told her that she would impact every single human being while deploying empathy throughout the offices.“Deploying empathy is pretty ambiguous, and it’s pretty massive,” said Silver. “It depends on what empathy means in every given moment, because it’s going to mean something different to you and to you, and so being able to discern that without a lot of subjectivity or bias, is really the job,” she told session moderator Steve Koepp, From Day One’s editor in chief. “It’s also creating and holding space for people, no matter where they are on their journey, with the hopes that we’ll get everyone from here to high performing to here to thriving, whether or not that’s in our four walls,” said Silver.When it was time to draft a job description, Silver included the usual important components such as empathy, elaboration, imagination, and creativity, but also added in other key components including trust, psychological safety, and belonging but concentrating on factors such as talent, talent retention, and performance.“Everything in this job description is still housed in empathy, psychological safety, all of those things that are just natural to me and natural to many of us, but it’s really geared on finding the needle in the haystack and making sure that we are retaining those needles in haystacks,” she said. Silver shared insights from her book, Be Yourself at Work: The Groundbreaking Power of Showing Up, Standing Out, and Leading from the Heart, during the fireside chat in NYC When asked about the philosophy of her book, Silver shared that it’s a call to individuals to know who they are and what they offer. “What I’m saying is find yourself. You are in charge of yourself. You’re the CEO of yourself, and so through your own self-awareness journey, whether or not that starts today, yesterday, or on your last day on earth, begin that journey so that you can get to know yourself and know what your triggers are and where your limits are,” said Silver.“The premise of the book is you deserve to be comfortable with yourself and to share yourself in any environment that you’re in,” said Silver. “I think we’ve been conditioned to think that others can change our behavior, but no one can change your behavior other than you, and so that’s really what it's all about.”“I don’t subscribe to bringing your whole self to work, I really don't,” said Silver. “You figure out what part you want to bring, and hopefully it’s a part that you enjoy and that others might get a kick out of.”How Leaders Can HelpWhen asked about how team leaders can meet the employees’ needs, Silver discussed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in connection with what HR professionals should keep in mind with their teams. It’s important to individuals that they have their needs met, including the physiological needs, psychological needs, and eventually self-actualization. When putting this into effect in the workplace, it’s important to look at how team leaders can help their employees and how employees can respond to this assistance. Also, how can people in a work environment be their whole selves yet have boundaries and how can the team leaders best work with these individuals?“I think the key there is the culture and the leaders and managers—how can they become more human? How can they be more empathetic, caring, and compassionate?” When managers and leaders show their human qualities, they can reach their team and show them they’re supported, she says. Supporting GrowthMost employees want to grow and evolve in their job roles and with the overall company they work for. So, how can team leaders make this possible?Silver highlighted that at her company they often use a simple phrase, “Yes and…” This could mean ‘yes, that’s a possibility’ or ‘yes, we’ve looked at something and know we can provide certain things for our employees.’ A growth mindset really means being open to possibility. One solution won’t work for all employees, but you also can’t do something specific for each individual employee. It has to be something in the middle that works. “We’re not going to be able to retain our folks, our great people, and especially this younger generation, [if we’re leading with a] ‘no.’ So, let’s see what's possible. We can’t promise, but let’s see what’s possible.”Kristen Kwiatkowski is a professional freelance writer covering a wide array of industries, with a focus on food and beverage and business. Her work has been featured in the Bucks County Herald, Eater Philly, Edible Lehigh Valley, Cider Culture, and The Town Dish. (Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
How Schneider Electric Is Powering a Skills-First Future
BY Grace Turney
The Illusion of Choice: The Steps CHROs Must Take Before AI Decides for Them
BY Christopher O'Keeffe
Rethinking Recognition and Rewards: New Strategies for Across-the-Board Encouragement
BY Katie Chambers
What Our Attendees are Saying
“The panels were phenomenal. The breakout sessions were incredibly insightful. I got the opportunity to speak with countless HR leaders who are dedicated to improving people’s lives. I walked away feeling excited about my own future in the business world, knowing that many of today’s people leaders are striving for a more diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce.”
– Jordan Baker, Emplify
“Thank you, From Day One, for such an important conversation on diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and social impact.”
– Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab
“Timely and much needed convo about the importance of removing the stigma and providing accessible mental health resources for all employees.”
– Kim Vu, Remitly
“Great discussion about leadership, accountability, transparency and equity. Thanks for having me, From Day One.”
– Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM
“De-stigmatizing mental health illnesses, engaging stakeholders, arriving at mutually defined definitions for equity, and preventing burnout—these are important topics that I’m delighted are being discussed at the From Day One conference.”
– Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc.
“Thank you for bringing speakers and influencers into one space so we can all continue our work scaling up the impact we make in our organizations and in the world!”
– Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC
“From Day One provided a full day of phenomenal learning opportunities and best practices in creating & nurturing corporate values while building purposeful relationships with employees, clients, & communities.”
– Vivian Greentree, Fiserv
“We always enjoy and are impressed by your events, and this was no exception.”
– Chip Maxwell, Emplify
“We really enjoyed the event yesterday— such an engaged group of attendees and the content was excellent. I'm feeling great about our decision to partner with FD1 this year.”
– Katy Romero, One Medical
“The From Day One Conference in Seattle was filled with people who want to make a positive impact in their company, and build an inclusive culture around diversity and inclusion. Thank you to all the panelists and speakers for sharing their expertise and insights. I'm looking forward to next year's event!”
– Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's
“I had the pleasure of attending From Day One. My favorite session, Getting Bias Out of Our Systems, was such a powerful conversation between local thought leaders.”
– Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events
“Inspiring speakers and powerful conversations. Loved meeting so many talented people driving change in their organizations. Thank you From Day One! I look forward to next year’s event!”
– Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz
“I had the distinct pleasure of attending From Day One Seattle. The Getting Bias Out of Our Systems discussion was inspirational and eye-opening.”
– Angela Prater, Confluence Health
“From Day One did an amazing job of providing an exceptional experience for both the attendees and vendors. I mean, we had whale sharks and giant manta rays gracefully swimming by on the other side of the hall from our booth!”
– Joel Stupka, SkillCycle
“Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel on healthy work environments at the From Day One conference in Atlanta. I was so inspired by what these experts had to say about the timely and important topics of mental health in the workplace and the value of nurturing a culture of psychological safety.”
– Alexis Hauk, Emory University
