Amsterdam, with its canals, creativity, and spirit of commerce, is more than a city—it is a living story of reinvention. From its Golden Age trading roots to today’s role as a hub of innovation, design, and entrepreneurship, Amsterdam provides the perfect backdrop for Peter de Kuster’s five-day transformational program. Guided by the wisdom of The Hero’s Journey, participants immerse themselves in an exploration of the Dreamer, the Thinker, the Storyteller, and the Leader within, shaping their personal and entrepreneurial narratives against the soul of a city that thrives on bold ideas and human connection.
This journey is not a conventional workshop. It is an invitation to engage in a deeply personal and professional rite of passage, weaving timeless mythic structure with modern entrepreneurial practice. Over five immersive days, you will live your Hero’s Journey across Amsterdam’s iconic landmarks, historic districts, and modern innovation hubs.
Day 1: Dream & Innovation Foundations
The journey opens in the Amsterdam Science Park at Startup Village, the city’s beating heart of innovation. Built from shipping containers and buzzing with energy from ambitious founders, this is where you begin unlocking your Dream. Just as Amsterdam itself was born from daring vision and water engineering, this day is about seeing opportunities where others see obstacles.
Through guided storytelling and group reflection, Peter helps participants access their Dreamer dimension. Together, you ask: What if? By mapping myths onto entrepreneurial challenges, the Dream you carry within starts to surface. The day closes with a walking seminar through the Eastern Docklands, where neglected industrial areas have transformed into creative enclaves—living proof that dreams can reshape entire neighborhoods.
Day 2: Vision & Strategy
From dreaming, the journey moves to Vision. Participants gather at the NDSM Wharf, a sprawling cultural hotspot that exemplifies bold reinvention. Once Europe’s largest shipyard, NDSM is today a playground for designers, tech startups, and daring entrepreneurs.
Peter guides exercises in evolving Dreams into compelling Visions. You articulate the future you intend to build, combining imagination with grounded structure. Peer coaching helps refine your entrepreneurial journey into a clear story others can rally behind. This is the work of the Thinker: developing strategies, frameworks, and models that transform scattered ideas into coherent, inspiring blueprints.
In the afternoon, a bike tour leads through the city’s Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes), a neighborhood where small traders and creative boutiques stand as reminders of Amsterdam’s tradition of visionary commerce. By day’s end, you will have crafted early models of your venture or project, ready to unfold in new directions.
Day 3: Purpose & Meaning
The third day focuses on Purpose—the heartbeat of leadership that sustains both life and work. Morning sessions unfold inside the magnificent Concertgebouw, where music, culture, and timeless artistry inspire reflection on harmony and resonance. Just as every symphony requires a central theme, entrepreneurship requires a clear “why.”
Afternoon experiences in Amsterdam Oost sharpen that resonance. This district blends Dutch and global influences, with young entrepreneurs, immigrants, and artists creating ventures that speak to identity and belonging. Through interactive dialogues, participants connect their entrepreneurial story to social and cultural value. This day is about anchoring Purpose as more than a motivational phrase—it becomes your compass, the deep reason that carries projects forward when challenges arrive.
Peter’s exercises include narrative coaching, helping each participant tell their Purpose as a story that others can feel and follow. By day’s end, you will have gained clarity on your personal “why” and how it links to the greater good.
Day 4: Mission & Leadership Action
On the fourth day, the focus turns to Mission—the leap from values to tangible action. The Jordaan, with its history of artisans, merchants, and resistance fighters, provides the symbolic backdrop. This district embodies perseverance, creativity, and leadership through challenge.
Here, workshops center on turning Purpose and Vision into operational systems. You craft action plans, build leadership practices, and examine how to foster team empowerment. Peter models entrepreneurial leadership as both structure and improvisation, reminding participants that the Leader’s strength lies in courage, authenticity, and adaptability.
The afternoon includes a hands-on innovation lab, where participants prototype aspects of their entrepreneurial Mission, testing ideas through collaborative design. The day is both practical and symbolic: just as the Jordaan’s alleys were once filled with craft workshops, today you build your own creative craft of leadership.
Day 5: Legacy & Integration
The final day begins at the Rijksmuseum, where Rembrandt and Vermeer remind us that legacy is not only about what is achieved in the moment but how impact and stories endure across time. Participants reflect on their Hero’s Journey and weave together their Dream, Vision, Purpose, and Mission into a cohesive Legacy narrative.
Later, the group gathers along Amsterdam’s serene canals for an integration ritual. Here, each participant shares their heroic story—what they discovered, who they became, and how they will bring this to life back home. As Peter emphasizes, legacy is not about leaving something behind but about living fully now in a story that inspires others.
The closing session, inspired by Peter’s Golden Pyramid model, strengthens commitment. Participants return from the waterside with clarity, courage, and a personal roadmap—not only for business but for living a meaningful, creative, and entrepreneurial life.
Program Benefits
- Deep, experiential self-awareness to awaken your inner entrepreneur
- A compelling and actionable Vision that motivates teams and stakeholders
- A clarified Purpose as your inner compass, giving meaning to risk and reward
- Hands-on Mission frameworks: leadership practices, system design, and impact strategies
- A Legacy story that integrates your entrepreneurial journey into a lifelong narrative
- Personal storytelling coaching with Peter de Kuster, blending myth, narrative, and entrepreneurship
- Inspiration drawn from Amsterdam’s culture of reinvention, innovation, and artistic daring
Pricing & Practicalities
- Length: 5 days, immersive experience
- Cost: €2,950 + VAT (includes workshops, breakfasts, lunches, site visits, and program materials; accommodation and dinners not included)
- Options: Early registration discounts, group packages, and scholarships available
- Language: English
Step into Amsterdam with Peter de Kuster and awaken the entrepreneur within you. Live your Hero’s Journey and inspire your world through courageous leadership, visionary dreaming, purposeful living, and bold action.
Contact: peterdekuster@hotmail.nl
The Hero's Journey Amsterdam 