The Heroine’s Journey: Your Guide to Influence, Persuasion, and Seduction

A One-Day Training with Peter de Kuster
Amsterdam | The Social Hub | 10 December

How Persuasive Are You?

Do you find it difficult to bring people along with you? Whether you want to make your point clearly or persuade your colleagues, it’s an art to do this in an effective and respectful way—especially when others shout louder and abuse power within the organization. Raising your voice is not the solution. But what is?

Persuasion as a Skill

Great storytellers, pioneers, and leaders know exactly what it takes to move people. But persuasion is not always an innate talent—it is a skill you can learn. It’s about sensing the needs and feelings of others and responding to them. During this training, you’ll learn how to effectively persuade and influence colleagues and clients. How does rhetoric help you? And how does power work? Armed with knowledge from psychology and storytelling, you’ll stand firmer on your feet and negotiate better.

In the spirit of Amsterdam—a city built on trade, freedom of thought, artistic ambition, and the courage to challenge authority—you’ll explore the deeper currents of power, persuasion, and seduction through the lens of the Heroine’s Journey.

Consider Anne Frank, who lived in hiding in Amsterdam and turned fear, hope, and moral clarity into one of the world’s most influential stories. She did not persuade through position or power; she persuaded through truth, intimacy, and the courage to keep writing. Her diary continues to move generations to reflect on freedom, responsibility, and the consequences of silence.

Think of Aletta Jacobs, Amsterdam’s pioneering physician and champion of women’s rights. She used evidence, persistence, and conviction to challenge the limits placed on women—becoming the first woman in the Netherlands to earn a medical degree and a leading voice in the struggle for suffrage. Her persuasion was rooted in knowledge, patience, and an unshakeable belief in a more just future.

Or Mata Hari, who transformed herself from Margaretha Zelle into an international icon of performance, mystery, and seduction. Her story reveals the power—and the danger—of controlling your own narrative in a world eager to define women on its own terms.

And consider Sylvana Simons, who moved from television into politics and used her voice to confront racism, exclusion, and silence in Dutch public life. Her influence lies in naming uncomfortable truths and making space for stories that have too often been ignored.

These Amsterdam women understood the power of narrative: the story you tell about yourself, the story others tell about you, and the story you choose to rewrite.

Learn to Influence, Persuade, and Seduce

In one day, you’ll learn how to exert influence in a respectful and receptive way. You’ll acquire the skills to persuade others more effectively and discover how to use your personality in the process. Persuasion doesn’t have to be cunning, sly, or forceful. It can also be open and honest. This way, you bring out the best in yourself and others.

Using the framework of the Heroine’s Journey, you’ll examine your own story of influence: Which archetype leads when you try to persuade? The Heroine who fights for truth? The Sage who reasons from logic? The Lover who connects through emotion? The Queen who commands respect? Or the Magician who transforms resistance into possibility?

You’ll also explore your clients’ stories. What narrative are they living? What fears, desires, and assumptions shape their decisions? When you understand the story someone else is telling themselves, persuasion becomes less about convincing and more about co-creating a new chapter together.

During This Training, You Will

• Gain insight into how you’ve exerted influence up until now
• Reflect on the way you or others exercise power and make moral choices
• Become acquainted with classical rhetoric and the way inspiring storytellers apply it
• Explore leading theories on power, influence, and their ethics
• Develop confidence in your own ability to influence
• Learn to stay closer to your own needs and goals when others try to influence you
• Map your persuasion style onto the Heroine’s Journey and identify which archetype serves you best
• Understand your clients’ stories and learn to speak to the narrative they’re living
• Draw inspiration from Amsterdam women such as Anne Frank, Aletta Jacobs, Mata Hari, and Sylvana Simons

Does Influence, Persuasion, and Seduction Fit You?

Do you wonder whether this program suits you or do you have questions? Schedule a no-obligation advisory conversation with us. We’d love to tell you more about the training and explore together whether it aligns with your goals.

At a Glance

• Date: Wednesday, 10 December
• Price: €695, excluding VAT
• Professional Development Budget: 80% of our participants use their professional development budget for professional training. Click “Enroll Now” to place an order, or email peterdekuster2023@gmail.com for a quote.
• Language: English
• Duration: 1 day from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, including a delicious catered lunch
• Location: The Social Hub Amsterdam, a vibrant meeting place for entrepreneurs, creatives, students, and professionals in the heart of Amsterdam
• Tip: The Social Hub is easily reachable by public transport, bicycle, or on foot from Amsterdam’s central districts.
• Number of Participants: Minimum 5, maximum 15
• Study Load: No mandatory homework. However, we encourage you to test and apply the techniques afterwards in your work.
• Level: No prerequisites.

Participants on Influence, Persuasion, and Seduction

“The training is a fun and educational booster!”

“Very valuable insights to understand the technique behind influence/persuasion.”

“The training helps you contextualize concepts like power, influence, and persuasion. The concepts are approached from various (philosophical) angles. A good mix of theory, videos, and reflection.”

Your Story Starts Here

Every act of persuasion is a moment in your Heroine’s Journey. Will you play the manipulator? The pushover? Or will you step into the role of the conscious protagonist—the one who knows which archetype to call upon, speaks truth with clarity, and moves the story forward with courage?

In Amsterdam, where Anne Frank gave silence a voice, Aletta Jacobs opened doors through knowledge and conviction, Mata Hari understood the seductive power of self-invention, and Sylvana Simons continues to challenge the stories society tells about women, you’ll discover your own voice—and learn to use it with integrity, impact, and grace.

About Peter de Kuster

Peter de Kuster is the founder of The Heroine’s Journey and The Hero’s Journey. His books and stories about the Hero’s Journey—making money doing what you love—have reached millions of creative professionals worldwide. Through storytelling, archetypes, and narrative transformation, Peter helps leaders and professionals discover the story they’re living and rewrite it into one of purpose, agency, and impact.

Peter’s work draws on philosophy, psychology, and the lessons of history’s most influential storytellers and change-makers—from Anne Frank to Aletta Jacobs, from Mata Hari to Sylvana Simons. He believes that persuasion, at its best, is not about manipulation but about co-creating a story that serves everyone involved.

Ready to Begin Your Heroine’s Journey?

Contact Peter de Kuster:
Email: peterdekuster2023@gmail.com
Phone: +31 6 19192245

Whether you’re ready to enroll or simply want to explore whether this training fits your goals, Peter is happy to speak with you. Schedule a no-obligation advisory conversation and take the first step toward mastering the art of influence, persuasion, and seduction.