A One-Day Leadership Storytelling Journey in the City of Light with Peter de Kuster
Introduction: Paris, the Hero’s Journey, and the Creative Leader
Paris has always been a city of transformation-a place where artists, dreamers, and visionaries from all over the world have come to reinvent themselves. For Americans, Paris is more than a destination; it’s a symbol of possibility, a canvas for self-expression, and a crucible for creative leadership. From Hemingway to Josephine Baker, from jazz musicians to entrepreneurs, “An American in Paris” is a story that repeats itself with every new arrival seeking inspiration, challenge, and meaning.
Today, you are invited to step into this living legend-not as a passive observer, but as the protagonist of your own story. Guided by Peter de Kuster, celebrated storyteller and leadership coach, you will walk through the heart of Paris, retracing the steps of those who dared to dream differently. Along the way, you’ll engage with the timeless structure of the Hero’s Journey and the 12 leadership archetypes, reflecting on your own creative leadership path.
Why the Hero’s Journey?
The Hero’s Journey is a universal narrative pattern found in myths, movies, and personal transformations. It begins in the “Ordinary World,” moves through a “Call to Adventure,” faces trials, meets mentors, and ultimately returns home transformed, bearing new wisdom. For leaders, this model is more than a metaphor-it’s a roadmap for navigating change, embracing risk, and inspiring others.
In leadership, the journey is rarely linear. You may find yourself called to new challenges, resisting change, seeking guidance, facing setbacks, and, if you persevere, returning with insights that benefit not just yourself, but your team and community. By walking this journey in Paris, you’ll see how your story fits into this larger narrative-and how you can consciously shape it.
The 12 Archetypes of Leadership
Every leader embodies a mix of archetypes-universal characters that represent different strengths, motivations, and challenges. Are you the Visionary, seeing possibilities others miss? The Creator, building something new? The Sage, seeking wisdom? The Rebel, challenging the status quo? Each archetype offers a lens through which to view your actions, decisions, and impact.
On this journey, you’ll encounter all 12 archetypes, each linked to a Parisian location and a moment of reflection. You’ll see how these roles appear in your own leadership story, and how you can consciously draw on their strengths.
Storytelling as Leadership
Great leaders are great storytellers. They inspire, connect, and mobilize through narrative-crafting stories that make sense of the past, energize the present, and shape the future. By walking in the footsteps of “An American in Paris,” you’ll practice storytelling not just as a communication tool, but as a way of understanding yourself and your world.
Your Role: The Storyteller of Your Own Legend
This journey is not about following a script. It’s about discovering your own legend in the making. With Peter de Kuster as your guide, you’ll be prompted to reflect, write, and share your story at each stage. You’ll be challenged to see your setbacks as trials, your mentors as gifts, your dreams as calls to adventure. You’ll leave with a deeper sense of your creative power-and the courage to lead with authenticity, vision, and heart.
Timeline: The Hero’s Journey in Paris
| Time | Hero’s Journey Stage / Archetype | Location & Theme | Reflection Prompt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30-10:00 | Ordinary World / The Innocent | Café de Flore (Saint-Germain) | What is your current creative comfort zone? |
| 10:00-10:45 | Call to Adventure / The Explorer | Pont des Arts | What new challenge or dream is calling you? |
| 10:45-11:30 | Refusal of the Call / The Orphan | Shakespeare & Company | What fears or doubts hold you back? |
| 11:30-12:15 | Meeting the Mentor / The Sage | Jardin du Luxembourg | Who are your mentors? What wisdom guides you? |
| 12:15-13:00 | Crossing the Threshold / The Hero | Notre-Dame Cathedral | When have you taken a leap into the unknown? |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break / The Caregiver | Le Procope | How do you nurture yourself and others? |
| 14:00-14:45 | Tests, Allies, Enemies / The Warrior | Montmartre (Place du Tertre, Studio 28) | Who supports you? Who challenges you? |
| 14:45-15:30 | Approach the Inmost Cave / The Lover | Rue de l’Abreuvoir | What passions drive your creative work? |
| 15:30-16:15 | Ordeal / The Rebel | Sacré-Cœur Basilica | What is your greatest leadership challenge? |
| 16:15-17:00 | Reward / The Creator | Musée de Montmartre | What is your unique creative gift? |
| 17:00-17:45 | The Road Back / The Ruler | Place Vendôme | How do you lead with vision and responsibility? |
| 17:45-18:15 | Resurrection / The Magician | Tuileries Gardens | How have you transformed? What new insights? |
| 18:15-18:45 | Return with the Elixir / The Jester | Café des Deux Moulins (Amélie’s Café) | How will you bring joy and wisdom to your world? |
Conclusion: Write Your Own Legend
As dusk falls over Paris, you will have walked not just through the city’s storied streets, but through the chapters of your own unfolding legend. You will have met your inner Innocent, Explorer, Creator, and more-each offering gifts and lessons for your leadership journey. You will have seen your setbacks as necessary trials, your mentors as guiding lights, your dreams as calls to adventure.
But most importantly, you will have reclaimed your role as the storyteller of your own world. Paris will have given you its inspiration, but the legend you create is yours alone. Will you answer your next call to adventure? Will you lead with courage, creativity, and heart? Will you inspire others to do the same?
Questions to Take Away as a Creative Leader
- What is the story you are telling yourself as a leader right now?
- Which archetypes do you embody, and which do you want to develop?
- What “call to adventure” are you hearing in your life or work?
- Where do you hesitate, and what would it take to cross your next threshold?
- Who are your mentors, allies, and “enemies” on your journey?
- What unique creative gift will you bring back to your team, organization, or community?
- How can you use storytelling to inspire, connect, and lead others?
- What will your legend in Paris-and beyond-be?
Price
Private Leadership Storytelling Walk with Peter de Kuster:
€995 (includes full-day private guidance, reflection materials, coffee, and lunch at a classic Parisian brasserie)
“You are the hero and the storyteller. Paris is your stage. What legend will you create?”
The Hero's Journey in Paris 