Guided by Peter de Kuster

Discover Your Leadership Story Through the Eyes of Matisse in Paris

Step into the vibrant streets of Paris and embark on a unique leadership experience with Peter de Kuster, acclaimed storyteller and guide, who will lead you through a transformative walking tour inspired by the life and journey of Henri Matisse. This exclusive program blends art, history, and personal reflection to illuminate the universal path of growth known as The Hero’s Journey.

This is not just a tour. It’s an odyssey of creative leadership — where each step you take in the footsteps of Matisse awakens your own call to adventure, challenges, revelations, and ultimate transformation as a leader and artist of your life.

Explore five distinct neighborhoods where Matisse lived, worked, struggled, and triumphed: from the bustling Latin Quarter’s first awakenings to Montmartre’s threshold of radical change; from the reflective banks of the Seine to Le Marais’s space for reinvention; culminating in the social salons of Saint-Germain-des-Prés where legacy and wisdom flourish.

At each stage, you will engage with rich stories from Matisse’s life, reflect on parallel moments in your own journey, and participate in creative exercises designed to spark your insight and courage to lead anew. Write letters to yourself, sketch emotional thresholds, collage your reinventions, and share insights in an intimate closing salon.

What’s Included?

• Expert-led walking tour across 5 iconic Paris districts connected to Matisse’s life
• Interactive storytelling and guided reflections grounded in The Hero’s & Heroine’s Journey
• Two hands-on creative sessions with all materials provided
• Personal leadership travelogue with prompts and reflections
• Entrance fees as relevant
• Intimate closing reception with refreshments and networking
• Optional digital follow-up conversation with Peter de Kuster

Duration: Approx. 6-7 hours
Group Size: Small groups (maximum 12 participants) to ensure personal interaction
Price: €595 per person (excluding VAT)

Why This Tour?

In a world racing towards outcomes and efficiency, this unique leadership journey invites you to slow down and embrace your life as a work of art. Matisse’s Paris was a crucible of risk, transformation, and creative courage — experiences mirrored in your own path as a leader, innovator, or creative professional.

Whether you seek inspiration to begin a new chapter, face a personal or professional threshold, or deepen your impact as a mentor or change-maker, this immersive day in Paris offers a rare blend of history, art, philosophy, and practical leadership wisdom.

From quiet streets to lively cafés, the city becomes a living classroom, your footsteps a metaphor for crossing into new territories of self-awareness and action. With Peter de Kuster’s guidance, you will connect the dots between Matisse’s struggles and triumphs, and your own inner hero’s story.

Detailed Stage Introductions

Stage 1: Le Quartier Latin — The Call to Adventure
Begin where Matisse’s journey started: the Latin Quarter, a tapestry of scholarly pursuit and restless curiosity. Here, the call to adventure stirred — the challenge to leave behind comfort and conventions to step into uncertainty. Feel into your own summons for change and craft your initial intentions.

Stage 2: Montmartre — Crossing the Threshold
Ascend to Montmartre’s creative ferment, where Matisse confronted risk, rivalry, and radical new visions. This is the threshold where tradition gives way and authentic self-expression demands courage. Reflect on your own thresholds and capture what it feels like to cross them.

Stage 3: Île de la Cité & Seine — Meeting Mentors & Facing Trials
By the Seine’s flow and under Notre-Dame’s gaze, observe how Matisse found mentors and grappled with rejection. Discover the gifts in friction and opposition that shape leaders. Identify your own guides and adversities.

Stage 4: Le Marais — Revelation & Re-invention
In the intimate streets and hidden gardens of Le Marais, Matisse reinvented his art and vision. Engage in creative exercises to envision your own pivots and new identities emerging through resilience.

Stage 5: Saint-Germain-des-Prés — Return with the Elixir
Conclude in the historic salons of Saint-Germain, where Matisse shared his legacy and wisdom. Here, craft your intention to return to your communities as holder and giver of newfound insights, courage, and leadership gifts.

Final Reflection & Closing Salon

Gather in a classic Parisian café to share discoveries, set leadership intentions, and connect with fellow travelers on their heroic journeys. This closing moment celebrates both the external journey through Paris and the internal journey toward self-leadership.

Embark on a transformative day that merges art, history, and leadership storytelling—designed specifically to awaken the hero and heroine within you.

Book your place today. Let Paris and Matisse’s journey inspire the masterpiece that is your leadership. Send Peter an email to peterdekuster2023@gmail.com