About
Huub van Zwieten
Huub van Zwieten is a leading expert in the field of talent development and career coaching in the Netherlands, making complex career themes accessible with a refreshing dose of humor and lightness. As a successful entrepreneur and bestselling author, he has sold over 100,000 books, including “Het Merk IK®”, “Lekker, werken!” and “Marijn is Klaar met Werken”.
As the founder of TalentFirst, Van Zwieten has created an organization that supports individuals and companies in identifying and maximizing talent. Under his leadership, TalentFirst has individually coached thousands of clients, particularly during and after the COVID period, when many wanted to reconsider their careers. Additionally, TalentFirst has certified over 5000 coaches and trainers to work with DISC and Motivational Analyses.
He developed special group programs for leading organizations such as Randstad, Ajax, Rabobank, and many other companies. These programs are known for their interactive nature and the “Huub factor”: a unique mix of sharp insight, infectious humor, and no-nonsense advice.
One of his most innovative initiatives is the DroomBaanHotel in Amsterdam’s Jordaan, where clients engage in 24-hour retreats to deeply reflect on their talents and career aspirations in a relaxed atmosphere. Here, Huub combines professional insights with personal discoveries, always infused with his characteristic humor.
His popular theater shows “Thank God It’s Monday”, with which he performed twice at the prestigious Koninklijk Theater Carré, showcase Van Zwieten at his best: the audience is taken on a whirlwind of relatable work situations, hilarious anecdotes, and surprising insights, with interaction with the audience at the forefront. You leave not only wiser but also with a smile!
Van Zwieten’s social commitment is reflected in the Clean Cooking Revolution, an initiative that enabled safe cooking in South African townships.
What sets Van Zwieten apart is his ability to connect the practical with the spiritual and make heavy topics light without losing depth. His motto seems to be: “If it can’t be done with a laugh, then we won’t do it!” – an approach that makes his message not only inspiring but also lastingly memorable.
1. The Brand ME® - The Power of Personal Leadership
Discover how to position yourself as a brand, identify your unique talents, and leverage them for personal and professional success in a changing job market.
2. Thank God It's Monday - From Surviving the Workweek to Thriving
Transform your attitude towards work from “surviving until Friday” to genuinely deriving satisfaction and energy from your daily tasks.
3. Discovering Talents with DISC and Motivational Analysis
Practical application of personality and motivation analyses to recognise hidden talents and enable teams to collaborate more effectively.
4. The Dream Job Exists (Not) - Myth versus Reality
A refreshing perspective on what a ‘dream job’ truly is and how to find work that suits who you are, without getting stuck in unrealistic expectations.
5. Working with Purpose - The Connection Between Practical and Spiritual
How to integrate deeper life goals into your daily work and build a career that contributes to personal growth and societal impact.
6. Resilience in Times of Change
Practical strategies to adapt to and thrive in a constantly changing job market, based on personal talents and flexibility.
7. Working Well! - Vitality and Job Satisfaction in Balance
Techniques to maintain energy, health, and enjoyment in your work without compromising productivity, with special attention to work-life balance.
8. From Talent to Top Team - Team Development That Works
How to combine individual talents into synergistic teams where everyone is utilised for their strengths and differences enhance each other.
9. Entrepreneurship from Talent - From Passion to Successful Business
For (budding) entrepreneurs: how to build a viable business that aligns with your natural strengths and motivations.
10. Sustainable Employability - A Career for the Long Term
Strategies for maintaining value in the job market throughout your career, with special attention to different life stages.
11. Inspiring Leadership - Recognising and Developing Talents in Others
For leaders: how to recognise, ignite, and utilise the natural strengths in your team for optimal results and job satisfaction.
12. Learning, Developing, Growing - Discovering Lifelong Talent
How to continue developing throughout your career by discovering new talents and deepening existing strengths in a constantly changing environment.
13. A Life to Savour
About shaping a life so delightful that you want to savour it every day. Not as an ultimate goal, but as a daily practice. Includes recipes for happiness, success, and a pinch of rebellion.
14. Whistling to Work and Whistling Back Home
How work and private life do not need to be balanced as opposites, but can be seen as one big life dance. No more dragging energy, but a flow in which you grow and flourish.
15. Love Time Employment
About work you enjoy so much that you can hardly believe you get paid for it. The opposite of surviving Monday and counting down to Friday. Love time is not a time, it is a state of being.
16. Guide to Difficult Colleagues
How to deal with types you would normally avoid. Because difficult people are often your best teachers, if you know how to ‘read’ them.
17. Your Personal User Manual
Everyone has a manual, but no one gets it at birth. This session helps you discover your unique control panel, so you understand and utilise yourself (and others) better.