Lead gently. Change deeply.

A book for people finding their own way to lead, live, and stay true to themselves.

The Soft Power Manual is now available as a digital edition.
Part memoir, part reflection, part field guide for anyone trying to lead with clarity, care, and self-respect in a world that often rewards the opposite.

Get the digital edition

Instant access.

Paperback and Kindle also available on Amazon →

A different way to lead

If you’ve ever felt like

  • You’re too soft to be a leader

  • You don’t want to be aggressive, but you want to grow

  • You care deeply, but don’t always feel heard

  • You’re leading quietly, and wondering if it’s enough

This book is a space for you.

What you might find yourself navigating

  • Leading in your own way, without reshaping who you are

  • Being heard in rooms that reward louder voices

  • Speaking with clarity, without becoming harsh

  • Holding influence, even without formal authority

  • Rethinking what strength really means

Vida Asrina Dhulst speaking on stage in a pink floral blazer, presenting on quiet leadership and soft power.

Why Soft Power?

I used to write a lot, in Indonesian.
Stories, essays, metaphors… I loved playing with words and weaving meaning between the lines. Some of it I even published on blogs.

But when I started writing in English, I held back.
It felt like I had to be more polished, more certain, and somehow, more perfect.
So most of it stayed as journal notes and quiet drafts no one ever saw.

This book is part of reclaiming that voice.
Not the perfect one.. the honest one.

I grew up in conflict-affected Aceh. I’ve lived through silence, survival, and the tsunami that reshaped everything. Now, as a design leader in Australia, I’ve navigated new systems, new languages, and the invisible expectations placed on women of colour in leadership.

The Soft Power Manual is part memoir, part reflection.
It explores a different way of leading, grounded in clarity, care, and honesty in a world that often rewards the opposite.

The Soft Power Manual book cover by Vida Asrina Dhulst, featuring a woman in a red dress standing in a field with mountains in the background.

Read the book

The Soft Power Manual is available in multiple formats, depending on how you prefer to read it.

A space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with how you lead and live.

Get the digital edition

Instant access, read at your own pace.

View on Amazon

Available worldwide via Amazon.

Close-up of a white mug on a table with a book in front, in a cozy room with furniture and sunlight streaming through a window in the background.

Questions you might be holding

  • A leadership book about leading with empathy, clarity, and quiet strength without relying on dominance or control.

  • For leaders, emerging leaders, and anyone navigating confidence, identity, and influence at work.

  • It combines personal reflections with ideas and prompts you can apply in real situations.

  • You can read The Soft Power Manual as a digital edition here, with instant access.
    Paperback and Kindle versions are also available on Amazon if you prefer a physical copy or e-reader.

  • Yes. The book explores how clarity and care can coexist, and why that’s essential in modern leadership.