Jan Eden’s Unconventional Approach to Leadership and Career Transformation
Long before she became an executive advisor, career strategist and trusted confidante to executives, Jan Eden had a knack for seeing potential where others didn’t. Even in her teens, she was a facilitator: she saw a job posting for a lifeguard and immediately called her brother. It was a perfect fit, other than the fact that he couldn’t swim. Jan argued that he was taller than the water was deep, so it would be fine. He got the job.
The story is a bit of family lore, but it also captures the perspective that has defined Jan’s career. Where others see obstacles, she sees possibilities. Where others follow conventional thinking, she instinctively searches for a better way.
“I’m so driven by the outcome. I don’t want to be a talking head. I want to succeed at something that benefits others. I’ve been like that my entire life,” she says. “It’s why I call myself a ‘think differently’ expert.”
Jan’s thinking differently has been the foundation of her 30-year career. After moving from Toronto to Calgary to marry her husband, she stepped away from the workforce to raise her four children. When the marriage ended in the mid-1990s, Jan found herself a single mother needing to quickly rebuild her career.
She began by taking inventory of her strengths and confronting what was holding her back, then set out to turn her challenges into assets. Jan focused on her physical and mental health, overcame her fear of public speaking and built her confidence. These efforts led to a sales position with an international jewelry company. Her “think differently” tendencies pushed her to abandon the company’s sales model and replace it with a more creative one. Within a year, Jan became the organization’s top salesperson worldwide and was invited to speak at the annual convention about how she did it.
“After the awards ceremony, several sales representatives asked that I teach them how to think differently to achieve greater results. This led me to travel two weekends a month over three years to speak to others throughout North America on how they can create a path to professionally grow and become more successful,” she says.
That unexpected demand and thirst for advice launched the next chapter of her career.
Setting Up for Success
Jan began delivering leadership and sales development workshops through a program she called Setting Up for Success. In the program, Jan helped shape an emerging industry geared toward helping professionals elevate their leadership effectiveness, transition into new careers and set themselves up for success in an ever-changing business world. Demand was high. In a time before email blasts and Zoom meetings, there was never an issue filling the room with the hosts’ network of customers and colleagues. It was fulfilling to work with amazing people, but there was something missing that would make the program exceptional.
“On the plane home, I would feel empty because I was giving so much value, but I knew it was never going to go anywhere. It’s like taking a course and you get a binder that you put on the shelf and never go back and learn from it again,” she says. “I just knew there was something more.”
The problem was, Jan didn’t know what that “more” would look like. She experimented with post-seminar one-on-one coaching, and then longer consulting sessions. With a field of 300 people at a time, this time commitment wasn’t sustainable, and she still felt it wasn’t enough to make the lasting impact she wanted to see.
“I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, to tell you the truth. I was just going with the flow, very intuitive. I just cared about helping them,” she says. “I knew if they hired me, we had to have an outcome because I didn’t see how I could sustain in this industry if I didn’t. I wasn’t giving a course. I was defining and delivering an outcome.”
Her intuition proved to be spot on. The focus on outcome became the basis of Jan Eden & Associates, her sought-after consultancy providing long-term executive development to clients across the country and around the world.
The 21st Century Executive Mindset
Today, Jan’s work starts with a conversation and a questionnaire. She takes in what a new client says but is more drawn to what they don’t say. Even highly accomplished professionals don’t know themselves well, can’t communicate their value and haven’t got a solid vision for their career. Many can’t see themselves in the future, but Jan can.
After meeting with clients for the first time, she starts strategizing about how she can create a significant development plan, open doors, facilitate relationships and build her client’s confidence. Jan delivers a tailor-made program for her clients, addressing their specific goals, weaknesses and available pathways to help them get where they want to be.
“I can see a picture in my mind of how I can help them, because through their answers, I can see a vision of what we can do together. Working with thousands of clients, that’s never failed me,” Jan says. “Every business owner, entrepreneur and executive is different.”
It takes time to achieve great results. Clients typically work with Jan for one to two years, with many relationships extending well beyond that. This paves the way for lasting transformation, organizational impact and individual achievement.
“The biggest challenge that most people have is there’s no one to talk to. You’re a chief executive officer. It’s assumed you know everything because you have the title. But there’s no training for executives at those levels to learn how to think like an executive. So, the first thing we do is find out what they don’t know, the weakness in their executive thinking,” says Jan.
“I help them develop an executive mindset,” she explains. “In some cases, with certain clients we’ll come up with new executive titles, that fill various holes in the corporate fabric, and once clients get hired, I work with them to develop that role within the organization.”
Jan has found one surprising weakness for many CEOs: finance. Over the years, she has studied the relationship between CEOs and CFOs and helps CEOs to understand what type of CFO they are looking to hire: an accountant or a financial strategist. This understanding creates a more aligned executive partnership driving organizational growth together.
Career Transition and Reinvention
Jan’s expertise extends to professionals looking to move into these types of executive roles as well. She helps these clients identify their executive skills and learn how to present their skills to corporate decision-makers.
Another growing part of Jan’s business is helping executives and professionals transition to new opportunities, whether that’s by their choice or necessity. Reinvention is no easy task. In many cases, a CEO’s knowledge doesn’t transfer into another industry, and they have neither a Plan B nor a diverse network of contacts to help with their career transition or reinvention. Jan helps put them on a new path forward through uniquely packaging their intellectual property, executive value and strategically increasing their visibility in diverse markets.
“I become their silent partner, serious advocate and an extension of them, introducing clients to new opportunities and people who value their intelligence and experience,” Jan says.
Although she’s not a recruiter, Jan introduces clients to her extensive and trusted network, and she is happy to make introductions if she thinks it’s a good fit. Jan, who has been referred to as the “Queen of Connections,” takes it a step further with her Think Differently Luncheon Series. She created Conversations That Matter to help clients expand their circles. Once clients have transitioned into a new career direction, Jan invites them to present to a carefully curated group of professionals and potential clients to help launch their next career direction.
“It’s not something I can promise up front but as we work together building momentum the path forward becomes much clearer,” she says. “The key to a successful outcome is all about building confidence, destroying imposter syndrome and learning how to own their value to create a new career direction.”
Jan’s passion for helping people extends beyond her advisory practice. She has become well known for her New Executive Calgarian events. When she was new in town decades ago, the community embraced her and made her feel welcome, so she decided to pay it forward. What started 30 years ago with a small group gathered around her kitchen table has taken on a life of its own. Today, she hosts invite-only lunches or dinners to welcome relocating executives and significant others to Calgary, introducing them to like-minded business leaders and expanding their contacts. In June 2025, 150 guests gathered to honour and celebrate Jan at the Calgary Petroleum Club to recognize Jan’s longstanding commitment to her clients and promoting the city’s business community.
What’s Next
Even after three decades, Jan continues to look for new ways to challenge conventional thinking. Her latest initiative, Unicorn Intelligence for Hire, is built around extraordinary clients with a rare combination of innovation, experience and problem-solving ability who struggle to communicate their value through traditional hiring channels. Her vision in developing Unicorn Intelligence for Hire is to help organizations access these exceptional individuals on a contract basis, allowing unicorns to solve complex problems, transfer their expertise and leave companies stronger than they found them.
Jan knows something about unicorns. She is one herself. Because of that, her unique career never followed a conventional path. From reinventing herself as a single mother to advising CEOs, transforming careers and building business communities, Jan continues to lead the industry with generosity and compassion at the centre of her business model.
In the face of global disruption and change, Jan has the steady hand and strong mindset that guides executives forward. Whether developing executive growth, leading career reinvention or supporting high-stakes professional transitions, Jan Eden empowers her clients to think differently, lead confidently and realize potential that they didn’t know they had.
Rennay Craats - Rennay Craats is a prolific Canadian author and professional writer based in Calgary, Alberta. With a career spanning over two decades, she has authored dozens of non-fiction books for children and young adults, specializing in educational topics such as Canadian history, geography, and sports. Her notable series include Canada through the Decades and the My Favorite Writer biographies. Beyond juvenile literature, Craats is a prominent figure in business journalism. She is a frequent contributor to Business magazines, where she profiles industry leaders and explores regional economic trends. She also serves as a strategic writer for Nuvera Partners, crafting corporate narratives and marketing packages that translate complex business histories into compelling value drivers for the mid-market space.
