Essential Connections Network
Coaching + Community
The family office world is complex, private, and constantly evolving. It offers exciting opportunities for meaningful, long-term impact and growth—but often without a clear roadmap or definition of success. Whether you’re a business owner contemplating your next chapter, a family office executive seeking peer perspective, or a future family leader discovering your place in the family enterprise, the journey can feel uncertain – and lonely.
With Essential Connections, you’re not alone. We offer one-on-one coaching, peer communities, and research to help you uncover your unique strengths, gain context to inform your decisions, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
Our definition of “connection”
“I define connection as the energy that exists between
people when they feel seen, heard, and valued;
when they can give and receive without judgment; and
when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
― Brené Brown
Coaching
Hiring a coach is an investment in unlocking your personal and professional potential. It requires dedicating time and space to explore your own definition of success – in work and life – and develop realistic plans to achieve it. By working with Jane, a certified professional coach with 30+ years of experience in the family office space, you gain a trusted partner who understands the pressures you face and delights in identifying strategies and resources to support you.
Community
Peer communities provide a confidential and supportive environment for family office professionals to share experiences, exchange best practices, and brainstorm practical solutions. Jane facilitates several of these communities and is inspired by the collaboration, care, and innovation – a/k/a magic! – that happens when like-minded leaders gather to learn together.
Research
While every family office is as unique as the family it serves, there are common practices and valuable lessons that offer context and perspective for your decision-making. For decades, Jane has been learning from families with family offices and leading bespoke research studies. She believes in the power of sharing stories and lived experiences to bring data to life and is always on the lookout for resources and materials to support your work.
I am a…
- Lifetime resident of the Chicago suburbs.
- Proud mom of three marvelous young adults.
- Myers Briggs: INFJ, “The Advocate.”
- StrengthsFinder: Learner. Developer. Responsibility. Connectedness. Intellection.
- Pro tip collector.
Meet Jane Flanagan
Independent Advisor & Executive Coach
Founder, Essential Connections Network LLC
Jane has dedicated her career to working with—and learning from—family leaders and family office executives. She has interviewed hundreds of families to document best practices on topics ranging from governance and succession to engaging the rising generation and strengthening multigenerational communication. Jane has guided families through the decision of whether to establish a family office and has advised others on evaluating and streamlining existing operations. Today, her work centers on supporting the personal and professional development of family office leaders through one-on-one coaching, peer communities, and thought leadership.
Before founding Essential Connections, Jane served for six years as Director of Family Office Advisory in Northern Trust’s Global Family Office group, where she provided guidance to more than 550 family offices worldwide. She began her career at Family Office Exchange, where she spent 26 years conducting research, consulting, and creating meaningful learning experiences for family offices and their advisors.
Jane is a Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Myers-Briggs (MBTI) Practitioner. She also serves on the board of the Southeastern Family Office Forum (SEFOF).