The Background That Makes the Difference
Eventually, that degree led him to a 20-year career in higher education leadership. Across environments as varied as wilderness orientations, residence halls, and the classroom, he developed into a skilled and adaptive facilitator. He led teams, coached and mentored emerging leaders, launched programs, and learned the operational and business realities of running complex organizations.
Along the way, he earned a PhD in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University where he conducted original research on adult learning and developed deep expertise in developmental psychology, organizational science, and systems thinking.
The founding of Awaken Leadership Solutions grew out of a recognition that what he had been doing in higher education (facilitating the kind of transformational, whole-person learning that actually changes how people lead) was urgently needed in the broader organizational world.
Dr. Einfeld has observed that most conventional professional development talks about leadership rather than actually developing leaders. It’s informed more by opinion and anecdote than by what research tells us about how adults learn, grow, and change.
Before launching Awaken in earnest, he spent 18 months doing what researchers do: interviewing people. Over 30 conversations with independent coaches and consultants gave him a clear picture of both the landscape and the gap. It confirmed that a research-grounded, formation-focused approach would be genuinely differentiated in the market.
Awaken Leadership Solutions exists because leaders deserve better than status quo development. Because meaningful work is worth fighting for. And because when people stop growing, something essential begins to diminish – in them, and in the organizations they lead.
Why Awaken Exists
Dr. Aaron Einfeld didn't set out to become a consultant. He set out to help people grow.
His earliest formative leadership experience came as a Resident Assistant in college – a role that would shape the next two decades of his career. It was there that he first understood what genuine, whole-person development looked like: not just teaching people skills, but helping them discover who they were becoming.
That conviction led him to pursue a master's in Student Affairs and Higher Education: a field that blends developmental psychology, adult learning, and research methodology.
“Most conventional professional development talks about leadership rather than actually developing leaders.”
What Drives the Work
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Real change (the kind that lasts) happens at the level of identity, mindset, and character, not just behavior. Dr. Einfeld uses the word transformation deliberately, because that's what the work is actually aimed at.
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No two organizations are the same, and no engagement begins with a predetermined answer. Every client relationship starts with a genuine process of discovery, because the right solution has to be built on the right diagnosis.
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Leaders deserve more than leadership fads and consultant anecdotes. Every method, tool, and framework used by Awaken meets a high standard of evidence that’s grounded in peer-reviewed research in psychology, adult development, and organizational science.
Credentials
PhD - Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Learning - Michigan State University
MS - Student Affairs and Higher Education - Indiana State University
BA - Psychology - Calvin University
Birkman Certified Professional - Birkman International
Licensed Facilitator: Birkman High Performing Teams
Line-of-Sight Implementer
Subject-Object Interview: Certified Reliable Scorer (Minds at Work)