Erich Schlenker
Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University
Erich Schlenker is a speaker, educator, and executive coach who helps leaders and organizations understand the hidden psychological forces that shape performance, leadership, and decision-making. Through research-backed insights and real-world experience, he helps audiences recognize how beliefs, habits, and internal narratives influence behavior—and how greater self-awareness can unlock meaningful growth and lasting change.
Currently serving as Managing Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University, Erich works with students, founders, and leaders to develop clarity, confidence, and intentional action. Prior to academia, he spent 11 years at Intel Corporation leading global market initiatives, including work on the renowned Intel Inside® program, and later co-founded a successful software training company.
Drawing from experience across corporate, startup, nonprofit, and higher education environments, Erich delivers practical strategies that help people navigate uncertainty, overcome self-imposed limitations, and perform at their highest level when it matters most.
Leadership Speaker | Executive Coach | Performance & Decision-Making Expert
Helping audiences understand the hidden psychological patterns that quietly shape performance and growth.
Why Book Erich
Erich Schlenker combines practical leadership experience with deep insight into the psychology of human performance. Audiences leave with a deeper understanding of the hidden forces shaping their behavior, clearer direction about what they want, and practical ways to create meaningful momentum in their personal and professional lives.
His presentations combine psychological insight, lived leadership experience, and story-driven teaching to create keynote experiences that are both practical and deeply personal.
Erich’s Signature Topics Include:
● Mindset Mastery: Identity Drives Performance
How biology, habits, and language shape behavior, motivation, and performance, and why lasting change begins below the surface.● Step Zero: The Mindset Before Strategy
Why tactics and plans often fall short when people are internally misaligned, and how greater self-awareness improves execution and resilience.● Clarity + Alignment = Momentum
Why clarity (not motivation) is often the missing ingredient behind momentum, change, and sustained performance.● From Idea to Scale: Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey
A realistic roadmap for building a business, balancing growth with well-being, and avoiding common missteps that lead to burnout, wasted effort, or unnecessary risk.
He is particularly well-suited for audiences focused on:
Aligning mindset and strategy to support long-term outcomes
Entrepreneurs and executives facing strategic inflection points
Sustaining growth without internal resistance or burnout
Improving decision-making during periods of increased visibility or responsibility