Insights & Practices
The TED* Blog
Stories, frameworks, and practices for shifting from drama to empowerment.
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Telling the Truth About Our Spiritual Sickness
This week I attended a celebration of life for the former husband of a close friend. Those who spoke at his funeral described him as a deeply spiritual and kind man. When it was the priest’s time to speak, he repeated…
Learn to Appreciate What Challenges You:
Valuable Lessons May Be Hidden in the Very Situations That Trouble You Most There’s a story about a spiritual community in France led by an influential and inspiring monk. Within this community lived an old man who was…
Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
I have noticed that when things are going well it is easy for me to state what I want and don’t want. I communicate with ease and enjoy the clarity that healthy boundaries provide. I’ve learned that healthy boundaries…
Is Your Desire a Calling or a Craving?
As a young adult, I began to discover the vast difference between cravings and callings. I often made decisions based on what excited me or stirred my passion, yet I was largely blind to the deeper origins of those…
Applying TED* to Youth Sports
How TED* Helps Teach Character and Not Just Athletic Skills By Donna Zajonc with guest Michael McElhenie, Ph. D. “ Last week I told the story of when I learned to play Pickleball and applied TED* to help me through…
Focus on More Helpful Thoughts
Not Just More Positive Ones About ten years ago, I began playing pickleball, the sport that started right here on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where I’ve lived for 25 years. The pickleball community here is vibrant,…
More Listening, Less Fixing and Controlling
How are you Listening? Are you a good listener? Or are you sometimes eager to speak and slow to listen? According to a recent business survey, even though people are frequently texting and checking email when talking…
When the Victim Role Can Take Control of the Room
The Surprising Power of the Victim Role I had a recent experience and noticed something surprising and more nuanced about the Victim role than I had seen before. I was at a retreat, staying in a community center with…
Stop Rescuing. Start Coaching.
How to Shift from Taking Over to Empowering Others In my early years as a coach and leader, I thought my job was to fix things to make the world a better place. I wanted to ease the burden for others, offer quick advice,…