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Who Was David Emerald?
David Emerald Womeldorff was born in Springfield, Ohio, and graduated from Wright State University. As a young man he imagined himself as a high school history teacher. He went on to earn a master’s degree in behavioral science and found a calling in organizational psychology, where his early work helped pioneer new ways of transforming reactive behavior in teams and workplaces.
Over more than three decades of consulting he held roles that kept him close to practitioners. He worked in learning and leadership development at Bank One, co-founded the Bainbridge Leadership Center, served as a senior consultant with The Leadership Circle and, for nearly 20 years, coached leaders in the Integral Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame’s Executive Education. In 2003 he moved to the Pacific Northwest, which became his home.
When he began to write, he chose the pen name Emerald. In a journal entry as he prepared to move to the Seattle area, known as the Emerald City, he wrote, “Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, my Emerald City beckons.” According to his wife and partner, Donna Zajonc, he believed his surname might not resonate with readers.
Before 2003
Builds a career in organizational psychology and leadership development, including Bank One, Bainbridge Leadership Center and The Leadership Circle.
August 2003
Draws a positive counterpart to the Drama Triangle on a whiteboard after a coaching session at Notre Dame. A week later it has a name: TED*.
Late 2005
Self-publishes The Power of TED*, a fable on self-leadership.
2015
Publishes the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Power of TED* with Polaris Publishing.
March 2019
April 16, 2025
Dies peacefully at home. The Center for The Empowerment Dynamic carries his work forward.
The Creation of TED*
TED* grew from two foundations that David knew well: Stephen Karpman’s Drama Triangle, which he had known for years, and the FISBE framework (Focus, Inner State, Behavior, Effect), which he taught in leadership programs. His question was practical. If the Drama Triangle describes how people react, what is the alternative?
According to Donna Zajonc’s account, the answer came in August 2003. After a series of coaching sessions at Notre Dame, David called her from the South Bend airport. During one session he had shared the Drama Triangle with a client and then, spontaneously, drawn a new, more positive triangle on a whiteboard, rooted in human goodness rather than reactive patterns. When Donna asked what it meant to him, he said:
It’s about empowerment—personal empowerment. It’s about the best in us as human beings. And it’s dynamic, always evolving.
He called it The Empowerment Dynamic. About a week later, during a morning meditation, he opened his eyes and said, “It’s got a name! It’s TED*!” The three roles of the Empowerment Triangle, Creator, Challenger and Coach, offered a practical alternative to the Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer roles of the Drama Triangle.
Encouraged by Donna and by the response of friends and colleagues, David wrote The Power of TED* as a fable and self-published it in late 2005. The book spread largely by word of mouth among people looking for a way out of everyday drama, and it also made its way into organizations as a set of leadership and culture-building ways of thinking, relating and acting. David and Donna later realized that all of their work revolved around TED*, and founded the Center for The Empowerment Dynamic. Donna read the story in her own words in Honoring the Life and Legacy of David Emerald.
Books by David Emerald
David wrote three books that carry TED* from individual life to the workplace. Each has its own page with details, excerpts and where to buy.
The Power of TED*
(*The Empowerment Dynamic)
The teaching story that introduced the Creator, Challenger and Coach roles.
About The Power of TED*
The Power of TED* Workbook
Applying TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic) to Life
Guided exercises and reflections for practicing the three roles.
About the TED* Workbook
3 Vital Questions
Transforming Workplace Drama
A workplace fable about the three questions of focus, relating and action.
About 3 Vital QuestionsA fourth book extends the work: Who Do You Want to Be on the Way to What You Want? by his partner and collaborator Donna Zajonc, MCC, follows the coach from The Power of TED* years into her career. See all titles on the books page.
The 3 Vital Questions Framework
David and Donna developed the 3 Vital Questions as a daily practice for putting TED* to work, especially in organizations: Where am I putting my focus? How am I relating? What actions am I taking? The questions point to three shifts: from reacting to choosing, from telling to asking, and from putting down to building up.
The framework is explained on its own page, The 3 Vital Questions, and in David’s book 3 Vital Questions: Transforming Workplace Drama, which received a 2020 Distinguished Favorite recognition from both the NYC Big Book Awards and the Independent Press Awards and was a 2019 Indie Book Awards finalist in the Careers category.
- 1
Focus
Where are you putting your focus?
From: Problem Orientation
To: Outcome Orientation
- 2
Relate
How are you relating?
From: Drama Triangle roles
To: Empowerment Triangle roles
- 3
Act
What actions are you taking?
From: Reacting to the problem of the moment
To: Baby Steps toward the outcome
Work and Influence
The Center reports that David’s work has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Its influence shows in the way readers, leaders and organizations describe it.
…really smart and helpful information about… stronger, saner, and healthier ways of behaving.
A quick and enjoyable read that will have you taking notes and coming back to re-read sections related to your own challenges!
Healthcare
Cleveland Clinic
The Clinic’s Engagement Leadership Series uses TED* and the 3 Vital Questions, and has reached more than 1,000 leaders. Of the participants identified for improvement, 80% raised their scores on the next survey.
Read the Cleveland Clinic storyEntertainment & Dining
Studio Movie Grill
Management turnover fell from 42% to 18% over three years, saving more than $1 million annually.
Read the Studio Movie Grill storyRead more in the success stories library, or hear it from a friend and colleague in Remembering Our Dear Friend and Creator David Emerald Womeldorff by Jim Anderson.
Remembering David Emerald
David died peacefully at home on April 16, 2025. Donna Zajonc wrote of him as a beloved friend, teacher and partner, and described TED* as his life’s work and, as he called it, his “child.” Unable to have children of his own, she wrote, he poured his whole heart into nurturing the framework, hoping it would serve and inspire seven generations to come.
One of his many gifts was his ability to name deep and complex human truths in simple, powerful ways that others could understand and live by.
In his last weeks he often spoke of how fulfilled he felt. His message, in Donna’s words, remains “Here’s to the Creator in YOU.” Donna often said that she was TED*’s mom, and she continues to write the weekly TED* Works! blog that she has written for more than a dozen years.
Explore His Work
Framework
The Empowerment Triangle
Creator, Challenger and Coach: the three roles David drew on a whiteboard in 2003.
What Is the Empowerment Triangle?Framework
The Drama Triangle
The pattern David set out to find an alternative to.
What Is the Drama Triangle?Practice
The 3 Vital Questions
The daily practice that brings TED* into work and life.
The 3 Vital Questions frameworkBooks
All books
The Power of TED*, the Workbook, 3 Vital Questions and Donna Zajonc’s book.
Browse the TED* booksTraining
Courses
Self-paced and live programs for individuals, coaches and facilitators.
Explore TED* coursesFrequently asked questions
Who was David Emerald?
David Emerald (David Emerald Womeldorff) was the author of The Power of TED* and 3 Vital Questions and the creator of The Empowerment Dynamic. He was a leadership coach and organizational consultant for more than 30 years, and he worked with the University of Notre Dame’s Executive Education for nearly 20 years.
Is David Emerald his real name?
Emerald is a pen name. David’s family name was Womeldorff, and he chose Emerald when he began to write, partly inspired by the Emerald City of Seattle, where he was moving. The Center uses “David Emerald Womeldorff” when it refers to him in full.
What did David Emerald create?
He created The Empowerment Dynamic (TED*), including the Empowerment Triangle of Creator, Challenger and Coach, and the 3 Vital Questions. He wrote The Power of TED*, the TED* Workbook and 3 Vital Questions: Transforming Workplace Drama.
When did David Emerald die?
David Emerald died peacefully at home on April 16, 2025. The Center for The Empowerment Dynamic continues his work, and the David Emerald Womeldorff Memorial Scholarship Fund supports youth and emerging leaders in accessing TED* training.
Where can I learn more about his work?
Start with The Power of TED*, then read about the Empowerment Triangle and the 3 Vital Questions. The Center’s books and courses go deeper.