About Us

Philosophy

The Transitions Institutehas discovered a simple but startling truth about creating change in one’s life: it is much easier to accomplish all levels of change by focusing on the future rather than trying to alter or change the past.

The simple truth is that you can’t change the past. It’s already over. The opportunity for intentional change can only occur through a clear and focused commitment to a future.

In our work with thousands of people, we have discovered that individuals are most powerful and most successful when their intentions and actions are aligned, and are in support of a future they are committed to and deeply desire.

Bio

David Zelman, Ph.D.

David Zelman practices what he preaches. As founder and president of Transitions Institute, Inc., Dr. Zelman has successfully reinvented himself several times.

The psychotherapist and business coach has found his niche both professionally and personally, but that wasn’t always so. At 21, he had dropped out of college disillusioned after discovering he was dyslexic and just couldn’t keep up. He was down and out in California in the ‘60’s with no money, no job and no future.

Then something happened. He picked up a psychology textbook and was captivated by the mind-body connection. The New York native returned to the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a degree in psychology, winding up on the dean’s list during his last year.

"For the first time in my life I gave myself permission to give everything I had to accomplishing the goal," he says. "I had to read things three or four times to get it. It didn’t come naturally."

Dr. Zelman went on to get his master’s and doctorate in behavioral disabilities at the University of Wisconsin and soon began a private clinical and consulting practice that focused on training, team-building and communication programs to corporations and non-profit organizations.

He became more and more interested in those who wanted to reinvent themselves, and his individual counseling practice grew. Soon he was jetting to Los Angeles, New York and London to work one-on-one with high profile professionals and international elites.

"He listens heartfully, but is strategically minded," says one client. "I look at his role as part confessor, part co-conspirator."

David reinvented himself again by starting the Transitions Institute to focus on helping people design their "second lives." He also saw a general malaise among the majority of working Americans and decided to expand his concept for those who couldn’t afford his day rate. His three two-day workshops offered last spring in Dallas were sellouts, with attendees flying in from both the East and West coasts, as well as Canada.

In addition to working with others to design their futures, Dr. Zelman continues to work on his own. Naturally, he is most focused on developing stronger personal relationships with his wife, Karen, a certified nurse midwife, and his three children, Michael, Brian and Lauren. He is also interested in reaching a wider audience, creating additional seminars with other experts, developing a series of motivational tapes, writing a book and even considering a TV talk show.

"In the end," he says, "people need to ask themselves the question, ‘If I was financially independent and didn’t have to work, what would I do with my time?’ You have to have a sense of self-worth that extends beyond what you do for a living. That’s the real creation of wealth."

David lives in Dallas, Texas with his family where, as the Founder and CEO of Transitions Institute, Inc., he specializes in consulting to organizations and coaching individuals, executives, and entrepreneurs on communication, strategy development and maximizing productivity and growth.

TII’s technology is designed to enhance an individual organization’s ability to break with traditional methods and approaches by creating environments in which individuals and groups can safely and powerfully develop organizational skills that inspire and move people to action.

Dr. Zelman received his Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1976. Drawing upon 20 years of clinical and consulting experience, David is a dynamic and provocative speaker. He has trained or coached in excess of 20,000 individuals and has worked with hundreds of corporations.

His unique approach to fully expressing one’s humanity has empowered people to step beyond what is predictable and create truly extraordinary lives.

Our Clients

Media

Fast Company, “Balance is Bunk”, October 2004
Dallas Morning News, “What Is Carty’s Next Destination? The Usual Career Routes May Not Be Options for Ex-AMR Head”, May 9, 2003
New York Times, “Executive Life; A Chief’s Anguish: Letting Workers Go”, December 29, 2002
Fortune Magazine, “Agents of Change”, April 1, 2002
New York Times, “Trading Places, C.E.O. Does Mrs. Mom”, February 7, 2003
London Financial Times, “A Re-Design for Life”, April 2001
British Vogue, “A Design for Living”, June 2000
Dallas Morning News, “Gotta Get a Life!”, January 17, 1999
Wall Street Journal, “Managing your Career”, June 30, 1998
Chapters by Candice Carpenter, McGraw-Hill, 2002
Speakers Profile, www.gatheringoftitans.com
Advisory Board, www.investlinc.com/team