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MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom
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Addressing the mental health strain on public leaders

Council member Aurin Chowdhury speaking
Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury (left) is one of several city council members to talk publicly in recent months about the mental health strain of public service. She is pictured speaking in the council chambers in Minneapolis City Hall on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News

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Public office has always been demanding, but the stress of leadership seems to be taking a bigger toll on elected officials’ mental health.

Several city council members in Minnesota recently shared their struggles with mental health, including a Minneapolis council member who took a break to attend to depression and anxiety. Earlier this year, St. Paul’s city council president resigned, citing “the “constant stressors of public leadership.”

At a national level, a U.S. representative from New Jersey disclosed in June that he was being treated for depression after a four-month absence from Congress.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a therapist and a city council member about burnout and stress among elected officials and what to do about it.

two people pose for a portrait
Minneapolis City Council member Aurin Chowdhury (left), stands with Noel Nix (right), a therapist with Vibrant Life Therapy, at Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in St. Paul on Wednesday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

Guests:

  • Aurin Chowdhury is a member of the Minneapolis City Council representing Ward 12 in southeastern Minneapolis. She was elected in 2023 after serving as manager of constituent services for a state senator and a policy aide for two Minneapolis council members. She recently shared her struggles with her mental health in a newsletter with constituents.

  • Noel Nix is a therapist with Vibrant Life Therapy working toward a professional clinical counseling license. He has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas and previously worked for more than a decade in municipal government as a city council aide and in public engagement for the City of St. Paul.

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