WAYZATA — It began, fittingly, with a story about listening.
Mayor Andrew Mullin, hosting Tuesday’s Braver Angels workshop at City Hall, recalled how a coffee conversation with longtime resident Elaine Ambrose led to an evening devoted to “calling in” rather than “calling out.” The event, Bridging the Political Divide, drew elected officials, business leaders, and residents from across the west metro to talk openly about polarization—and how to heal it one conversation at a time.
The workshop brought together an unusually broad cross-section of civic and community leaders. Representatives from the Metropolitan Council; the Minnetonka, Orono, Long Lake, and Plymouth city councils; and members of both the Wayzata and Orono school boards joined residents in the audience. State Representative Patty Acomb, Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash, and members of several local faith communities also attended, underscoring a shared desire among public officials, educators, and spiritual leaders to model respectful dialogue at a time when polarization often dominates public life.
In his opening remarks, Mayor Andrew Mullin recounted how the idea for the workshop began over coffee with Elaine Ambrose, who arrived in tears and admitted, “I’m part of the problem.” Though they’d known each other for years, she confessed she had “never had dinner with Republicans.” Mullin, an independent and “radical optimist,” said her honesty moved him and inspired the effort to bring Braver Angels to Wayzata.
A “happy grandmother” and longtime community volunteer, Ambrose told the packed room she was moved to act after the tragic deaths of her friend Melissa Hartman, her husband, and their daughter last June. Seeking a healthier way forward, she invited Mullin and later Council Member Alex Plechash to join her in exploring Braver Angels’ approach to rebuilding trust. “They said yes,” Ambrose recalled. “So, gratefully, we are here to relearn how to speak to each other in an honest and productive way.”
Braver Angels—co-founded in 2016 by University of Minnesota professor emeritus Dr. Bill Doherty—was formed in the aftermath of the presidential election to counteract political polarization. Drawing from his background as a family therapist, Doherty helped design a workshop format that brings conservatives and liberals together for what he calls “structured conversations that build understanding, not conversion.”
During the program, Doherty described polarization not as a matter of disagreement over issues, but as a breakdown in how Americans feel about each other when they disagree. “It’s called affective polarization,” he said, noting that mistrust now extends beyond politics to institutions such as the media, education, and even science. “It’s not just that people love their own party more—it’s that they hate the other party more.”
Participants were invited to reflect, pair up, and share what they believed caused the rise in division. Themes ranged from social media and 24-hour news cycles to declining trust, fear-based politics, and the loss of community connection. One attendee noted that “politics has become part of our identity,” while another spoke about the difficulty of “talking with” rather than “talking at” others.
As the discussion turned toward solutions, Doherty offered practical steps: listen before responding, use “I” statements instead of truth claims, and approach others with curiosity rather than correction. “If you don’t set out to change someone’s mind,” he said, “you’re actually more likely to influence them.”
The workshop concluded with small-group reflections on how to apply those lessons at home, in neighborhoods, and in civic life. Suggestions ranged from “starting close to home” to “practicing active listening” and even “building from small agreements.”
Minnesota now has the largest per-capita membership in Braver Angels of any state, according to Doherty. Local alliances—including those in Dakota County, the St. Croix Valley, and the West Suburban area—continue to host workshops on topics from immigration to election integrity.
Mayor Mullin closed the evening with an appeal for local leadership. “If we can’t figure it out here,” he said, “we have no hope. So we’ve got to start here.”
A follow-up Braver Angels skills workshop—Disagreeing Better—is expected to be scheduled in November at Wayzata City Hall.
For more information on joining the next Braver Angels workshop, visit: BraverAngels.org.
