Minnesota Star Tribune Announces Four New Advice Columnists

New columns will offer expert, local perspectives on relationships, the sandwich generation and uniquely Minnesota questions of etiquette 

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Star Tribune is expanding its advice offerings with four new columnists who will help readers navigate everything from complicated relationships and family dynamics to caring for aging parents and the uniquely Minnesotan dilemmas of everyday etiquette. 

The new lineup features psychotherapist Tonya Lester, advice columnist Adrienne Lee, veteran editor Julie Pfitzinger and longtime Minnesota journalist Richard Chin. Each brings a distinctive perspective and approach to answering readers’ questions, with deep connections to Minnesota and the issues that shape life here. 

Tonya Lester is a psychotherapist specializing in relationships and communication. Her column will offer practical guidance for navigating difficult situations, including suggested phrases readers can use as they tackle problems in their own lives. Lester’s work has appeared in The New York Times, and she writes the Staying Sane Inside Insanity blog for Psychology Today. She is also the author of Push Back. Lester lives with her family in St. Paul and Brooklyn, New York. Learn more at TonyaLester.com. 

Adrienne Lee will write Ask Adri, a column focused on relationships, identity, communication and community. Lee’s perspective is informed by her experiences as a multiracial Black woman, a divorcee, a mother and a lifelong Minnesotan. She believes good advice is less about declaring something right or wrong and more about helping people build perspective. Lee is a regular on Jason DeRusha’s WCCO Radio program and writes about advice and other topics on Substack. She lives in the Twin Cities with her children and her poodle. Find her on Substack and instagram at @askadri_. 

Julie Pfitzinger, former managing editor of PBS Next Avenue, will focus on the challenges facing The Sandwich Generation — people navigating the often-competing demands of helping aging parents while raising or supporting young adults. Drawing on her background as a journalist covering America’s growing 50-plus population, Pfitzinger will report out readers’ questions and seek insight from knowledgeable sources to help families make informed decisions. She lives in the Twin Cities and is the parent of two millennials. Find her on Instagram at @juliepfitzinger. 

Richard Chin, a longtime Twin Cities journalist, will write Minnesota Manners, a column devoted to sticky questions about manners and social customs with a distinctly Minnesota twist. Chin will consult local experts to tackle questions such as: What’s the right way to handle the long goodbye? When can you take the last cookie on the tray? And when is it OK to toot your own horn? Chin began his Twin Cities journalism career at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and later joined the Minnesota Star Tribune. He lives in St. Paul with an inconsiderate cat and a sometimes ill-mannered dog. 

The four columns reflect the Minnesota Star Tribune’s commitment to providing readers with useful, engaging journalism grounded in the experiences and questions that come up in everyday life. 

Readers will be invited to submit their own questions for the columnists to answer. 

Journalists pictured below in order from top to bottom:  

– Adrienne Lee

– Julie Pfitzinger

– Tonya Lester

– Richard Chin