Anna Kooiman has never been one to stay in one lane—or one country—for long. From anchoring national news on Fox & Friends Weekend to building a global fitness brand from Bondi Beach, and now returning to the American spotlight with NewsNation, the Charlotte native has crafted a life as dynamic and driven as the stories she’s covered. But behind the polished TV segments and sun-soaked workout videos lies a woman whose real journey has been marked by resilience, reinvention, and a fierce devotion to family.

Big Breaks, Bigger Leaps

Anna’s media career began far from studio lights. While attending UNC Wilmington, she reported from the sidelines for FOX Sports, cutting her teeth in the world of live sports. From there, she jumped into hard news reporting in Wilmington, North Carolina, and later Toledo, Ohio. But it was her 2008 return to Charlotte as co-host of Fox News Rising on WCCB that set her on the fast track to national television.

By 2011, Anna had landed at Fox News in New York, where she quickly climbed the ranks to become co-anchor of Fox & Friends Weekend. Her reporting assignments took her across the country and around the world, covering everything from terror attacks to presidential politics to natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. Her upbeat on-air personality made her a favorite among viewers, but behind the scenes, the 24/7 political grind was wearing her down.

“It was stressful,” she later admitted. “Just too much to be in the middle of politics all the time. It doesn’t fit me.”

Still, those high-pressure years laid the foundation for everything that followed—including meeting the man who would change her life forever.

A Love Story Written Across Continents

In a twist worthy of a rom-com, it was the chaos of Hurricane Sandy that led Anna to Tim Stuckey, an Australian executive she met by chance in a Manhattan hotel bar after her apartment building was evacuated. Their chemistry was immediate, but their bi-continental romance faced logistical hurdles. Over the next year, they kept their love alive across time zones, cities, and continents—until Tim made the bold move to relocate to New York.

They were married in Central Park in July 2015, surrounded by the skyline that had been both backdrop and battleground for their careers and relationship. The couple’s love story, full of unexpected detours, eventually made its way to the Fox News set, where Tim appeared in a light-hearted cooking segment that viewers adored.

Motherhood, Miscarriage, and Meaning

The newlyweds relocated to Sydney in 2016 to be closer to Tim’s family, hoping to start one of their own. But the journey to parenthood wasn’t easy. Anna suffered two miscarriages shortly after moving, far from her support system and the familiarity of home.

“I was worried I’d pushed it too late,” she later shared during a tearful interview.

But their persistence paid off. In 2018, their son Brooks was born, followed by daughter Annabel in 2020—both delivered in Australia. Anna’s motherhood journey, from heartbreak to joy, has deeply influenced her work and her personal mission.

Strong Sexy Mammas: Fitness with a Purpose

Motherhood also gave rise to a new calling. Drawing from her lifelong love of fitness and her desire to connect with other moms, Anna founded Strong Sexy Mammas, a video-on-demand wellness platform that offers workout classes, coaching, and community.

Shot against the breathtaking backdrop of Sydney’s beaches and parks, the platform quickly gained a loyal following. What began as a nap-time side project has grown into a full-scale business, with plans to expand across the U.S.

“I get to help moms feel like themselves again,” she said. “That’s more powerful than any segment I ever produced.”

Unlike the rigid structure of cable news, Anna now owns her schedule, her message, and her brand. It’s freedom, she says, she didn’t even know she needed.

Coming Home—In Every Way

In 2021, during a family visit to Charlotte, Anna quietly began exploring a return to local television. By 2022, she had rejoined WCCB—the same station where her career took off—this time as the host of Your Day with Anna Kooiman, a lifestyle show focused on wellness, parenting, and positivity.

With her husband and kids in tow, she made the cross-global move back to her hometown. “We’re crashing at my parents’ house while we house-hunt,” she joked at the time. “My mom cried the night I left Charlotte in 2016. Now she can’t believe I’m back.”

The homecoming wasn’t just geographic—it was emotional, too. For Anna, it meant reconnecting with family, embracing her roots, and giving her children the same Southern upbringing she cherished.

A National Comeback, On Her Terms

In April 2024, Anna returned to national television, joining NewsNation Now as a weekend anchor. But this time, she’s doing it on her own terms—bringing a lifestyle-forward tone, family-first mindset, and wellness-centered perspective to the broadcast landscape.

Though she’s no stranger to the national stage, this latest chapter feels different. She’s more grounded, more purposeful, and more aware of what truly matters.

“I would choose Charlotte over New York any day,” she said during a recent backyard interview at her parents’ home. “This feels like the right balance. I’m still doing what I love, but I’m doing it with my family close and my priorities in place.”

Balancing It All: Business, Broadcasting, and Baking with Kids

These days, a typical week in Anna’s life might include hosting national news segments, filming fitness content, managing her brand, and making banana bread with Brooks and Annabel. Her social media is a blend of broadcast glam and real-life chaos—trampoline parks, beach days, fitness challenges, and toddler tantrums.

She doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. Instead, she shares what she’s learning in real time. Her audience—now spanning continents, demographics, and platforms—relates to her honesty, energy, and unrelenting optimism.

Full-Circle, But Just Getting Started

From Fox News in Manhattan to beachside workouts in Sydney, and now back to a Charlotte newsroom with her family by her side, Anna Kooiman’s life has come full circle—but it’s far from finished.

She’s not just a journalist or a fitness coach or a mom. She’s all of those things, rolled into one—a modern media force forging her own path in a world that often asks women to choose.

If her story proves anything, it’s that reinvention is always possible, balance is achievable, and coming home—wherever that may be—is always worth it.