From Fox to fitness to family: Anna Kooiman’s Full-circle journey back to American TV

Anna Kooiman’s life has been anything but ordinary. And that’s exactly how she likes it.

From chasing breaking news on Fox & Friends Weekend to launching a fitness brand on Bondi Beach and now anchoring at NewsNation, the Charlotte native has done it all — with a smile, a passport full of stamps, and two kids in tow.

Big Breaks, Bigger Leaps

Anna’s broadcast journey began on the sidelines. Literally. While attending the UNC Wilmington, she worked as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports. From there, she jumped into hard news, working in Wilmington and Toledo before returning to Charlotte in 2008 to co-host Fox News Rising on WCCB.

 

By 2011, she had earned a call-up to Fox News in New York, becoming a correspondent and later a co-anchor of Fox & Friends Weekend. She reported on everything from natural disasters and presidential debates to major terror attacks, quickly becaming a recognizable face nationwide.

Despite the glamour, the intensity of 24/7 news coverage took a toll. “It was stressful,” she later recalled. “Just too much to be in the middle of politics all the time. It doesn’t fit me.”

Still, those years opened doors, including the one that led to her future husband.

A Love Story With a Twist

In fall 2012, just after covering Hurricane Sandy, Anna’s apartment block was closed due to a collapsed crane. She wandered into a Manhattan hotel bar and struck up a conversation with Tim Stuckey, an Australian executive visiting from London. Sparks flew, but distance made things complicated.

 

Their romance spanned London, Prague, Boston, Miami, until career pressures led to a brief breakup. But by New Year’s Eve 2013, Tim had called her from across the world. Within months, he’d moved to New York. They married in Central Park in July 2015, surrounded by friends, family, and the city where it all began.

Their love story even made it to TV: a lighthearted segment on Fox & Friends featuring Tim cooking with Vegemite drew warm attention from viewers.

Motherhood, Miscarriages, and Meaning

In 2016, on their first anniversary, the couple moved to Sydney to be closer to Tim’s family and start one of their own. But the transition wasn’t easy. Anna suffered two miscarriages early on and found herself far from her support system.

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

 

In 2018, they welcomed their son Brooks, followed by daughter Annabel in 2020. Both were born in Australia. Today, the two kids are frequent stars on Anna’s social media, featured biking, beachcombing, or baking in the kitchen.

Strong Sexy Mammas: Building a Brand from the Beach

As she embraced motherhood, Anna also reignited her love for fitness. This time with a mission: helping other women to feel strong, sexy, and confident at every stage. What started as a passion project soon became Strong Sexy Mammas, a video-on-demand platform offering classes, coaching, and community.

Filmed in stunning Sydney locations like Bondi Beach, the workouts reflected Anna’s dual passions: wellness and authenticity. She built the brand during nap times and after bedtime, evolving it into a thriving business now expanding to the U.S.

 

Unlike her Fox years, she now owns her content, brand, and schedule. “I get to help moms feel like themselves again. That’s more powerful than any segment I ever produced.”

Coming Home (Again)

In 2021, during a visit to Charlotte, Anna quietly explored a return to local television. By 2022, she was back at WCCB, the station where it all began, hosting Your Day with Anna Kooiman, a lifestyle show. With two kids and her Aussie husband in tow, the move felt full-circle.

“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.”

 

That return ultimately set the stage for her national comeback. In April 2024, Anna joined NewsNation Now as weekend anchor, back in the spotlight, but this time on her terms.

These days, she’s balancing business, family, and national TV, and all while staying true to her roots. “I would choose Charlotte over New York any day,” she said from her childhood backyard, aware that life can change in an instant.