What's it like growing up with a news anchor mom? Julie Broughton's 8-year-old daughter knows

Broughton explains life as a working mom to daughter who's grown up at News 6

ORLANDO, Fla. – You could say that News 6 at Nine anchor Julie Broughton's daughter, Isla Mae, has pretty much grown up at News 6.

"I started working at News 6 when Isla was 10 months old," Broughton said. "And at the time, it was weekend mornings, so you know, as she's gotten older, the schedule has kind of evolved more.

Broughton said it can be challenging to balance everything when school is in session.

"Like getting homework done and still having social time in the evenings," Broughton said. "But we continue to tweak things and I feel like we're doing pretty well."

But when it comes to working in news, Broughton said a strict routine just doesn't work for her.

"Some moms I know are very regimented with, you know, homework happens from this time to this time. We kind of have a system that works," Broughton said. "We kind of go with the flow. But we also know certain things have to be done at certain times in the morning."

Broughton said she thinks they do particularly well as a team in the mornings because Isla hates to be late.

"What's fascinating is that if school is in session and it's time to get up, she will be sleeping like a beautiful sleeping princess until late in the morning," Broughton said. "But if it's Saturday at 6 a.m. I'll hear her. 'What are we doing today?' and I'm like, 'What?' So I wish that she could sleep as well on weekends as she seems to do on weekdays."

With anything else, Broughton said it's always about finding the little things that work best for each family.

"It seems like such a small thing and I mean, it sounds crazy, saying it was life-changing when she started buying lunch at school, but that added a lot of time back. That was pretty thrilling for me," Broughton said.

But the biggest thing she said makes a difference when it comes to balancing parenting and working, is having the right tribe of people to help and back her up when she needs it. 

"You've got to have your people," she said. "When I used to do the morning shift, you know, we'd have to have a nanny come in at like 3 in the morning, which is not always easy to find, and people oversleep or you know, forget."

Broughton said that in that situation, Isla would load up to hang out at the station, which she actually finds exciting.

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"So she would just hang out with Troy during my hits. And if there's big breaking news on the weekend and her dad's out of town or something, you know, there's always somebody who can take her. But we have a very family friendly work environment, which is nice because most of us have children and families so everybody kind of gets it."

Her biggest advice for other working parents is to speak up when you know you need help.

"I think something that a lot of people refuse to do, and this is something that I consciously work to be better at, is you have to ask people," Broughton said. "If you can't make it to something, 'Hey, will you take pictures of this?' or not just like events or whatever, but in all aspects of your life. You can't do it alone."

Broughton said some people don't have family that lives anywhere near them, which is when having that support can really come in handy.

"You kind of have to build a network and build your chosen family with your friends," Broughton said. "For a long time, I would get really annoyed because I would just wait for people to offer for things and if people don't know how they can help, or what you need, or where you might be struggling, then they can't read your mind. If you ask your tribe, they will come through."


About the Authors:

Tara Evans is an executive producer and has been with News 6 since January 2013. She currently spearheads News 6 at Nine and specializes in stories with messages of inspiration, hope and that make a difference for people -- with a few hard-hitting investigations thrown in from time to time.

Julie Broughton's career in Central Florida has spanned more than 14 years, starting with News 6 as a meteorologist and now anchoring newscasts.

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