She was born in Calgary, but raised in Lethbridge – where she attended both the university and college there. She has a diploma in Communication Arts. She's been working in the media since 1990, beginning as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor – and making the transition to television in 1996.

Julie has worked at stations across the prairies, including Calgary, Saskatoon and Edmonton. Aside from her work as a reporter, producer and anchor – she was also a documentary director and writer for the award-winning program, "The Sharing Circle," for six years.

She followed her extended family to the west coast in 2005 – working as an anchor/reporter for CityTV Vancouver. She was laid off in July 2006, as a result of massive cuts to CHUM Television.

In October 2006, she was named the NAJA scholar to Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied business journalism.

Julie and her husband have two sons, Nicholas and Benjamin. They're pleased to be on the Island… her brother lives in Victoria, and her parents live in Ladysmith.

Mom Spotlight – Julie Nolin

1) Please provide an overview of your job.

Actually being on television is only a small part of what I do. I anchor a 5pm news program, but my day begins at 10am. I'm in story meetings first thing — where I help to determine, and debate, which stories will be covered each day. I also help to produce the show, which takes hours to plan and write. I will scour newspapers, wire services, the internet, and television feeds like CNN to figure out what is making news that day. After an entire team works on those stories, then I'm able to promote them – through what we call "newsbreaks" which air during commercial breaks, along with radio reports on a local station (I write all of these as well). From about 3pm onward – I'm usually very busy writing and re-writing as much as I can in our 5:00 show. Sometimes during the show, there are things missing – and it may only be seconds before I appear back on-camera before these elements are complete. So, it can be an adrenaline-filled afternoon!

2) Provide an overview of your home life, how many children you have, childcare arrangement, if married your husband's career and how you share the responsibilities at home.

My husband has been extremely supportive. We have two boys, ages 7 & 12. For nearly eleven years, we moved around so that I could advance my career. In broadcasting, you have to live in a small city to "make your mistakes." Then you move up according to the size of the city and type of position. For many years, my husband was able to work from home as a political cartoonist. But, he wanted more – and decided to go back to school in Vancouver – while the boys and I stayed behind in Edmonton in 2005. That was very difficult, but it was definitely his turn! After studying 3D animation, he now works as a storyboard artist on a couple of kid's shows. Since we moved to Victoria, he's working at home once again – which is a wonderful thing for our two boys! My hours are finally more normal than ever before (10am to 6pm) – so we get to eat dinner together again, which wasn't the case for five years.

3) Could you discuss 3 tips for women who are developing/managing their careers.

I think the most important thing is to follow your instincts. When I was working in Calgary as a reporter, I wanted more… I wanted to be an anchor as well. I kept applying for positions within my station, but my boss was unsupportive. He told me that I had no potential as an anchor! A few short weeks later, a station in Saskatoon offered me an anchor/reporter job. My boss told me I was making a huge mistake by accepting the position – when in retrospect, it was the smartest thing for me to do, because I needed to go to a smaller station to "make my mistakes."

As well, knowledge is power. I have always tried to learn everything I can about my field. Thankfully, I have a technical aptitude – so for me it's not just about the aesthetics of television or writing well; it's also about knowing how a camera works, along with how shows are timed out. Because television is constantly changing, I look for training opportunities wherever I can.

And most importantly, face your fears. I was an extremely shy person in my early twenties, but I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to live my life like that. To think that I may have up to 60,000 people watching me at one time – would not have been fathomable when I was a shy young woman. Because I moved past those fears, I am a stronger person – and I am more confident as a result.

4) Of your female friends with children how many of them continue to work now that they have children.

I never thought I couldn't have it all. When all my friends were holding off marriage and kids for their careers, I decided to have both. Now many of them are winding down with their careers as they have kids, while my life has pretty much stayed the same. However, I don't believe many women are as lucky to have a husband like mine – and that makes a world of difference when you can support each other.

5) Can you offer any advice for achieving a balance between your family life and your career.

Sometimes work takes the priority – and sometimes family takes the priority. There isn't balance all the time… that's the reality. However, when your gut instinct that tells you one or the other is suffering – then you must take action. Is it ever easy? No, but I just wouldn't have it any other way… my life is full of adventure and passion, and hopefully I'm a role model for my children.