As an anchor with ABC7 for nearly 20 years, Alison Starling was a constant presence in DMV-area homes. It’s been more than a year since she stepped down. We sat down with Starling to talk about stepping away from her anchor position, her new role, and what she loves about Northern Virginia.
Such a big professional move has to come with upsides and downsides. How did they shake out for you?
I think what trumps all of it is being that daily presence with my kids in a way that I never was able to do before. My husband [NBC News Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander] and I both always made a priority of being with our kids, but we had these deadlines in our life that we could never escape. I think I miss a little bit of the daily adrenaline rush, but I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would. I think I was ready.
Late last year, you started a health podcast, Living Well with Alison Starling. How’s that coming?
It’s been such a great collaboration with the folks at VHC Health and The Washington Business Journal. And we’ve had topics that I feel really appeal to everybody: menopause, breast health, addiction, cognitive health, Alzheimer’s. We’re going to be talking in February about heart health with the Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos, who’s from this area. One of her children had a congenital heart defect, and she has been really involved in women’s heart issues and children’s heart issues. I feel like hopefully we’re doing a great service for people, giving them information they can actually use in their life.
You lived in this area for a couple of years as a kid, but you mostly grew up in Florida, and you’ve worked all over the country. What is it about Northern Virginia that inspired you to put down roots here?
It’s this wonderful proximity to everything, but you still have a neighborhood. We can walk into our little village where we live and get coffee or eat with our kids. They can ride their bikes in their neighborhood, but then my husband can be at the White House for his job in 15 minutes, if he needs to be. My husband — I tease him that he’s like the mayor of the farmers market. We love it, and we’ve become really embedded in this area; it’s just part of our family.
Feature image of Alison Starling courtesy Caffeine Photography
This story originally ran in our February issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
