Former pageant winner turned gym owner shares journey of empowering women through wellness

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Greater Johnstown graduate Kristina Marinkovich has worn a lot of hats: dancer, coach, color guard instructor, pageant winner and trainer. And somehow, they all led her to being a business owner. Kristina Marinkovich started dancing when she was three years old, and never really stopped. She danced through high school, was part of the band, and started teaching dance along the way. Then she continued dancing in college at Duquesne University, where she was a Duquesne Duquette, and eventually found herself coaching her fellow dancers. We didn't have a coach, my grad school years. So, I actually stepped in and was the coach and a participant, which that was the first time ever that they had that happen in history. So, I got to coach younger dancers, mentor younger students, which was a really cool experience because I got to give back. Kristina says giving back has always been part of her story. She studied biology and health management, and even worked in healthcare, but she knew that she could help people in a different way. “I didn't like the direction that healthcare was going, but I knew I still wanted to help people. So now I kind of joke and say, ‘well, I’m in healthcare,’ but from a preventive side instead of a reactive side.” Then came an unexpected turn. One of Kristina’s students asked her to help her prepare for a pageant. Kristina says that sparked something in her and started a whole new chapter. “That was what I needed. It was like a little fuel to my heart. I was like, ‘you know what? I want to do a pageant.’ So, I bought a dress that didn't fit. And I started working with a personal trainer. And that started my love for health and wellness.” Kristina went on to win Miss U.S. Universal in 2016, and a friend later introduced her to CrossFit. She says she fell in love with the work and the community. I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the methodology. I fell in love with the classes. It was so fun to kind of beat myself up and see what I was really capable of. And then I found a whole community of people that were like-minded and they were just like, ‘let's do this.’ Let's push ourselves to become better individuals. Let's break the stigma that you have to fit in this mold. And that idea is at the heart of what she does today. Kristina bought Bold athletics in 2022 where she now coaches, trains, and runs the business, all with the goal of helping people live their best lives. And for her, she says that mission is personal. I used to be the little girl that was bullied; to now know that I’m a successful businesswoman, to have the confidence to teach and educate other people to have confidence in themselves. I can't describe that. That is something that is worth so much more than anybody could ever imagine. To know that you are capable of things that you have never even thought in your wildest dreams. Kristina Marinkovich has never been just one thing, and she doesn't want the women she works with to think they have to be either. Whether she's teaching a dance class, coaching in the gym, or giving back to her community, she's showing them that there's no limit to what they can become.