"Run your race."
That was pretty much Carole Gist's mantra on her way to capturing the 1990 Miss USA crown and also is basically how she has lived her life since she surrendered the title.
In the years since capturing the crown, Gist has maintained an active professional life that even the go-getter would have difficulty keeping up with.
In addition to continuing to being an advocate for those less fortunate, including those who have low self-esteem issues or have experienced physical abuse, Gist has plans to write a book, or even possibly, a series of books chronicling everything from her pageant and life experiences to nutrition and fitness, the latter of which she has taken to the next level in several different ways.
"I'm trying to figure out how to package the story," she said, adding, that the book and ideas have been years in the making, but "it was so hard for to write in the beginning, it was making me vulnerable to share (her life story) I feel ready now."
Now being focused on moving forward, Gist says she wants the book to inspire others.
"I feel better and am happiest in life when I'm helping other people," she said, adding, that she wants to get back on the speaking circuit and talk about moving forward and overcoming life's challenges.
"Be the best you," she said.
Since 2006, Gist has worked for the athletic department at Wayne State University and now oversees the wellness department.
In her current role, she oversees the hiring of teachers, instructors and trainers and was the first female head trainer in the school's history.
As with any position, Gist had to work her way up the ladder, as she noted that in the beginning of her stint at Wayne State she strictly taught fitness classes, something she still enjoys to this day. Her current role sees her still teaching to physical education majors and members of the school's athletic department and kinesiology program.
Gist recently received her second masters degree - this one in sports administration, the first was in kinesiology (the study of the mechanics of body movements) - from Wayne State and also runs her own private business, Royal Physique Fitness, under the auspice of the Gist Group, which she founded in 2006. The business was formed to encompass all that she was doing both personally and professionally.
In addition to her hectic career, Gist has also raised her daughter, now 28, and son, 23, basically as a single parent.
"They are a source of pride for me," she said.
She also loves archery and is preparing for competition with the Elite Angels Archery Team.
Just how does Gist keep up such an active lifestyle?
The answer is fairly simple.
"It's a journey that I'm on," she said, noting that even she can be overwhelmed by her hectic schedule at times. "Many times, I have felt that way, but I just love keeping it moving. It's a fine balance. Balance is important and key."
She explained that for her the key to balancing everything is to take a vacation every so often and take one day a week just for yourself, and "have a good calendar," she joked.
Saying that fitness is a way of life for her and that it saved her life, it was a key to her winning the Miss USA title and is something she enjoys and feels is important in moving her life forward.
As for pageant naysayers who are against the controversial swimsuit portion of the Miss USA Pageant, Gist explains why she feels it's an important aspect of the competition and why young women competing for the title should embrace it.
"I'm fine with it," she said, explaining "It shows poise and grace under pressure and is as close to being vulnerable as you can be."
Since most young women work out anyway, she feels the swimsuit portion is a good avenue for them to show the fruits of their labors.
"It speaks to being persistent to a goal. I don't think it's sexist at all, no more so than a bodybuilding competition," she said, noting that the men and women in those such competitions often are clad in much less than pageant contestants wear during the swimsuit phase of the pageant.
With many changes having taken place since Gist won her crown 31 years ago, she said she is hopeful that new Miss USA executive director, Crystle Stewart, who also won the national title in 2008, will take the pageant in a direction more reminiscent of what it was when she competed.
One thing that has changed for the positive, she said, is that so many of the women competing in today's Miss USA system are already grounded in their careers and have a maturity most contestants of her era lacked.
She explained that the median age of competitors has gone up in the ensuing 30 years since she won and that many - if not most - of the contestants today now have already graduated college and are pursuing their careers, traits she sees as positives in the evolution of the pageant.
"The big difference is women having already graduated and they are professionals already. We were all still in school," she said, noting that she likes that the percentages of the three competitions have remained the same since her days of competing, with swimsuit, evening gown and interview all weighing equally in choosing the five finalists.
She does hope that under Stewart's auspice the pageant gets back to its more glamorous days that featured the military escorts and long, elegant staircases for evening gown, and many other things that were once staples of the broadcast.
She also has pointed words for what the pageant became under the auspice of Donald Trump, who owned it from 1996-2015.
"It was a lingerie show versus a pageant," she said. "I was really disappointed."
Having gone back to many pageants now over the years, Gist said she embraces her own victory and hopes the young women who have followed her also realize what a value having the Miss USA crown can be.
Gist, like pageant enthusiasts around the world, is hopeful that at the beginning of this new decade and new era of the Miss USA Pageant, the system can look proudly back at its history and embrace it as it moves forward with even greater purpose in the coming years.
And with her iconic and history-making win now behind her, Gist has contributed to both the history and the Confidently Beautiful mantra the pageant has taken as its slogan in recent years.
For more details on Carole, go to www.carolegist.com
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