Four years ago, Marisa Wright was struggling to find her motivation. Living with scoliosis, she realized that common sports weren’t working for her anymore.

She turned to bodybuilding as an outlet, and found her self-confidence coming back.

Recently, the 24-year-old Williamsburg woman returned from Charlotte, North Carolina, where she competed against the world’s top bodybuilders at the OCB Yorton Cup Pro World Championships. The event is billed as one of the world’s largest natural bodybuilding competitions.

Now, Wright said she’s “just getting started.”

Often confused with powerlifting, Wright says that bodybuilding is much more about the aesthetics.

“Powerlifting is basically how much can you lift in one rep. Bodybuilding is all about aesthetics, we can modify the prep range of weight and be a little bit more technical,” Wright said.

During her first professional bodybuilding competition in 2023, Wright — who had spent years with doctors telling her sports would make her back worse — felt as though she had already won just by showing up.

“When it came time to step on that stage, I told myself that I had already won because I just overcame this big mental obstacle,” she said. “It never felt like bodybuilding was a chore. I never just checked boxes through my prep and that season of life I was going through never stopped me.”

After the competition in 2023, Wright earned her pro card. The pro card, which acts as a professional license, shows that a competitor has earned the right to compete as a professional bodybuilder. She took the 2024 and 2025 season off, but returned to competition this year.

Wright said her motivation comes to her as a way to compete with herself.

“I’m very competitive but not with other people. I’m competitive with myself. I just want to keep improving,” she said. “I don’t get nervous to go on stage because I treat this like a me versus me kind of thing. By the time I get to the stage, all I want to do is beat my scores from the last time.”

After winning first in her division at multiple competitions this year, Wright earned a berth to compete at the world championships in September.

“Just to qualify, you have to have earned your pro card and you have to place in the top five at any pro show,” Wright said. “They hold these pro shows around the world so if someone from Greece places in the top five, they can also come to the championships.”

Competing against 27 other women in her division in Charlotte, Wright didn’t earn a medal. But she said the world championships was the most fulfilling meet she has had.

“I spent the weeks leading up to the championships telling my coach that I just wanted to quit,” she said. “I went through a lot mentally during that last part of my prep period. I wanted to give up and I am not someone who likes to give up. I met with my coach and we had a really great conversation and everything clicked.

“When I got on the stage, I was so proud of myself, regardless of if I took home a medal, because I pushed through even when I didn’t want to.”

With the 2026 bodybuilding season in the books, Wright has transitioned back into training other elite athletes who participate in marathons, ultra marathons and strength-based competitions.

“It’s an honor to have clients that trust me and I just want everyone to win. I appreciate that my clients trust me to get them to the top of their sport. While I may not be a runner myself, I understand the importance of strength training and training to better themselves at their sport. I love what I do,” Wright said.

As for next year’s bodybuilding season, it’s not off the table. To follow Wright on her bodybuilding journey, visit instagram.com/liftswithris.