Kunkle was born and raised in Urbana where she was active in gymnastics, band and cheerleading before graduating from Urbana High School in 1988. After earning a degree in English from The Ohio University in 1992, Kunkle worked for NCR as a speaker placement coordinator, responsible for locating relevant technology conferences and scheduling times for NCR executives to address the groups. Yearning for an opportunity to work in mass media, Kunkle accepted a position with the Z-93 radio station in charge of news and traffic as well as broadcasting community service announcements.
“I decided to go back to graduate school to earn a masters degree in mass communications,” said Kunkle, who focused on print journalism in the program.
After earning her degree, Kunkle was off again to new adventures. She spent the summer in Washington, D.C., as an intern for a magazine that focused on remodeling, before accepting a position in public relations for the American Trauma Society in 1988.
In 1999, she became an editor for the American Association of Health Plans magazine and then went on to take a federal government position in public relations for the Department of Transportation, under the Clinton administration’s DOT Secretary Slater and remained in her position under Secretary Minetta under the Bush administration.
“It was interesting when a new president came in, because all of the old appointees were replaced and you had all new management,” said Kunkle, who was in one of the few positions not affected by changes in administrations. “We worked long hours. If they needed a press release on a Sunday at 5 a.m., it didn’t matter, you had to do it.”
It was during the years she worked for the federal government that Kunkle began getting in shape and running marathons. She soon found her true calling and became certified as a personal trainer while working.
“I’d go to the gym before work and work as a trainer and then after work I’d lead a couple of aerobics classes every week,” said Kunkle, who decided to leave her job and start her own fitness business, Fit by JJ, LLC.
“I love the fitness field. I’ve always been high energy and I got down into prime shape. I’d always wanted to live in California and I coached for the San Diego Marathon and had a cousin, who lived north of L.A., so I decided to move there,” said Kunkle.
At first, Kunkle worked for a gym in Ventura, before accepting a position as an office manager and fill-in kayak and cycle guide for Santa Barbara Adventure Company.
In 2008, Kunkle returned to Ohio to be closer to ailing relatives. She initially worked in public relations for Greene County Children’s Services and lived in Yellow Springs. She met her husband, Mark Mankins, a Northrop Grumman computer engineer who lived in Bellbrook, at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. The couple wed in 2009 and in 2010, Kunkle started her new business, The Fit Life.
In addition to providing personal training sessions and a boot camp, Kunkle also has incorporated dog health through her Dog Fit program that provides hour-long walks, or runs for dogs during daytime hours when many people are unable to leave work to exercise their pets. To learn more about Kunkle’s business, visit www.thefitlife.us/dogfit.shtml.
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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