Six Years Later: How One Love Shaped My Path and Purpose by Gina Mellish, Miss NJ USA 2020

Gina Mellish, Miss New Jersey USA 2020, shares how relationship education from the One Love Foundation shaped her personal and professional journey and why understanding healthy love is essential for everyone.

A Personal Story from Gina Mellish, Miss New Jersey USA 2020

Six years ago, I was a young woman navigating the aftermath of a relationship that had left me questioning what love was supposed to look like. I didn’t know it at the time, but that season of my life would lead me to one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received; the One Love Foundation.

One Love didn’t just teach me the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. It taught me how to rebuild, how to choose connection, communication, and respect not only in love, but in every area of my life. The workshops, conversations, and community reminded me that love, at its core, should make you feel safe, supported, and seen.

Using my platform to advocate for healthy love

When I was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2020, I knew immediately that I wanted to use the opportunity I was gifted to share that message. During my reign, I spoke at schools, universities, and community events about the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships. I watched as young men and women recognized themselves in those conversations and it was in those moments that I saw the real power of One Love: awareness leading to transformation.

The ripple effect: How awareness inspires action

One of the most incredible full-circle moments came years later. In 2020, as I walked across the Miss USA stage advocating for healthy love, a young woman named Elle was watching from her home thousands of miles away. Inspired by the message I shared, she looked up the One Love Foundation that very night. Years later, that same woman would become Miss Utah USA and one of my pageant coaching clients. Today, Elle is a trained One Love workshop facilitator, carrying forward the same mission that once changed both of our lives.

Turning healing into purpose

That’s the beauty of One Love; it’s healthy relationship education creates a ripple effect that transforms individuals, communities, and future leaders. What began as my personal healing has evolved into a professional purpose. Today, as a full-time pageant coach for the Miss USA Organization, I work with women from all across the country helping them find confidence, clarity, and a sense of self-worth that extends far beyond the competition stage. My coaching isn’t just about perfecting a walk or nailing an interview; it’s about helping women develop healthy relationships with themselves first. Because when women know how to identify and nurture healthy love whether in friendships, in family, in leadership, and in themselves, they show up differently. They speak with more compassion, compete with more confidence, and lead with more heart. That’s the type of transformation I live for, and it all began with what One Love built in me.

Six years later, I still carry those lessons in everything I do from how I coach, how I communicate, and how I connect. The truth is, none of us are perfect. We’re all learning, growing, and unlearning along the way. But when we commit to understanding what healthy love looks like, when we strive to #LoveBetter, we not only heal ourselves, we help others do the same.

Because at the end of the day, healthy love is learned and and when we share the tools for building strong, safe relationships, we empower the next generation to #LoveBetter.