She went on to participate in competitive cheerleading in college and has since enjoyed successful careers as an actress, stunt woman, coach and gymnastics club owner.

At her first U.S. National Championships in 1985, Phillips won the all-around title in the junior division; she repeated her success the following year, despite competing with a broken wrist.

[1][2] Phillips made her debut in international competition at the age of 12, at the 1984 Canada Classic, where she won a silver medal on the floor exercise, a bronze on the uneven bars and placed seventh in the all-around.

She continued to do well in international meets over the next three years, placing sixth at the prestigious 1986 City of Popes, winning a vault silver medal at the 1986 World Sports Fair and earning the all-around gold at the 1986 American Cup.

[4] By 1986, Phillips was considered to be one of the United States' best hopes for a medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and was the subject of a considerable amount of media attention.

Her signature move, a reverse straddle planche on beam that was eventually named after her, was featured on the cover of the September 1, 1986 issue of Sports Illustrated.

I had calls from her mother complaining Bela was not preparing her and what could she do[...] at the world championships, I sat in a room with Kristie and she cried because she had given her heart and soul for two years, helped him maintain his reputation and media exposure and now he had abandoned her.

After college, she moved to New York City, where she coached gymnastics and performed in various film and television projects, including 1994's Spitfire (a straight-to-video 007-spoof, which several fans have compared to Gymkata).

[2][12][18] Throughout the mid-1990s, Phillips participated in the Reese's Cup, a televised elite gymnastics exhibition, where she continued to wow audiences with her unique brand of artistry.

[12] Phillips lives in Troutman, North Carolina with her husband, photographer Horatio Bannister, and three children: Sebastian, Isabella and Eberlie.

She owns KPAC, gymnastics facilities in Statesville and Mooresville, North Carolina, and is certified as an International Brevet judge.