Marishka is a native New Yorker, Brooklyn born, and the founder of the Marishka Phillips Theatrical Preparatory. She started performing at the age of 8. At age 13, she appeared in a European tour of RAISIN and further developed her talents at Alvin Ailey’s School of Dance, Broadway Dance Center (scholarship) and Fordham University. By the age of 19, she landed a featured role and understudy to the star on Broadway, in the musical Uptown: It's Hot, directed by Maurice Hines. She went on to perform in such musicals as Bubblin' Brown Sugar, Fame: The Musical, The Wiz and The Me Nobody Knows. When living in Los Angeles, she did character work and was the stand-in actress on the last two seasons of A Different World, the spin-off of The Cosby Show, in which she also appeared.

She has toured and performed with recording artists Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Latin recording star Christian Castro, and Cece Winans. Most recently Marishka was assistant acting coach along with Susan Batson for Deborah Cox as Josephine Baker. She has also worked with Tasha Smith, Kerry Washington, Nicole Beharie Brown, Bre Skullark, Rafael Saadiq, Terri Vaughn, Tami Roman, Jeniffer Williams, Daisha Graf,  Nafessa Williams to name a few. Marishka made her film directorial debut with Love Always, Eartha. Now she also serves as Casting Director.