As I enter Planet Smoothie, I notice a sign on the door offering a discount to military, police, and firefighters: “Thank you for your service – we salute you!” I’m there to interview Heidi Bedell, a Lake Nona resident with an inspiring story.

Heidi was born in Korea and lived as an orphan in her youngest years. She was transitioned from home to home until she ended up living with her Grandmother at the age of six. At the time, the country was still recovering from the Korean War. Her Grandmother realized the current situation meant that a woman without a male guardian would not be able to attend school. The difficult choice was made to put Heidi up for adoption in America. It was a tough task to convince a six-year-old that moving away from her home country and family was a good idea. “You can go to school, where everyone is rich and happy,” her Grandmother ensured Heidi. She was eventually adopted by an American family when she was seven.

The family who adopted Heidi had five children and adopted three more, including Heidi. Eventually, the family grew to a total of eleven children. After coming to America, Heidi’s childhood was still tumultuous. Her Father was in the Navy, stationed in Guam. After a year they moved to Virginia where they moved around quite often. When Heidi was fifteen, they moved to Colorado.
Heidi worked hard in school. After completing special education classes to learn English, she got straight As and graduated Valedictorian at her high school. “We didn’t have a lot of money… The one thing that I held true to my heart is the belief that if you work hard and get good grades, you can live the American Dream.”

After graduating high school, Heidi decided to attend the Naval Academy to follow in her Father’s footsteps and “To be able to serve the country that had given me so much…” In a surprising turn of events, in her senior year at Naval Academy, a friend who was stationed in Korea told Heidi that he had located her birth mother. Heidi decided that she would seek her out if she could.

While in the Navy she learned to be a more well-rounded person, the foundations of leadership, organization, and working with a team. She was stationed in Alameda, Korea, and finally Virginia. While stationed in Korea, she was reunited with her birth mother, but her Grandmother who was so important in her formative years had already passed on.

As her time in the Navy ended, Heidi decided that she wanted to face her fears of the civilian world and pursue an MBA. She didn’t expect to get into Harvard, but when she did, she completed her MBA in finance and went to work for Merrill Lynch. Six days into her training, 9/11 happened. Shortly after that, 2/3 of the trainees were let go in a massive cutback. “I had a dream job on Wall Street and suddenly I don’t… I’m $100k in debt from school loans, an expensive apartment… It was scary.”

Heidi didn’t give up. She reached out to her network and eventually found a connection who was launching a Six Sigma Project Management program for their resort business. Landing here in Orlando, Heidi then spent the next thirteen years moving through the ranks, ending up on the executive team. Having met her career goals, she decided to transition from corporate life to retirement in 2015.

While leaving the corporate world, Heidi knew she wanted to stay involved in business. She and her husband (a NASA rocket scientist) loved Planet Smoothie when they lived in Hunter’s Creek and they were disappointed that there was not one in Lake Nona. Instead of going to Hunter’s Creek three times a week, they decided to open one here. “I’m always on the move and multitasking… This is something you can take on the go; it’s healthy and fun.”

While Heidi and her husband do not have children, she notes that many of the employees are young and this may be their first job. Heidi and Michael, the manager, feel that they have a responsibility to train them about responsibility, teamwork, and customer service. Being able to mentor and coach them is very rewarding.
Once the store was up and running smoothly with a strong team in place, Heidi looked towards real estate to stay active and engaged. Living in the Lake Nona Country Club and focusing on the luxury market in Lake Nona, Heidi focuses on quality, not quantity. She also chooses to donate up to half of her profits to charity.

“Do the job right, support the customer, and good things will come out of it. Then I can support the charities that I want.”

Giving back is important to Heidi based on her life experiences. She focuses on three categories: Education, military, and health. Her support of education-based organizations like The Nobilo Foundation benefits underprivileged children, for example. She also served on the board of the Adult Literacy League.

On Lake Nona: “Because I’ve been here since 2007, it has been so much fun to see the culture and community literally grow up together like a family. We’re stitching this culture together and I’m grateful to participate in this transformation . Not many people get to experience that. You can sense we’re on the cusp of something very exciting.” Heidi and her husband are passionate about golf, tennis, and running (she’s run no less than 7 marathons). With world-class golf courses, the USTA, and amazing trails all available in Lake Nona, they are in the right place to enjoy the American Dream.

“You can reinvent yourself and have different interests. You can take risks and challenge yourself. It’s a long life but also a short life, so have as many experiences as you can. That’s what I feel like I’m doing now and it’s great.”

Heidi Bedell, Realtor
Armel Real Estate, Inc
www.bedellhomes.com
321-231-0804