We recently connected with Heidi Petersen and have shared our conversation below.

Heidi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

As with any industry, life situation, or subject, unless you have lived it or been close to it, I believe it can be misunderstood. The world of pageantry is one that understandably has fallen into this category because of its roots. Beauty pageants began with judging physical attributes but have evolved into something much bigger. Most people don’t know that there is a vast amount of pageant systems to compete in. Some of the differences in systems are competition areas, age divisions, mission statements, values, and goals. When I decided to compete in pageants and even now, many people questioned why I would want to do something like this and what the purpose was.

Everyone chooses pageantry for different reasons. Mine started with a personal challenge of stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing something that was completely opposite of what you would think a person with multiple sclerosis would want to do. I had to put myself front and center knowing I had difficulty with balance, memory, speech, and vision, just to name a few.

I’m not what post people would envision as a “pageant queen”. Thankfully modern pageantry, in many instances, has made a dramatic change. World Universal Productions, the pageant system that I hold the title of Ms. USA Elite, is a sisterhood that accepts people through the Universal Language of Love. Our organization focuses on three pillars: diversity & inclusion, philanthropy, and belonging. We provide a safe environment where people from all walks of life can feel supported and celebrated.

This has provided me with a support group of women who are making impactful changes in their communities. I have been able to advocate for multiple sclerosis and animal rescue, two areas that I’m extremely passionate about. I’m so much more than the crown and the sash. I’m a 48-year-old black woman with multiple sclerosis who is using my voice to raise awareness, provide hope, and stand up for those who don’t have a voice.

Heidi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born in Frederick, Maryland and moved to Utah when I was 13. Throughout my life I have experienced racism, discrimination, sexual assault, workplace harassment, exclusion, and isolation from having multiple sclerosis, many things that I could have let destroy me. I had gotten to a point in my life where I could see the negative impact, I was allowing these situations to have on me, and I made a choice to take the lessons learned and allow them to empower me. I did this by being vulnerable and really looking at what I needed to change about myself. I always have had a commitment to helping others and community, which is a value that has been long standing in my family, but I realized I was not giving fully because I was holding onto pain.

This process and journey got me to where I am today and helped me realize that I wanted to use these lessons to help others. As Ms. USA Elite for World Universal Productions, I’m available for appearances, speaking engagements (topics tailored to audience), and volunteering for organizations.

My values align with those of World Universal and we accept people through the universal language of love, seek to uplift and empower people, so together we can make a difference in this world. To support this mission, we work with multiple charities.

As an Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I provide education about MS and inform people of available resources and collaborate with community organizations for events and fundraising opportunities.
This journey has also opened the door for something I always wanted to do, modeling. I’m excited to see where it will take me and look forward to collaborating with businesses in the industry.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2019 I decided to have a medical treatment called HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation), to help slow the progression of my multiple sclerosis. Through chemotherapy and use of stem cells from your own body, the treatment resets the immune system. The entire treatment was 30 days and was completed outside of the United States. Once I returned, I had to be isolated for six months (no leaving the house and people couldn’t visit) to give my immune system a chance to recover. Two weeks after I completed my 6-month isolation, COVID hit, and I was put back in isolation for approximately one year. This was one of the most difficult times of my life. But I had to make the decision to push through and find my purpose.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Two years after marrying my husband and combining our family, I have three children and he has two, he received orders that he was being deployed for one year to Afghanistan. We were just melding as a family, and he was leaving. This was a difficult time and a dramatic change to family dynamics. Communication, patience, and love is what got us through this. You must know that your life can change at any moment and sometimes you must make decisions that will best suit your needs. I knew that I had to do what was best for our family and made a career move that allowed me to spend more time with our family and that was a less stressful position for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: msusaworlduniversal.com
• Instagram: @msusaelite
• Facebook: facebook.com/msusaelitewup/

Image Credits
Cover: Jaclyn Bott