progress means change

Hello friends.
After months of neglect, I'm posting to say farewell.

Life has gotten bigger and faster.  I have an exciting job and a beautiful five-year-old.

I've hung up my instructor shoes (a couple of years ago actually) and miss it still today, but progress means change.  

I'm on Google and FB and LinkedIn as Angela Broderick Bedell.

Here's a letter I just sent friends:

Dear Friends,

The holidays are when you usually get those sweet update letters telling you what friends have been up to all year.  2013 has been big for me, so I’m sharing news a little early.

Name Change                  

After 14 years with my husband, I am changing my name to Angela Bedell.   I am envious of the generation growing up with LinkedIn and Facebook – they can go online and change their email, their employer or even their name and everyone is updated. 

But I grew my career by exchanging business cards at conferences, writing articles, making presentations at IDEA conferences and working with committees.  Years of handshakes upon “I’m Angela Broderick.”  Those connections are very valuable to me, and they are why I did not change my name when I married.  

But then, the giant life change:  I had a daughter.  And when I take her to school I really prefer to use our family name.  And more and more I have been using Angela Bedell. It has gotten to the point that when I pick up the dry cleaning, I can’t remember which name I gave them.

Talk about a personal branding nightmare -- embarrassing for someone with two marketing degrees.  The barber’s kid always needs a haircut, as the cliché goes.   This barber’s kid is taking the plunge and becoming Angela Bedell.

Game Change

MarketingWell.com – the project I started last year –became a thriving online community.   

“What a turnaround in my income, Angela!  I am opening my second location, and if I hadn’t met you, I’d still be struggling to pay rent.”

“My classes have a waiting list!”

“I didn’t believe you when you said I could make six-figures this year.  But you were right.”

It was awesome.  The game change?  In 2014 our best selling product, the Marketing Boot Camp, will be accessible online, all the time at IDEAfit.com.  

In 2013, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Medscape and several local bar associations (as in law, not drinks J).  I’ve written business plans and reams of marketing copy. And I built a wonderful community of thousands of wellness professionals on MarketingWell.com .

And then, on May 29^th, I became the new Executive Director of the Metropolitan Medical Society of Greater Kansas City.   After only a few weeks, we have grown membership and launched many new programs (including a wellness initiative for patients – ha! – no surprise there).  J   I’m so excited about this thriving physician community!    

I would love to stay in touch. You can always find me (and social media connections) at AngelaBedell.com or angelabedell.blogspot.com.

All the best to you,

Angela