She was born as Heidi Louise Moneymaker in Santa Rosa, California and attended the University of California, where she joined the gymnastics group and became uneven bars and vault team champion in 1997 and 2000 and individual champion in 1998 and 1999. As a skilled gymnast, Moneymaker competitioned in the 1999 World University Games and received two Honda Award nominations. She earned a BA in History from UCLA.