Lauren Sanchez Bezos reflects on childhood struggles and life-changing moment: 'My brain didn't fail'

Lauren Sánchez Bezos shared a heartfelt message to mark World Dyslexia Day. The former journalist opened up about a personal experience and shared a touching childhood photo, mentioning her long-hidden learning struggle, one that remained undiagnosed through most of her youth.

The video she posted on social media featured a young Lauren sitting in the back of a classroom with an open book in front of her. Dressed in a patterned tee and sporting a bob haircut with bangs, she appeared to be around six or seven years old. 

© Lauren Sánchez Bezos /IG

"That's me in the back of the class, smile on, praying I wouldn't get called to read," she wrote across the video, which also highlighted that dyslexia affects one in five children.

Lauren, now 55, added in the caption, "My brain didn't fail, the playbook did." She urged parents to pay attention to their kids' struggles. "If your child is working twice as hard to look like they're keeping up, it's time to ask about screening."

© Backgrid/The Grosby Group

In the comments, friends and fans rallied around her message. Kathy Hilton wrote, "Little darlin sending out a very important message," while singer Jewel commented, "I can't with your sweetness in this photo!!!" Producer David Geffen added simply, "Bravo. It's important."

She went on to explain how dyslexia shaped her character. "Dyslexia sharpened my big-picture thinking and grit, then the right support changed everything."

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In a 2024 interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, she admitted her dyslexia was never recognized during her childhood. At the time, she was promoting her children’s book 'The Fly Who Flew to Space,' inspired by her own experiences in school.

"It's for the eight-year-old self me, who really felt dumb," she said in the interview. "I sat in the back of the class. I was just quiet. They kind of pushed me along in public school, and I kept going."

© Lauren Sanchez

Her dream of becoming a journalist seemed unreachable for years. "I really, really wanted to be a journalist, it's all I wanted to be, and I thought, I can't write, it was horrible."

The turning point came in college, when a teacher saw her potential and encouraged her to write for the school newspaper. She recalled responding, "I can't really write." The teacher's advice changed everything. "Just write without thinking about spelling or punctuation."

© Michael Simon

At one point during the interview, she had to pause to collect herself. "Every time I talk about this, I get emotional." She continued, "I don't remember what the story was about. She literally looked at me after I turned it in, and she was like, 'You are not dumb, you just can't spell,' and she got me tested for dyslexia."

"This was a community college teacher who took an interest in me. I went from a 2.0-[GPA] student," she said. Lauren later transferred to the University of Southern California in 1992, balancing her studies with a job as a desk assistant at KCOP-TV. She would soon leave school in 1994 after being offered a reporting position at KTVK in Phoenix.

© Lauren Sánchez

From there, her career took off. She worked for Extra, Fox Sports Net, and later hosted Good Day LA for six years. She also launched her own aerial film production company, Black Ops Aviation. Along the way, Sánchez made appearances on Larry King Live, The Joy Behar Show, Showbiz Tonight, and even hosted the first season of So You Think You Can Dance.

Beyond journalism, she has taken on a variety of roles. She played news anchors in major films such as Fight Club, The Day After Tomorrow, and Fantastic Four. In her 40s, she also trained to become a licensed pilot, an endeavor that led her to found Black Ops Aviation.

"I just think that growing up, women don't see a lot of female aviators. And so, I hope women might see me as a pilot and say, 'Hey, I want to do that!' It's really an incredible experience, and I love it," she told People in 2024. That same year, she received the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards.