In this episode of Forks, we sit down with Vanessa Vakharia, founder of The Math Guru, bestselling author of Math Hacks and Math Therapy, and frontwoman of the indie rock band Goodnight Sunrise.

After failing math twice in high school, Vanessa was convinced she “just wasn’t a math person.” Years later, she’s built a movement around proving that belief wrong — helping thousands of students (and adults) heal what she calls math trauma: the lingering shame and anxiety so many of us carry from the classroom.

🎧 In this conversation, we explore:

• How one teacher’s belief changed Vanessa’s entire story
• What math trauma actually is — and how it shapes confidence far beyond the classroom
• Why so many girls, creative thinkers, and neurodivergent students lose trust in their abilities early
• What parents can do to help kids rewrite their “I’m not a math person” story
• How learning to fail in math helped Vanessa find her voice — both as an educator and as a musician

Vanessa proves that the stories we tell ourselves — about math, intelligence, or who we’re supposed to be — are almost always ready to be rewritten.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram @themathguru and @themathgurututoring.

Learn more at themathguru.ca.

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All content, including audio, transcripts, and other materials, is owned by the podcast creators (Alexis Hood and Amie Plourde) and cannot be reproduced or redistributed without permission.

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