I Thought I Wasn't Smart: The Childhood Story That Shaped Everything | Chapter 1: The Red Wagon

Send us Fan MailChapter 1: The Red WagonI spent years believing I wasn't smart.I thought smart people got good grades.I thought smart people were in accelerated classes.I thought smart people understood math and science.That wasn't me.Meanwhile, at twelve years old, I was pulling a little red wagon through my neighborhood collecting cans, building work ethic, resourcefulness, independence, and an entrepreneurial mindset long before I understood what any of those words meant.Welcome to Chapter 1 of Tatter-a-fact: The Story Series.For years, you've known me as a PMU artist, educator, mentor, and business owner. But very few people know the beginning.The anxious kid.The insecure kid.The kid who struggled in school.The kid who quietly believed she wasn't smart enough.This new series is my attempt to tell the whole story—the good, the painful, the funny, the embarrassing, the beautiful, and everything in between.In this first chapter, I take you back to my childhood in South Portland, Maine, the family that shaped me, the insecurities I carried, and the little red wagon that became one of the earliest signs of who I was becoming.Because maybe success doesn't begin when the world notices you.Maybe it begins much earlier.Maybe the signs are already there.And maybe you're not behind.Maybe you're becoming.In This Episode:• Growing up in South Portland, Maine• Childhood anxiety and learning to read the room• Family, community, camping, and small-town memories• The story behind "Relax, Peanut"• The little red wagon that sparked independence• Early signs of entrepreneurship• Why I believed I wasn't smart• Redefining intelligence, resilience, and success• The lessons we only understand when we look backIf this story resonates with you, I hope you'll join me for future chapters as I share the experiences, failures, successes, insecurities, and defining moments that shaped who I became—and who I'm still becoming.Maybe you're not behind. Maybe you're becoming.