“The biggest regret I have is not being able to speak fluent Spanish,” the philanthropist and helicopter pilot said in a new interview

Lauren Sánchez is working to increase her Spanish language skills.

In an interview with Elle published Monday, Sept. 9, the philanthropist and children’s book author opened up about her relationship to her Mexican American heritage and what it was like to grow up in Albuquerque, New Mexico,

“It was amazing,” Sánchez, 54, said in a conversation with Elle editor-in-chief Nina Garcia. “But the one thing I think I really missed out on is my grandmother, Elsie, and mother spoke Spanish all the time.”

“The biggest regret I have is not being able to speak fluent Spanish. My mom [didn’t teach me because she] told me she didn’t want me to have an accent, because she thought that would hurt me,” she added. “Now I am taking Spanish lessons, and my kids are taking lessons, because it’s something I crave.”

The mom of three shares son Nikko, 23, with retired football player Tony Gonzalez, and two teenage children, Evan and Ella, with her ex-husband, top Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.

Related: Lauren Sánchez Opens Up About Low-Key Home Life with Fiancé Jeff Bezos — and What They’re Binge Watching (Exclusive)

Sánchez, who currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Miami, also spoke about her family, and how her grandmother impacted her as she grew up.

“My grandmother was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. She was a housekeeper, and she was a manager at a restaurant,” said Sánchez, the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. “She let me work there every once in a while. I got my work ethic from her.”

“She was a powerhouse, and she would wake me up at five in the morning. I would sleep in the back of her car while she went to her first house to clean. Then she went to the restaurant around 7 a.m.,” she recalled, reminiscing on how her grandmother would let her pour coffee for customers so that she could get nickels as a tip. “It was a really incredible experience, because I saw this woman who was married, but who was just determined to make a living for herself, no matter what.”

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Sánchez recently opened up to PEOPLE about her first children’s book, The Fy Who Flew to Space, which comes out Sept. 10.

“Never in a million years did I think a dyslexic kid from Albuquerque would ever be an author,” she said. “I’m so humbled by it, and I’m so thrilled my kids get to see me do this because they encouraged me to write this for years and I finally made it happen.” 

The book follows Flynn, a fly who accidentally gets stuck in the cockpit of a rocket that’s headed to space — and in addition to getting the adventure of a lifetime, gets to learn more about Earth and why it needs protecting.

The author went on to share that the story was inspired by her own life.

Related: Lauren Sánchez Celebrates Son Evan’s First Solo Helicopter Flight: ‘So Proud’

“I was flying with my kids and a fly somehow got into the cockpit of the plane. My kids were like, ‘Oh no, this poor little fly is separated from his family!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, she gets to see the world from a completely different perspective,’ ” Sánchez said.

She added, “So that sparked this fun story in my mind, that even the smallest among us can experience incredible adventures.”

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