This study evaluates the mathematical autobiographies of college and university faculty in order to identity (1) barriers that hinder success in mathematics, especially among groups underrepresented in STEM, and (2) strategies to reduce existing inequalities and promote effective pedagogy in both mathematics and quantitative reasoning (QR) education. From 2013 to 2019, 61 faculty from a wide range of disciplines participated in a multidisciplinary QR faculty development program. The results of a mathematical autobiographical activity demonstrate the exercise's utility as a pedagogical tool that both encourages students to confront their mathematical anxieties and helps instructors promote success in mathematics by responding to students' diverse experiences. The autobiographies center on three broad themes: negative experiences with mathematics (e.g., mathematics trauma, fear of bad grades, ineffective mathematics teachers, gender bias), positive experiences (using mathematics to better understand the world, effective teachers, success in mathematics courses), and the importance of making mathematics relevant. These narratives show how both mastery goals and performance goals can serve as incentives for learning mathematics. They also demonstrate the importance of viewing mathematics achievement through a positional lens (e.g., gender) that is conditioned by both structural variables (e.g., teachers) and agency variables (e.g., growth mindset).