Most startup stories begin with someone trying to disrupt an industry.
Maggie Teske’s story began with something much simpler.
She was trying to help a child take a slow breath.
As a pediatric occupational therapist, Maggie spent years working with children who struggled with self-regulation, particularly children with autism and sensory processing challenges. Again and again, she saw the same problem: breathing exercises could help children calm themselves, but the tools available weren’t designed to teach slow, intentional breathing in a way that children could easily understand.
That observation eventually became an invention.
Today, Maggie is the Founder and Lead Inventor of Tarragon Creative, Inc., a San Diego-based company developing sensory-based products that help children regulate their nervous systems through mindful breathing and sensory feedback. The company’s first product, Happy Little Dragon, is a breath-activated tool designed to help children practice calm, steady breathing through playful visual feedback.
But before there were prototypes, incubators, and product development programs, there was simply an idea.
And the decision to say it out loud.
The Problem Was Already in Front of Her
For years, Maggie worked directly with children in homes, schools, and clinics, helping them develop everyday life skills such as feeding, dressing, and self-care. Many of the children she supported experienced sensory overwhelm, making emotional regulation a daily challenge.
She knew breathing could help.
The challenge was making breathing exercises engaging and understandable for young children.
“I really wanted to make a tool to help them calm themselves with their breathing,” Maggie explained. “I knew from my background that it’s such a simple way that we can calm ourselves, but it’s hard for kids to understand that.”
Existing tools came close.
Party blowers, pinwheels, and other breathing activities offered partial solutions, but none provided the specific feedback children needed to understand the difference between fast breathing and slow, regulated breathing.
That gap became the foundation for what would eventually become Happy Little Dragon.
The Moment an Idea Starts Becoming Real
When people think about entrepreneurship, they often imagine a defining moment.
A funding round.
A prototype.
A big launch.
For Maggie, the turning point was much smaller.
It was talking about the idea.
“I started talking about it to my colleague in the next office and saying, ‘I wish I had a tool that could do this,'” she said. “I feel like things started happening.”
Once the idea left her head and entered conversations, opportunities began appearing.
She connected with a university engineering program that helped her develop an early prototype and clarify which features were essential versus optional. Later came incubators, entrepreneurship programs, advisors, and a growing support network.
The idea didn’t become real because she had all the answers.
It became real because she started sharing the questions.
Why Community Accelerates Innovation
One theme surfaced repeatedly during our conversation: community.
Like many first-time founders, Maggie initially felt protective of her idea.
Many entrepreneurs worry that sharing an unfinished idea will invite criticism or competition.
Maggie discovered the opposite.
“It’s really important. Just like a plant needs oxygen and sunshine to grow, it can’t really grow if it’s locked away in a closet. Your idea also benefits so much from being able to speak about it and get other ideas.”
Community provided something even more valuable than encouragement.
It provided expertise.
As a therapist, Maggie brought years of experience understanding children’s developmental needs. What she didn’t have was experience in engineering, manufacturing, product development, or startup operations.
The people around her helped bridge those gaps.
Today, Tarragon continues to be supported by a broad network of organizations, mentors, and innovation programs across San Diego, helping transform a clinical observation into a viable product.
Trading Structure for Uncertainty
The transition from therapist to founder also meant learning an entirely new way of working.
As a clinician, Maggie’s days followed a predictable rhythm.
Patients arrived at scheduled times.
Goals were clearly defined.
The structure already existed.
Entrepreneurship removed that structure overnight.
“I went from being in a clinic seeing six to eight patients a day that were all scheduled for me, to having my calendar be wide open and I get to do the scheduling.”
Freedom sounds exciting.
In practice, it requires discipline.
To create structure, Maggie began using time blocking to dedicate specific hours to meetings, classes, and focused work sessions. Creating her own operating system became just as important as developing the product itself.
Every Founder Needs a North Star
Despite changing careers, Maggie noticed something interesting.
Many of the skills that made her effective as a therapist also made her effective as a founder.
In occupational therapy, every child has goals.
Progress happens through small, intentional steps.
Entrepreneurship isn’t that different.
“You always have your North Star and you want to keep that goal in mind. That’s where all your priorities come from.”
Her North Star has remained consistent throughout the journey.
Helping children.
The method changed.
The mission did not.
Prioritizing When Everything Feels Important
One challenge many founders experience is deciding what deserves attention first.
Product development.
Branding.
Manufacturing.
Legal work.
Fundraising.
Everything matters.
To navigate that complexity, Maggie uses the Eisenhower Matrix, a prioritization framework that evaluates tasks based on urgency and importance. By organizing work into those categories, she can focus on what truly moves the company forward rather than simply reacting to whatever feels most urgent.
She also credits advisors, accelerators, and mentors for helping her understand which opportunities deserve immediate attention and which can wait.
Start Before You Feel Ready
At the end of our conversation, I asked Maggie what advice she would give someone who has an idea but hasn’t acted on it yet.
Her answer reflected the same lesson that appears throughout her journey.
Share it.
Speak it.
Let it exist outside your head.
Whether through free resources at a local library, community college classes, small business development centers, or conversations with people around you, progress starts when an idea becomes visible.
Many founders believe they need certainty before they begin.
Maggie’s experience suggests the opposite.
You begin first.
The certainty comes later.
Today, Maggie is the Founder and Lead Inventor of Tarragon Creative, Inc., a San Diego-based company developing sensory-based products that help children regulate their nervous systems through mindful breathing and sensory feedback. The company’s first product, Happy Little Dragon, is a breath-activated tool designed to help children practice calm, steady breathing through playful visual feedback.
Maggie Teske is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Founder of Tarragon Creative, Inc., and inventor of Happy Little Dragon, a sensory-based breathing tool designed to help children practice self-regulation through mindful breathing and visual feedback. Tarragon’s mission is to help children and caregivers access calm through thoughtfully designed sensory products.
Learn more about her work at Happy Little Dragon and follow her entrepreneurial journey as she continues developing products that blend science, play, and compassion.
Connect with Maggie
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-teske/
Website: https://www.happylittledragon.com/
