This former kindergarten principal created a space for girls to gain the self-esteem that they won’t find in the classroom

“In an age of social pressure and endless online advice, we provide a social development platform where girls can navigate bodily changes, self-identity, and peer influences with the right guidance, community, and mentorship. Here, they find support, stay grounded, and learn from each other—building a strong foundation for womanhood,” adds Tan, herself a mother of two. 

As it happens, education is in Tan’s blood. Her mother was a primary school teacher, her father was a trainer and her great-grandfather founded the first school in Yan, Kedah.

But it was only while on a gap year in Australia that Tan first envisioned the beginnings of what would become Miss Teaspoon. Then pursuing journalism, Tan found herself drawn more to the corridors of schools rather than newsrooms. What she witnessed there—teachers who spoke with calm respect, children treated with trust and individuality, learning environments suffused with joy—stood in stark contrast to the rigid, high-pressure education system she had known in Malaysia.

“I remember thinking, ‘Why don’t we have this back home?’ That question stayed with me. The seed of Miss Teaspoon was planted, a vision to bring that same kind of emotional safety, creativity, and meaningful learning to Malaysian girls and to grow it through our teachers too, starting with me,” she says. “That year didn’t just redirect my career, it clarified my purpose.”

At the age of 25, she fearlessly promoted Miss Teaspoon to school principals and educators across the Klang Valley. Donning colourful dresses and retracing the colour-filled wonder of girlhood in her mentorship approach, Tan herself seemed to personify Miss Teaspoon—the name indicative of her philosophy of small doses of wisdom, carefully measured and thoughtfully administered.

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Then came the hardest decision of Tan’s life. Enduring burnout, she reset her business model six years in—abandoning ten school partnerships to focus on deeper, more meaningful connections.

“I worked tirelessly, approaching schools, selling my program, and talking to parents, teaching, all while doing it alone. I didn’t prioritise self-care, and that led to a period of struggle,” says Tan, who eventually took on a role as the principal of a Montessori kindergarten, where the support of a team proved a refreshing break from the daily grind of being a multitasking founder.

“I also became a mother, which has been one of the greatest resilience lessons of my life. Returning to Miss Teaspoon in 2023, I did so with a fresh perspective—more clarity, a slower pace, and a deeper understanding of the importance of balance,” she says, her approach now tied to impact rather than expansion. “I’m okay leaving a small legacy if it’s deeply felt.”

Today, she embodies a different kind of confidence than the loud, polished persona she once thought necessary. “Ten years ago, confidence felt like a performance,” she explains. “Today, it's the quiet knowing that I am enough, even when I'm not ‘on’. It’s showing up consistently, even when I’m unsure.”

Tan represents a new generation of Malaysian educators who dare to question inherited systems. She recalls how good it is when parents text her their gratitude and others share how they wish they had Miss Teaspoon in their own formative years. 

“I’ve always been driven by the needs of the child first, and many of those education systems don’t serve that. I chose mentoring over coaching, fun dresses over corporate polish, and open spaces without chairs, not to be different for the sake of it, but because it aligns with what I deeply believe in. As an advocate for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), I prioritise the joy of learning, emotional safety, and deep, lasting impact. I’m going to try to keep staying the course, not to stand out, but because it’s staying with what is important.” 

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