Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise, open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk.

–Leo Buscaglia

Hello and Welcome to the New Leaf Touchstone Circle.

We all have things we want to change, whether they be large or small. And, we know that change is hard. Regardless of one’s self-awareness, desire and commitment to change, as creatures of habit and slaves to our emotions, we easily slip back into old, comfortable ways, even when we know they are not the ‘best’ ways.

At New Leaf Touchstone, our mission is to help people fulfill their intentions in spite of the circumstances and to make change stick. We believe that being one’s best self is not only good for the individual, but has a positive impact on everyone he or she touches. We also believe that success occurs in community, not in isolation.

Everything we do in the process of creating and delivering products and services is done with this in mind. We put the power to change into the hands of everyone who is touched by the products and services and, in turn, everyone they touch.

The Story Behind New Leaf Touchstone

Cindy Loughran, Founder and CEO of New Leaf Touchstone is a Certified Professional Coach and Change agent. For 20 years, she has worked with teams and individuals to help them make the changes that have enabled them to be more effective and personally satisfied in all areas of their lives.

All of Cindy’s coaching clients have one thing in common: they are all learning and adopting new, more effective skills, habits and responses that enable them to be more effective in the many facets of their lives. They, as we all are, are creatures of habit, behaving in ways that are familiar and comfortable, despite their dissatisfaction with the results. Once they decide what new behavior or way of being they want to adopt, Cindy frequently recommends that they create visual cues to remind them to act on their intentions to use new skills and embrace their new ways of being. She suggests post-it notes, screen savers, symbols, anything that works. These cues work well, until the client takes the ’show on the road’ and isn’t in the same room as his/her reminders.

So, Cindy got an idea. Her husband sometimes wears a ratty old rubber band around his wrist. When he is in a challenging situation and he notices his emotions beginning to take over, he gently snaps the band and remembers to ‘keep his cool’.

She thought that with a little modification, this would be a great tool for her clients. A portable reminder of what they want to do or how they want to be in their quest to be their best selves in a variety of situations. Something they’d have with them wherever they went.

The first products she designed were New Leaf Touchstone bracelets. Used as reminder tools, they connect the user with herself and her intended way of being, leading to greater effectiveness and increased confidence. They help her turn over a new leaf. Men and other non-bracelet wearers wanted a similar tool for themselves. So, she introduced the pocket stone.

Clients reported success using the products in a variety of circumstances.

• “I use mine when I’m about to lose my cool with my kids!”
• “I use one when I’m sitting in meetings for committees I volunteer on.”
• “My bracelet helps me refrain from having that piece of chocolate I always regret having eaten.”

At work, some successes include:

• “I use my bracelet to keep me from interrupting others at meetings;”
• “I use mine to remind myself to take deep breaths when I am feeling stressed;”
• “I say ‘um and ya know’ a lot and I use my touchstone to remind myself to slow down and think before I speak. I’ve cut my ‘ums and ya knows’ out almost entirely.”

More Support

While we know that for some, just having the tactile reminder is enough to help them be successful making the changes they want to make, others want more support. So New Leaf Touchstone offers a handful of services that put the power of change into your hands and support you to successfully reach your goals.

At-Risk Adolescence Girls hand-make the products with care

After making all of the bracelets and touchstones herself for a while, it occurred to Cindy that an entirely different population could benefit from them. So, consistent with New Leaf Touchstone’s mission, she hired a group of at-risk adolescent girls who are students at the Germaine Lawrence School, a therapeutic residential school for adolescent girls in Arlington, MA. The students are working to overcome a variety of psychological, behavioral and emotional issues. Working for New Leaf Touchstone, they earn money, and learn social and business skills. The knowledge that they are making a contribution to others and creating a beautiful product helps them build their self esteem. This work in conjunction with their program, gives them the opportunity to turn over a new leaf, too.

New Leaf Touchstone Circle of Success

And so, New Leaf Touchstone has become a circle of success: A community of very different people connected by these products.

We hope that you will find New Leaf Touchstone products helpful to you as you strive to become your best self. Cindy and the young women who make them are very proud to be able to contribute to your success and are grateful for the opportunity.

New Leaf Touchstone is delighted to put the power to change into your hands!

Be bold. Be confident. Be alive. A gallery of possibilities awaits you when you make changes

-Bob Bone