Founded by Louis H. Kraus

My name is Louis H. Kraus. I’m a 78-year-old Jewish baby boomer, an ENFP by temperament, and someone who’s always felt the world’s injustices deeply. I’ll admit—I’m sensitive, easily distracted, and sometimes still haunted by the past—but all of that has shaped who I am and why I started Better Outcomes.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in a traditional Jewish home where respect and conversation mattered. When I said something unkind as a child, my parents would remind me that it was “Evil Speech.” Those moments planted the seeds for everything I teach today.

As a teenager, I delivered newspapers, stayed active in youth groups, and worked my way through school. I earned a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Miami University, then an M.S.S.A. from Case Western Reserve while working as an Adult Parole Officer. Later, I joined my parents in the family’s nursing home business and ran our 100-bed facility after they retired. Eventually, I became a mediator—a role that felt like coming home.

Three moments in my life led directly to the creation of Better Outcomes:

  1. A painful lesson in speech. I once offended a former state representative in front of my wife. That embarrassment pushed me to revisit what I’d learned as a boy about Lashon Hora—the Jewish concept of “evil speech.”

  2. An ancient wisdom rediscovered. My search led me to Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan’s book, Chofetz Chaim (“He Who Desires Life”), a timeless guide to ethical speech. His teachings inspired our “10 Steps to Speaking More Nicely,” a modern distillation of his work.

  3. A public experiment in civility. As a founding member of the Maple Heights Chamber of Commerce, I was asked to moderate our 2005 Candidate’s Night. Using basic mediation principles, I kept order—and for once, a political forum stayed civil. People noticed.

In 2011, I began writing essays on communication that became the cornerstone of Better Outcomes, which I formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2013. Around that time, I corresponded with Rabbi Abraham Twerski, who directed me again to the writings of the Chofetz Chaim. Those teachings reaffirmed a simple truth: words have power—to heal or to harm, to build bridges or to destroy them.

Our mission at Better Outcomes is to promote civil discourse—to help people speak to one another with respect, honesty, and understanding. We believe that “Evil Speech” kills three people: the one who speaks it, the one who hears it, and the one spoken about. The cure is simple but not easy: to think before we speak, to seek peace, and to pursue it.

In recent years, I’ve collaborated with leaders from multiple faiths—a Rabbi, an Imam, and a Christian Minister—to show that while our traditions differ, our values of compassion and truth are the same. Together, we’re building bridges through better communication, guided by the shared belief that humanity can, and must, do better.

If you share this vision, I invite you to join us. Volunteer, donate, or simply start a kinder conversation. Because if we can change how we talk to one another—
we can change the world.

Please Remember:
In Jewish tradition, the number 18 holds special significance as it symbolizes a good life and blessings. This significance is derived from the Hebrew word for "life," which is "chai," consisting of the letters "chet" (numerical value of 8) and "yud" (numerical value of 10). Therefore, the number 18 is associated with the idea of living a long and prosperous life. In various Jewish rituals and customs, multiples of 18 are often used, such as giving gifts or donations in increments of 18 to symbolize good fortune and blessings for the recipient.