Our Story

Better Words began with a simple question.

Several years ago, I watched videos of the rice experiment. Two identical jars of cooked rice were placed side by side on a shelf. Every day, one jar was spoken to with words like “I love you,” “Thank you,” and “You’re beautiful.” The other jar heard words like “I hate you,” “You’re ugly,” and “You’re worthless.” After several months, the jars looked dramatically different. I saw similar demonstrations using plants.

Whether those demonstrations are viewed as science or simply powerful illustrations, they left me asking one question I couldn’t shake:

If words seem to matter this much, what are our words doing to us?

That question stayed with me.

The truth is, I had already been drawn to encouraging words for years. Positive words hung on the walls of our home as daily reminders of the kind of people we wanted to become. When I created YouTube videos, I often began each one with a “Power Word of the Day,” hoping that one encouraging word might brighten someone’s day or change the way they saw themselves.

I didn’t realize it then, but Better Words was already taking shape.

Then one Friday night, I was at a high school football game when a lightning storm rolled in. During the weather delay, I found myself looking around at the hundreds of teenagers wearing graphic T-shirts. Every shirt was sending a message. Some were funny. Some were sarcastic. Some promoted a brand.

And then a thought stopped me.

What if shirts could send messages that actually made people better?

What if a child wore the word Brave?

What if a teenager wore Loved?

What if adults wore reminders like Kind, Strong, Hopeful, or Enough?

Instead of wearing random words, what if we wore the words we’d most want to hear?

At that moment, everything came together.

The questions I’d been asking, the encouraging words in our home, the “Power Word of the Day” videos, and my desire to help people build a healthier inner voice all pointed to the same idea.

That night, I realized Better Words had been growing in my heart for years. I finally knew what it was meant to become.

Today, we create shirts, journals, keychains, sleeping eye masks and conversation products designed to help people of every age see, hear, and wear words that encourage.

Because words matter.

Our hope is simple:

To help people see, hear, and wear better words.

Wear the words you’d like to hear.