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Wait What Really OK with Loren Weisman — Business
Wait What Really OK with Loren Weisman

Wait What Really OK is a methodical, comical and informational podcast on brand messaging and optics, hosted by Loren Weisman. Each episode takes apart a misconception, a misunderstanding or a mistake in how people and businesses present themselves. I share what I see, why I see it that way and where the information came from, differentiating opinions from fact and the subjective from the objective. Topics include vetting the people who want to advise you, fake reviews and fake authorship, messaging before marketing, podcast guest solicitation tactics, transparency with AI, and building a brand and communication foundation that can hold up under scrutiny. There is no ask attached to this show: no like, no share, no follow, no download, no comment and no review. Try it. If you do not like it, turn it off. About the host: Loren Weisman is a brand communications and optics strategist working from Orlando, Florida. His background includes participation on over 700 albums as a drummer and producer, TV production credits with ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and TLC, and four books: Music Business For Dummies, The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business, a self published title, and a 2026 book released under a pen name. Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Speaking, services and contact: https://lorenweisman.com
Email: speaking@lorenweisman.com

Latest Episodes:

An artificial intelligence statement. What I use AI for and what I do not. Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

This is what I use AI for and what I do not, said out loud in February 2023, before most people were asking. It was recorded as a statement for the company I was part of at the time, and the position is still mine. The short version: I have not, do not and will not use AI to create my content, my message, my marketing or my story. I may use AI to research, to find articles and who wrote them and when. The writing, the speaking and the ideas come from me. The one place it touches this podcast is Auphonic, which evens out the audio levels and changes nothing I said, sniffles included. I share where I am pro AI: tools that take a person's real knowledge and experience and make the work easier. And where I am not: the paragraph that becomes a book, the chatbot that scrapes other people's work into "content," and the book program I saw that turns out a front to back title in under an hour for someone to claim as their own. The ask: if you work the same way, publish your own statement. Say what you use AI for and what you do not. I believe the people you want to work with will notice. One take, no script, no AI, recorded during allergy season. My current statement of use is at https://lorenweisman.com/ai-statement-of-use/ Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/artificial-intelligence-statement-transcription/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

What is a brand communications and optics strategist? Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Messaging before marketing. This episode is how I define what I do, as a brand communications and optics strategist, and it is not the only definition, but it is mine. I share why I believe the messaging foundation has to come first: the wording of your company, your product and your services, something that could stand in a court of law, because in some ways that is what the algorithms and the audience are doing with it. From that foundation the marketing, the content and the consistency grow. Without it, I see marketing companies throwing darts, rewriting the bio every month, and chasing popularity that does not convert. I share the difference between a claim and an opinion, "we have the answer" against "we believe this could be an answer for some," and why that matters in medical, legal and business messaging. I share the man with a true, tested product that went nowhere because his ego would not let him adjust a sentence, and why I told him I could not help him. Optics, as I use the word, is how what you say lands with people who have already heard a thousand others say it. So: look at the comparative and the competitive, the negative connotations, the tone and temperature of what is out there, and plant small seeds of your own authority instead of one long stream of ad. Not a sales pitch. In a way, the ask is to become your own brand communications and optics strategist, and if you hire one, make sure they are the real deal. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/messaging-and-optics-strategist/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Are most motivational and business coaches bad for you? Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

My answer is yes, most of them. Not all. There are people with the experience, the education and the ability to help a business. I believe the majority selling coaching right now are not those people, and this episode is how I tell the difference. If you need someone to motivate you to follow your dream, maybe you have the wrong dream. I share the motivational package with no substance, the app that cuts a video off at the point that guarantees you pay for the rest, the certificate you receive because you paid for it, and the tool that rewrites someone else's article so it passes a plagiarism check. I ran one of my own articles through it to see. It is scary. The red flags I watch for: anyone who says they can help anyone reach six, seven or eight figures. Content that is all call to action and no information. A guy whose one success came with his father's business and a budget most people do not have, now selling reorganization to everyone. A no liability clause in the contract, which means when their advice gets you sued, it sits on you. What I look for instead: a consistent track record of authority you can find, someone who tells you why and then lets the decision stay yours, someone who holds you accountable, and someone building you toward not needing them. This is not a call to action. I do not want you to click, follow or work with me because of it. I want you to vet whoever is asking for your money. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/are-most-motivational-transcription/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Amazon best selling book claims and the 16,000 book categories Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Best robot downloader for a few minutes. That is what I believe most "Amazon bestseller" claims come down to, and this episode is how the badge gets made and what I would do instead. There are around 16,000 categories on Amazon. Some publishers and book promoters advise placing a book in one with almost no other sales, so ten or twenty copies make it number one. Others sell a window in which bots download the free book all at once, the rank spikes, a screenshot gets taken, and you are told you are a bestseller. You gave the book away. I see that as a lie, and I would rather the one person with a real bestseller not have to stand in that chorus either. I share the pre written business books you can buy and rearrange, why I call that plagiarism rather than theft, the ninety author anthology as an author credential, and my own quotes turning up in other people's strategist books because they came from a template. Then the other side: what I would do with a book, best seller or not. Talk about the chapters, the illustrations, the ideas that got cut and can become a blog or a podcast. Use your own quotes and say why you placed them. Point every review back to a verified place. Leave the one star review alone. And put the book in the category that honors the reader, not the one that games the number. If you are not prepared to share how you made your book and how you promoted it, that is the moment to reconsider. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/amazon-best-selling-transcription/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

More coaches on the sidelines than players on the field. Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Before they played on the field, before they learned, many are now claiming they can coach it all. This episode is the good, the bad and the ugly of business, life, growth and success coaching as I see it in 2022, and it ends with a message to the coaches who are the real thing. I share why I prefer a strategist to a coach, front to back, a plan you can see. The client who sent me a twelve month contract asking how to get out of it, and could not. The Facebook ads that say you need no experience to lead people to success. The certification that arrives because you paid for it. And the two coaches I overheard at a Starbucks in Winter Garden, Florida, one teaching the other how to write a book to attract clients, using models where ninety percent of the book is already written. What I would check before signing: where the certification came from and whether it was graded, whether the coach shares any authority of their own online or only other people's quotes and books, whether the testimonials are people you can talk to, whether the contract lets both sides leave honorably, and whether there is a statement of work and a clear invoice. Secretary of State and background check sites are there for a reason. To the authentic coaches: make no claims. "I feel," "you may experience" and "I like to do this because" carry further than promises you cannot guarantee. Point reviews back to real people. Share your own knowledge often enough that nobody has to sign up to see whether you have any. Let people talk to you a few times before any long commitment. Profit at the expense of no one. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/more-players-transcription/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Sharing opinions instead of trying to state facts may help. Nov 05, 2021

Show notes

"I think, and here is why" opens a conversation. "You are doing it wrong" closes one. This episode is my case for sharing opinions instead of forcing them into facts, for engagement, for how people receive you, and for the algorithms and compliance that now read every word you post. I share why I do not believe you have to podcast daily or post twenty times a day, and why what one famous podcaster built is not a model for someone starting with nothing. I share the CBD industry as I saw it, where "CBD fixes arthritis and depression" claims held back an entire category that could have said "it worked for these people, would you like to see if it lines up for you." And the local magazine that reads like coverage and is an advertising book. I also share the things I am tired of: "best" as a claim in music, food or anything subjective; the pay to be nominated awards followed by "so humbled and honored"; the LinkedIn commentpreneuring schedule and the work anniversary note from someone I have never spoken to; and "I can take any business to a million dollars," which I believe tells you what their ethics are. The practical side: every claim can be refuted by another opinion, so "if you are looking for this, you may like this" holds up where "we are the best" gets penalized and sued. Before you post, think about how many people have heard the same line, how many heard the opposite, and how it reads to the three audiences: people who know you, people who have heard of you, and people who have not. Trust is earned, not chased. If you think this podcast is not for you, that is your opinion and I have no right to change it. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/sharing-opinions-instead/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Amplified authentic opinions and intelligence to consider. Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Opinions can be bought, and we have lost the sense of that when we listen. Recorded in January 2021, this is my case for what I call amplified authentic opinions: data built from people asked once and respected for their answer, instead of popularity that was purchased. I share why I do not see social media as toxic, only some of the people on it, and why turning the dial used to be the answer. I share the awards you can vote for a hundred times, the nominations you can buy, the "best of" that is only a count, and the Amazon bestseller that was a giveaway to robots for a minute. From my music years: hit songs made in the studio with the marketing plan already written, focus groups I watched get skewed by who was placed in the room, and likes, comments and streams bought all the way up to the top tier. From the AI side: the store that logs you as interested in a product because you knelt to tie your kid's shoe, and the six weeks of flights that will never happen again but now define you in someone's data. Artificial, not authentic. What I would rather see: the review that was not traded for a five dollar credit, the influencer who will not touch a product they do not stand behind, companies that ask what people think and share the answers as they came, and awards and claims moved below the fold so the product leads. I am tired of know, like and trust. I do not need to like the person selling me something. I need to know what it is and what people who used it think. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/amplified-authentic-opinions/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Shop local shaming and small business messaging missteps. Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

"If you don't shop here, you don't care about your community." I saw that on a sign in Orlando in late 2020, and I will never shop there. Recorded on headphones after a microphone failure, this episode is why I believe shaming is a messaging misstep for small businesses, and what I would say instead. I am for local business. I am against ordering people into it. I share the families that lost income that year, buying gifts on Amazon and gas at Walmart because that is where the budget went, and why guilting them for it is not fair and does not convert. Then the flip. A toy store on the west coast that stopped attacking Amazon and started offering free teddy bear repair through the seamstress next door. The burger place in Winter Park that asked if I liked the Chili's avocado burger and told me what they did differently, without a word against Chili's. The new bookstore with a children's area I only found by walking in, because online it was "support local" and nothing else. Invite by explaining who you are, what you carry, who on your staff knows the product, and what you can do after the sale that a warehouse cannot. Even say where a customer might save money elsewhere. That sounds counterintuitive to yell, tell and sell, and it is the store I would go back to. Shop local is not the problem. The tone under it is. Give people a reason and let the decision stay theirs. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/shop-local-shaming-transcription/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Brand messaging mission statement and message methodology Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

The things we say and do not think about the future of messaging in business. That is the title I would give my brand messaging mission statement, a flip on Jerry Maguire, and this episode is the whole thing: where I come from, what I believe, how I work, and who I will not work with. I share the short version of the road here: drummer, session player, producer, television, an infomercial, reality and talent shows, and what the culmination of hundreds of egos, budgets and personalities taught me about communication. I share the producer who hired me before I thought I was ready and why I loved his candor. And I share why I do not lead with album counts or book sales, because to me that is ego, and ego is usually fear. The methodology: messaging before marketing. Marketing builds the second, third and fourth floors while the foundation is unfinished, because that is where the money is. I would rather discover, audit and author the story first, then work on the delivery so it reads as your melody and not in unison with the ten people who said the same thing before you. The lines I will not cross: marketing you would not describe to the people you are marketing to; "you have to be scared of your dream" as advice; know, like and trust as a script; ten times anything; bestseller badges bought from robots; and "humbled to reach five thousand followers," which I believe insults follower number five. I close with how I try to message: in love, honor, humility, clarity, justice, patience and forgiveness. It is more than words to me. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/brand-messaging-mission-statement/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

Strategic patience and pressure when preparing a launch Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

You get one first launch. After that, investors and press read every push as a second one and wonder what went wrong. Recorded two days before the November 2020 election, this episode is what I look at between the brand discovery and the launch date: the team, the time, the temperature, the tactics and the taste. I share the song that was held for a year, repackaged, and released at the right moment with the right people, and why the artist himself says it was the timing and not the song. I share why I believe most full scale launches in that November were better moved to February, given the election, the holidays and whatever the news cycle would hold. And I share the businesses that used that stretch to go back to the blueprint and author a truckload of content instead of posting in fear. I also share what I see investors doing now: not reading a 278 page five year projection, but looking back seven or eight months at how you carried yourself when things were hard. If you held your integrity in fear and struggle, they believe you will hold it in success. On success stories: I love them. My problem is when someone's true story is sold as the objective path for everyone, with the budget, the timing and the circumstances left out. Vet the model against your own metrics before you follow it. Sometimes you will have to be more patient than you want. Sometimes a window opens and you move a deadline up. Get the intelligence together and make the decision for you, not for someone else's launch pad. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/strategic-patience-podcast/
Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.

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