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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:

Do not vote if you do not want to vote. Voting is a right. Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Not clickbait. Recorded about twenty days before the 2020 election, this short episode is about the messaging around voting, not about any candidate or party, and the view is mine: voting is a right, not a responsibility, and the shaming built around it closes more doors than it opens. I share the posts I woke up to that morning: "absolutely unacceptable if you don't vote," "if you're not voting I don't want to know you," "how hard is it to register, you idiots." I share the definition of a right, why I would love everyone to register early and vet their candidates from local to presidential, and why that is my opinion and not my place to force on anyone. I also share three neighbors I spoke with while preparing this. All three were not voting, all three were afraid to say so, and when I asked why in curiosity instead of attack, they told me. I disagreed with some of it. It was still their right. The messaging point ties to every business: stop telling people what they must do and what they are blind for not seeing. Ask, share why you believe what you believe, and thank them for listening even when the answer is no. Maybe the seed lands in a later election. Maybe it lands in a later sale. Either way, it lands in better soil than a shout. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/do-not-vote-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.

Mary Poppins Messaging and Practically Perfect Perceptions Oct 11, 2020

Show notes

Practically perfect in every way. Not perfect. After watching Mary Poppins with my daughter for the first time since I was a kid, that line became this episode: perfect messaging is impossible, it is a good thing that it is impossible, and the people selling you the secret to a perfect message are selling the one thing nobody has. I share why a message honed to be understood by everyone connects with no one, and why constantly shifting it to reach everyone upsets the people who got it first. The work instead is discovery: find the message that is you, then look at the competitive, the comparative, the connotations and the compliance to see where your intention and other people's perception meet. Light adjustments to the wording. Never to the intention. I share the online course company that sounded like every snake oil pitch out there and could not see it, because the room had agreed with itself. The company with fifty thousand dollars a year using the same words as one with fifty million, and why the bigger check is the one that gets seen. The podcasters trying to be Joe Rogan without his homework, his fame or his audience. And the celebrities explaining how Twitter works from a starting point nobody else has. Marketing is not a marathon. It is part of your communication, and it has to tie back to you even if someone else runs it. The children in the film felt neglected until the father heard them. What part of your audience are you neglecting because it should be obvious to them? Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/mary-poppins-messaging/
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.

Authentic messaging introductions and impression perceptions Oct 04, 2020

Show notes

"Let's set up a one on one so I can see who to refer you to." Why? Over two weeks in the fall of 2020 I sat in the back of a run of networking groups, in person and on Zoom, to hear how people introduce themselves as things reopened. This episode is what I heard, the few who shone, and what I would do with a two minute pitch. I share the man who had clearly taken hits that year and spent his time asking others questions instead of steering back to his sale. The woman running a room who was there to find people she could stand behind, not just to be heard. And the emails that followed one big meeting: the finance guy, the insurance guy who still wanted the call after I told him I was not changing anything, and the scheduler links with no reason attached. My position on referrals: wrap your reputation around anyone you refer, which means vetting them first, and block the people who refer everyone and take responsibility for no one. Take half the time you would spend on meetings and spend it looking people up instead. Then the practical part. Have one page where a busy person can get a fast peek at you, short bio, a few quotes, a short video, before anyone asks for thirty minutes. Bring a different piece of usable information to every meeting instead of the same pitch. And when a call is not connecting, say so kindly and end it. You can decline to refer someone and still be nice. Invite the conversation with why. "I heard you say this, would you like to continue it?" beats a scheduler link every time. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/authentic-messaging-introductions/
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.

Podcast guest soliciting and podcast host booking tactics Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

A podcast about podcasts. With around a million shows out there as of September 2020, this episode is both sides of the booking email: what I delete as a host, what I would send as a guest, and why I do not pay to be on anyone's show. As a host, the template pitch sent to fifty thousand people gets deleted. "I'd be a great guest for your show" with no reason why gets a reply asking which episode they heard. And "we have a reach of forty million on iHeart" tells me nothing about who is listening. I would rather hear "this is my fifth episode and I am building an audience." I respond to that. As a guest, I share the cold pitch that worked: I listened to a specific episode, named what the guest said, said what I could add to the topic, and the call came the next day. I also share why I do not go on every show, why I do not share every appearance, and the music show host I turned down because I disagreed with everything he stood for and told him so. On paying: the host who had a great half hour with me and then explained her fee, the virtual room that sells the expert seats, and why I believe pay to play on podcasts is the same problem I saw in music. Would you tell your clients you paid for the positioning? Then the tactics I would use instead: ask a guest what they are tired of talking about and what they have never been asked. Lead with who you are and what the show is about, not the download count. Have a page with short samples so a busy host can get a sense of you in minutes. And separate what you know from what you believe, so the conversation is a conversation and not an argument. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/podcast-guest-solicitation/
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.

Coaching with accountability and finding honorable coaches Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

Some coaching courses teach how to blame the client for what did not work, so the coach carries no liability. I believe that is immoral, and this episode is the paperwork and the questions I would put in front of any coach, consultant or strategist before paying, including me. I share the 2020 wave of "I lost my job, so I got certified and now I coach," and why one success does not make someone a teacher. I share the platform advice to stand in front of a nice car even if it is not yours and fill the feed with other people's quotes. And the three page "consulting agreement" a client sent me that protected only the coach. What I ask for and what I offer: a non disclosure agreement if anything proprietary is on the table. A services agreement that says what each side is responsible for and how either side leaves, with the refund or credit terms in writing. A statement of work, even a conceptual one, that lists the topics covered so both sides can see the service was delivered. A clear invoice and a receipt. And one, two or three paid sessions first, so you get a sense of the person before any package. I also share why I do not want a coach's top testimonials. I want their authority in their own words, in videos, audio and writing, so I can decide whether their path relates to mine financially and in method. "Who else like us have you worked with?" deserves a true answer, and sometimes that answer is nobody. Coaches will never be held accountable like doctors and lawyers. So the accountability has to come from the person hiring them. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/coaching-with-accountability/
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.

Messaging before marketing to create a sound foundation. Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

It may be time to put the brakes on your marketing. Not forever. Long enough to check whether the messaging under it exists. This episode is the problem I see in a high percentage of marketing engagements, and the checklist I would run before spending another dollar on ads, PR or a publicist. I share the four A's. Are you being marketed in authenticity and authority, or in assumptions and arrogance? Could you say "we are the best" in front of ten comparable businesses? I share why many agencies skip the messaging work: it costs them time, and the money is in automating the campaign. So you get a tagline that twenty other companies have and a pitch the whole room loved without anyone checking its connotations. The discovery I would do first: the pros, the cons and the mistakes you are not hiding. The past, the present and the plan. The operational side that most people do not call messaging: your non disclosure and confidentiality agreements, your compliance, your security, because investors and partners read those as your message too. And why I do not care about your core values. Tell me why you started the business, in a short video anyone can find. I also share why there is no best time to post, why Kia's radio results mean nothing to a local print shop, and why I test a campaign in one market for a week before pushing it everywhere. The output is what I call a personalized integrity intelligence performance guide, a messaging palette that gives a marketer fuel instead of darts. Marketing still takes time and money. With the foundation in place, I believe it takes less of both. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/02/15/messaging-before-marketing/
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.

Reviewing authentically over demanding them for popularity. Sep 06, 2020

Show notes

Stop asking for reviews and start writing them. This episode is a different use for TripAdvisor, Google and Yelp: not to beg for five stars, but to build your own authority by reviewing other people's croissants, hotels, contractors and podcasts, subjectively and in your own voice. I share why "please review me" before someone has experienced you can read as disrespect, and why the five stars for everything reviewer says nothing. I share the podcast guru who gave me five stars, quoted my own bio back to me, and asked for one in return. I do not believe he listened. Then the play. A photo of two croissants at a cafe in Greenville, South Carolina, posted to Google reviews instead of only my own Instagram, seen about four thousand times. A photo of a barbecue place's storefront that nobody else had taken, seen around four hundred thousand times. My 2014 book tour, reviewed city by city, hotel, coffee and venue, so the trail tells a story anyone can follow. And the St. Louis hotel where everyone reviewed the ceiling light show, so I wrote about the koi pond out back. For real estate agents especially: instead of telling people you know the area, show it. Review the park, the restaurant, the contractor, the service. Let people learn you before you ask them to trust you. Stay subjective. Say what the bread was like, not that it was the best. Say what you did not like too. And if the experience was bad enough that you would not defend the review, take it to the business first instead of the internet. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/02/14/reviewing-authentically/
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.

Success books explored for validity, authority and truth Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

"I've read 300 books on success." That was the lead from a speaker at a conference I was on, and he was not successful, so none of them worked. This episode is how I read a success book, from someone who wrote one with the word success in the title and meant it as a guide, not a promise. I share the white label success book: a licensed template, ninety percent written, where you add a few stories and your name. Not theft, because the text is licensed, but plagiarism by definition. Watch for the same quotes from the same people across thousands of titles. I share why even a true success story can mislead: the author may not know the investor, the team or the timing that made it work, and I have been under confidentiality agreements on projects the public story never mentions. There is no common metric. Every "this is how you write a hit song" formula has as many contradictions as examples. What I look for: is it stewarding or a sales pitch with a call to action at the end of every chapter? Was anything stated as fact technically edited, the way Wiley did with my third book? Is the truth in it current, or a 1930s idea reprinted in 2020? And is the bestseller badge on the cover the 350 dollar robot download I have talked about before? Take the pieces that make you think "I need to look into that." Research those hardest. Do not follow any of these to the letter. The letter was written in someone else's circumstances. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/success-books-explored/
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.

Music Business ghost drumming. Being a ghost in the machine. Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

I cannot take credit for close to eighty percent of the recordings I played on. That was the deal. This episode is what ghost drumming was, how it worked, why I signed away my name starting in 1993, and what it taught me about messaging, credit and vetting. I share the first session, when a producer named Earl told me I would never be a rock star with my look but I could be on the albums, and why staying quiet, showing up on time and knowing what to play for the song, not for my chops, got me the work. I share the drummer in a 90s band who could not play his own parts, the session player who cut them and then taught him, and the humility it took on both sides. I also share the toxic thread that started this, the accusation that ghosts were destroying bands, and my answer: check your contract. If the label is paying for a record at a certain level, replacing a part is not a betrayal, it is the deal you signed. The messaging side: someone can build your brand in a voice that has nothing to do with you, the way a session player can play a part the band can never perform live. Get the people who can find your song. And the credit side: I got credit in the circles that gave me work, not from the masses, and the people screaming their accolades from the mountaintop often turn out to be the biggest liabilities. Last, the vetting. I have read books describing sessions I sat in that never happened as written. Before you copy anyone's story, look a little deeper. It may be the story they wanted told. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/ghost-drummer-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.

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