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.

"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.

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.

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.

Transparency and accountability in air conditioning repair? Is the topic and touch point for s8. E3. n125. of the Wait What Really OK Messaging and Optics podcast.

From air conditioning repair to any other kind of repair service, often times the communication is off for both the provider and the customer. With a mutual awareness of the others perception, comes a faster resolve and better transparency.

In accountability for both sides in the initial conversation, better expectations can be set.

On the other side, to not jump to immediate conclusions, and asking for the details to ensure that accountability is in place, can help the customer make a better choice and allow for a better vetting of the right provider.

In my most recent experience, after the air went out and we decided to connect with Henry from Ice Heating and Air in Orlando, Florida, it wasn’t just the price, but the professionalism, communication, accountability and clarity to define what he found, what could be done and what couldn’t. The experience inspired this podcast. And in a normally, incredibly stressful situation, working with Henry and Ice Heating and Air was an experience I rarely have. His attention to detail, style of communication and down to earth way of explaining as well as backing up his explanations created a fast and well-earned trust.

This FSG messaging and Optics podcast is available in the links below and on most sites, stations and apps where you may like to listen to podcasts.


* Loren Weisman is the FSG messaging and optics strategist for the Fish Stewarding Group.*
Weisman is also the host of the FSG messaging and optics podcast; Wait What Really OK. Fish Stewarding Group is bearing the weight of messaging, strategy, finance and development by coming along side. FSG is stewarding strategic solutions by only building authoritative businesses with authentically sound people.
* Fish Stewarding Group Core Divisions: FSG Development - FSG Living - FSG Messaging & Optics*
* FSG Headquarters: 6586 E Interstate 20, Abilene, TX 79601-7640 USA *
* FSG Website: https://fishstewarding.com *
* FSG Phone: 325-400-6950 *
* FSG Email: [email protected]*
* © 2023 Loren Weisman/Fish Stewarding Group/FSG Development/FSG Living.
All Rights Reserved ® ℗ *

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.