Splintered Spirits – Details, episodes & analysis

Skepticism meets the supernatural when Gary sits down with Benjamin Radford, one of the world’s best-known paranormal investigators and deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer. Author of Investigating Ghosts, Scientific Paranormal Investigation, Tracking the Chupacabra, and more than a dozen other books, Ben has spent decades chasing claims about hauntings, monsters, and mysterious phenomena around the globe.​

Together they dig into why “I know what I saw” is powerful but unreliable, how culture and media shape what we think ghosts and spirits are, and what real evidence for hauntings, EVPs, and cryptids like Bigfoot or lake monsters would actually look like. Gary challenges Ben on what could ever convince a skeptic that ghosts are real, while Ben explains why good investigations start with psychology, baselines, and careful definitions—not just gadgets in the dark.​

If you’re into ghost hunting, paranormal TikTok, skeptical inquiry, or you’re a believer who secretly wants a sharper BS detector, this Splintered Spirits episode will push your thinking on what “spirits” might be—and what happens when someone truly tries to test that belief.

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John sit down with viral paranormal content creator and ghost hunter Jake Bruce to explore what happens when you mix legit fear, smart storytelling, and the weirdest corners of the spirit world. Together they dig into Jake’s early experiences that pushed him beyond “ghost tour tourist” into full‑blown ghost hunter, how childhood trips to historic battlefields and haunted orphanages shaped his view of spirits, and why he still admits he’s genuinely terrified on investigations. Listeners get a behind‑the‑scenes look at how a new‑school creator approaches hauntings, from live streams and short‑form content to fully planned, smartly produced paranormal episodes designed for YouTube, TikTok, and beyond.

The conversation also tackles the realities of modern ghost hunting and paranormal fame: dealing with trolls, getting banned from locations, experimenting with ghost apps and budget gear, and trying to balance authenticity with entertainment value. Jake talks about using humor, loud music, and high‑energy reactions as coping mechanisms in dark locations, while still taking the history and the phenomena seriously. If you’re into ghost hunting, haunted locations, paranormal investigation, or you’re a content creator curious how to turn supernatural adventures into binge‑worthy video, this episode delivers a mix of storytelling, practical insight, and genuinely unsettling encounters—all in the signature light‑hearted, tone of Splintered Spirits.

One of the most recognizable psychics and mediums on the planet sits down with Splintered Spirits in this candid, no-BS conversation with television legend Chip Coffey. Known from hit shows like Kindred Spirits, Psychic Kids, and Paranormal State, Chip unpacks his near-death–adjacent birth, growing up in genuinely haunted homes, and how a background in acting, counseling, and psychology shaped the way he works with both spirits and living clients.

Gary and John dig into Chip’s definitions of ghosts versus spirits, residual versus interactive hauntings, and why he believes our own energy is often the real catalyst for paranormal activity. Chip shares harrowing cases from Paranormal State (including demonic assaults that even shocked hospital staff), explains what TV gets right and wrong about the field, and offers blunt thoughts on skeptics, infighting in the paranormal world, and the fading era of paranormal television.

Along the way, he challenges Gary’s beliefs, talks about why he’s retreated from the public eye, and leaves listeners with heartfelt advice for families raising intuitive kids and anyone who suspects they might be psychic themselves.

Welcome to Splintered Spirits, the podcast hosted by me, Gary, and my nephew, Johnny, who you might already know as @santaparanormal on TikTok. Yep, that’s right—the guy who talks to ghosts for an audience of close to a million.

Johnny has a theory, and it’s a wild one: ghosts aren’t roaming entities like you see in the movies. Instead, they’re fragments of energy left behind in places that mattered to them in life—scattered memories of the living.

Over the course of this series, we’re going to dig into Johnny’s theory. We’ll explore haunted locations and bring in expert guests to help explain to us – let’s be real – explain to me – what the heck is going on.

And of course – talk to spirits: 

Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic, or just someone who loves to hear family goof on each other, you’re in for a ride. So grab your headphones, keep an open mind, and join us on this journey to uncover the fractured echoes of the past.

This is Splintered Spirits. Let’s dive into the conversation.

Gary and John celebrate one year of Splintered Spirits by breaking down their most ambitious experiment yet: a multi-participant Estes Method session that evolves into what they call the Synchronized Estes Protocol (SEP), a group format where multiple blindfolded listeners simultaneously report what they hear from spirit boxes. They unpack synced responses, wild physical reactions (from trance-like sleep to someone walking out after feeling touched), and how group Estes sessions expose personal bias, audio pareidolia, and the blurred line between spirit communication and human expectation.​

Along the way, they explore what this experiment means for modern ghost hunting, ITC research, and the core question “What are spirits?”, while teasing upcoming episodes with mediums, skeptics, investigators, and researchers tackling consciousness, haunted locations, and real-world paranormal claims. Perfect for fans of paranormal podcasts, ghost hunting, spirit boxes (Necrophonic, Spiritus, Vox), the Estes Method, and anyone curious about pushing spirit communication experiments to the next level.

A century-old textile factory, a notorious spirit named Peter, whispered rumors of blood rituals from 1997, and a room full of blindfolded guests wired into the unknown might be Splintered Spirits’ most ambitious experiment yet. In this first ever SEP Test (Synchronized Estes Protocol Experiment), Gary and John return to John’s former office inside a massive 1860s factory to attempt what they believe is the first multi-person Estes Method session, using silent-disco headsets provided by Silence Activations ( silenceactivations.com) sensory deprivation to separate real spirit communication from audio pareidolia.

Across the night, the group appears to connect with documented entities like Peter and the mask-bound spirit Sam, hears chilling references to long-whispered rituals, and witnesses a bizarre “F you Lisa” moment that lands just as John’s wife stands up to leave. Some guests feel touches and intense presence, others slip into deep calm or nod off entirely, leaving listeners to decide whether this was coordinated contact from the other side or just our pattern-seeking brains working overtime.

Splintered Spirits is live talking about ghost hunting, upcoming guests, the pod's one-year anniversary, and a call-to-arms to save one of Paranormal's Most Valuable Assets - John's Tooth!

Drag queen paranormal investigator and author Monique Toosoon joins Splintered Spirits for a wild dive into ghosts, hauntings, and high‑camp horror. From legendary haunted locations like The Conjuring House, Wilson Castle, and historic asylums to sold‑out overnight ghost hunts, Monique shares how investigating in full drag as “the ghost-ess with the mostest” turns her into a powerful trigger object that supercharges spirit communication and EVPs. Gary and John explore what spirits are, queer visibility in the paranormal field, and how glamour, energy, and $20K of ghost‑hunting equipment transform a traditional ghost hunt into a live paranormal experience. Fans of haunted locations, real‑life ghost stories, paranormal investigation, drag, and horror will find plenty to latch onto in this conversation.

Links to Monique and her latest book can be found in the linktree in our bio.

Author, witch, and medium Melissa St. Hilaire joins Splintered Spirits for a live deep dive into real signs from the afterlife, everyday magic, and what it truly means to live as an “American Witch.” She shares how spirits communicate, the most misunderstood “signs” people receive, and how her work as a psychic, spellcaster, and animal communicator helps bridge the gap between the living and the dead. All of it circles back to our favorite big question: What are Spirits?

Links to Melissa and her book can be found in the linktree in our bio.

On this episode of Splintered Spirits, we’re crossing over into the Realm of Darkness.

Our guests are the duo behind one of the most atmospheric, boots-on-the-ground shows in the paranormal true crime space: producer, writer, and investigator Ashley Moreno and filmmaker, investigator, and storyteller Nate Cogar. Together, they’ve built Realm of Darkness and The Dark Travel Chronicles into a journey through haunted locations, unsolved histories, and the lingering echoes of lives cut short, blending meticulous research with firsthand encounters in some of the most unsettling places you can visit.

In this conversation, we’re digging into how Ashley and Nate got pulled into the paranormal, how they balance true crime with the ethics of real-world tragedy, and what it actually takes to chase ghosts and dark history across the country with cameras rolling. We’ll talk investigations that changed them, locations they’ll never forget, and how their work has reshaped what they think spirits might be.

https://www.youtube.com/@RealmOfDarkness04