Splintered Spirits

with Gary and John
  • 4.8 (22)
  • SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

What are spirits, really? Splintered Spirits explores the afterlife, ghosts, and the mysteries of human consciousness. Hosted by producer Gary Shapiro (the uneasy novice) and his nephew John Santa of Santa Paranormal (the experienced researcher), this podcast bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Tune in for unnerving, funny, and thoughtful interviews or on-location experiments with psychic-mediums, parapsychologists, ghost hunters, witches and everyday people who have pierced the veil.

  1. EP 39: Where's the Evidence?, with Benjamin Radford

    2D AGO

    EP 39: Where's the Evidence?, with Benjamin Radford

    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.

    1h 10m
  2. Live with Jake Bruce from March 26, 2026!!!

    6D AGO

    Live with Jake Bruce from March 26, 2026!!!

    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.

    1h 7m
  3. Splintered Spirits Live with Greg Bakun from Ghost Box Radio

    MAR 20

    Splintered Spirits Live with Greg Bakun from Ghost Box Radio

    Splintered Spirits sits down with broadcaster, paranormal investigator, and intuitive ITC specialist Greg Bakun, host of Ghost Box Radio, for a deep dive into what it really means to talk to the dead. From the first time a spirit box answered him in a creepy Minneapolis basement to a jaw‑dropping session where a voice claiming to be Abraham Lincoln identified his own deathbed photo, Greg unpacks why he believes these aren’t “dark forces” but actual people still trying to communicate. He walks Gary and John through his no‑nonsense, SB7‑driven method, his reluctance to over‑process evidence, and how he found himself unexpectedly acting as a bridge between grieving families and the voices of their loved ones. Across the conversation, Greg tackles the big questions at the heart of the show: what spirits are, why some refuse to “cross over,” and how belief, fear, and even ideas like “soul contracts” might shape your afterlife. He shares visceral stories from public investigations gone sideways, locations ruled by “gatekeeper” entities, and his evolving sense of ethics when audiences, spirits, and content all collide. Along the way, the three get candid about ego in paranormal media, rising investigation costs, the tension between tech and mediumship, and what responsible, evidence‑based investigation should look like in an era of viral clips and celebrity ghost hunters. Greg Bakun: Ghost Box Radio

    1h 15m
  4. EP 38: More Than Clouds in Gary's Coffee

    MAR 17

    EP 38: More Than Clouds in Gary's Coffee

    In this episode of Splintered Spirits, host Gary sits down with world-renowned psychic medium Cathy Nadal for a live coffee reading at Coffee Unique in Bronxville, New York. Cathy—author of Seeing More Than Clouds in Your Coffee, certified with the Forever Family Foundation, registered nurse, and retired U.S. Army Colonel—uses espresso and Turkish coffee to demonstrate tasseography, turning Gary’s cup into a map of his past, present, and future. As repeating symbols emerge in both cups, Gary and Cathy dig into psychic validation, spirit communication, and how coffee readings can reveal deeply personal messages from the other side, making this a must-listen for fans of psychic mediums, paranormal podcasts, and coffee divination.

    1h 7m
  5. EP 8 (Extended with Video): A Medium, A Nasty Ghost, and a Haunted Basement

    MAR 13

    EP 8 (Extended with Video): A Medium, A Nasty Ghost, and a Haunted Basement

    In this less-edited redux of one of our wildest early episodes, Gary and John head back into Johnny’s infamous haunted basement with psychic-medium and author Cathy Nadal to see what still lurks in the dark. With cameras rolling this time, Cathy walks into the space cold and immediately starts pulling detailed hits on the building’s history, secret societies, and a vicious Scottish spirit named Edward—long before the spirit boxes ever turn on. As the tension builds, the energy spikes so hard that an object literally flies off the wall, and everyone has to decide whether to keep going or get out.​ This re-release is the raw, nearly unfiltered cut of that night: more basement, more spirits, more of Cathy and Johnny comparing their abilities, and more of Edward’s taunts as he wages his own “fight for the nexus.” You’ll hear how Cathy validates years of Johnny’s basement investigations, calls out a serpentine secret order, and even gets directly acknowledged—and threatened—by the spirits themselves.​ If you heard the original audio-only version, this is your chance to experience the full Big Ghost Energy of that session with added video and fewer cuts, exactly as it unfolded in real time.

    2h 11m
  6. Splintered Spirits Live from March 5, 2026!!!

    MAR 6

    Splintered Spirits Live from March 5, 2026!!!

    On this week’s episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John go off-script and deep into the tension between believers and professional skeptics in the paranormal world. They unpack their conversations with skeptic heavyweights. From what it would actually take to convince a skeptic—a levitating grandfather clock, maybe?—to how evidence is judged in science versus ghost hunting, they probe why some people need something almost cinematically impossible before they’ll even consider spirits might be real. They also pull back the curtain on the cottage industry of rage‑bait creators who build channels by tearing down mediums, investigators, and even grief counselors, using Gary’s mind‑bending reading with psychic medium Cathy Nadal as a case study.  Along the way, they tease a loaded slate of upcoming episodes: a conversation‑driven Shanley Hotel deep dive, a sit‑down with REM pod and SB7 inventor Gary Galka, another skeptic interview with Benjamin Radford, an intimate look at sexual energy and spirits with an adult film star, and a full Turkish‑coffee reading with Cathy that will delight believers and make skeptics grind their teeth.

    53 min
  7. EP 35: The Skeptic, James Underdown

    MAR 3

    EP 35: The Skeptic, James Underdown

    James Underdown has spent over 25 years trying to give away $500,000 to anyone who can prove a paranormal ability under real test conditions, and no one has even come close. In this episode, Gary and John sit down with the executive director of Center for Inquiry West and founder of the Independent Investigations Group to dig into wild claims of telepathy, telekinesis, dowsing, “teleporting” horseflies, and the ghost gadgets that flood paranormal TV, while James explains why he believes science and psychology can fully account for what many people call hauntings. Rather than arguing about who is “right,” the conversation leans into the tension between John’s work documenting spirits and James’s commitment to skeptical investigation, exploring where brain states, belief, culture, and genuine weird experiences collide. If you are fascinated by ghosts, curious about what is really happening during spirit box sessions, or just want to hear a skeptic and a paranormal creator push each other in real time, this episode will challenge your assumptions without killing the thrill of the unknown. If you think you have the abilities to win the $500,000 prize, visit the CIF. Link is in the linktree in our bio.

    1h 5m
  8. Live with Mandy from The Ghost Sisters! - February 26, 2026!

    FEB 27

    Live with Mandy from The Ghost Sisters! - February 26, 2026!

    Splintered Spirits goes live with Mandy Cummings of the Ghost Sisters, an all‑female paranormal investigation team from Ohio known for their raw, unfiltered ghost hunting across some of the most haunted locations in the Midwest. In this episode, paranormal investigator and medium Mandy shares how her years as a corrections officer shaped her approach to investigating haunted prisons, jails, and infamous hotspots like the Mansfield Reformatory and the Bel Air House. From capturing a full‑body apparition of a guard in solitary confinement to hearing intelligent “cat‑call” responses echo through abandoned cell blocks, she breaks down how law enforcement instincts, psychic mediumship, and hard evidence collide in real‑world investigations. The conversation dives deep into one of the Ghost Sisters’ most disturbing residential hauntings, a TV‑level case involving possible demonic activity, attachments, and a terrified family living in an active haunted house. Mandy explains her process as a psychic medium doing cold walkthroughs with no prior research, using tools like the Estes Method and spirit boxes only after she’s mapped the energy of a location. Along the way, the team tackles cursed objects, haunted dolls and stuffed animals, secret‑society vibes, and even cryptid territory—Bigfoot and Grassman footprints, howls in the woods, and crossover between ghost hunting and cryptid research. If you’re into paranormal podcasts, ghost hunting shows, real haunted house stories, or female‑led paranormal teams, this episode is packed with eerie evidence, emotional stories, and practical insight into what spirits might really be. Link to The Ghost Sisters in the Linktree in our bio.

    1h 18m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

What are spirits, really? Splintered Spirits explores the afterlife, ghosts, and the mysteries of human consciousness. Hosted by producer Gary Shapiro (the uneasy novice) and his nephew John Santa of Santa Paranormal (the experienced researcher), this podcast bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Tune in for unnerving, funny, and thoughtful interviews or on-location experiments with psychic-mediums, parapsychologists, ghost hunters, witches and everyday people who have pierced the veil.

Information

  • Creator
    with Gary and John
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © with Gary and John
  • Show Website
    Splintered Spirits

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