Yeah... Nah!

In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast we spend most of our time talking with Jared Brandon about his shiny new YouTube channel, Unholy Light. Jared is attempting to tackle some of the simple-sounding but tough topics related to Christianity, like defining the words they use such as “faith”. Mark also talks about Shawn Bolz, a “prophetic” teacher who has been shown to have most likely been using hot reading techniques to wow Christian congregations around the US, and Kristina Dines, a woman whose toes were supposedly magically restored years after they had been amputated, after she attended a faith healing church service.

About this episode

Our Guests:

Jared Brandon

Useful Links:

Unholy Light

Articles we talk about:

Christian Hot Readings

Show me the Toes!

Newsletter issues these articles appear in:

2026-02-02

We’re back after a hiatus over the Christmas break, with a look into all things skeptical. The team starts off talking about Megalag’s latest videos covering the Honey browser extension debacle. Bronwyn has been looking into the new season of The Telepathy Tapes, and also checking out whether a recent umbrella review of alternative treatments for autism has found anything positive (spoiler: it hasn’t). Katrina is currently being spammed with adverts for “natural” menopause treatments, and has checked out whether any of them have any merit (spoiler: they don’t). And finally Mark has been looking into a relatively new aerospace startup called Reflect Orbital, to see if their business model of shining sunlight onto solar farms at night makes financial sense (spoiler: it doesn’t).

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Menopause Supplements

Wham, Bam, Autism scams and a grand slam: Telepathy Tapes, Autistic Barbie, and a systematic review.

Reflect Orbital: Engineering marvel or just smoke and mirrors?

Newsletter issues these articles appear in:

2026-01-20

In our last Yeah… Nah! episode of 2025, we have an odd mix of topics to cover - but that doesn’t stop Bronwyn from being able to connect them somehow, as well as tie them in with the theme of Christmas. After some housekeeping, Mark talks about his foray into nature documentaries, dissecting a scene from the 1970s movie “Animals are Beautiful People” and questioning whether any of it is real. Katrina has a dream that one day she might be able to walk into her kitchen and ask a 3D printer to make her a meal, but it turns out that that day is probably a long way off. And Bronwyn has found out (shock horror) that a Netflix documentary series about a claimed UFO abduction plays fast and loose with the truth.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Doomsday Comedy reaches New Zealand

2025 AGM Chair’s Report

Give me 3D printed dinners (please)

Can Elephants Hold Their Drink?

Review: The Manhattan Alien Abduction

Newsletter issues these articles appear in:

2025-12-08

2025-12-22

In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, our team of intrepid podcasters reveal that the NZ Skeptics’ fundraising offer is just $50 shy of our $2,000 target. Mark then launches into an impassioned monologue about climate change and some of the correspondence he’s received recently. In the aftermath of the recent failed rapture predictions, Bronwyn has been keeping an eye on Tik Tok and has found the Next Big Thing for outraged Christians, a demon-possessed alarm clock. Katrina’s read a parenting book, Hunt, Gather, Parent, and has tried out some of its suggestions - although she remains skeptical about just how scientific the advice is. And finally the team talk about the second season of John Campbell’s documentary series on Destiny church, titled Under His Command, and wonder whether there’s scope for a more thorough look into the church and its finances.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Donate to Siouxsie and double your money

Why aren’t we skeptical about climate change?

Please don’t offer me opinion disguised as fact

How low do we want the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere?

Hunt, Gather, Parent - Book Review

The ghost in the machine: Are Hatch alarm clocks the highway to hell?

Review: Under His Command, Season 2

Newsletter issues these articles appear in:

2025-11-10

2025-11-24

In this special episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, we talk with longtime skeptic Siouxsie Wiles about taking her employer, Auckland University, to employment court over their lack of support for her science communication work. We get to hear some of the inside scoop about the court case, and try to figure out why the university chose to go down the legal path rather than making a few simple changes to their policies.

About this episode

Links to resources we talk about:

Period People Aotearoa: https://www.toiaria.org/our-projects/period-people-aotearoa/

Period People donations: https://support.auckland.ac.nz/ppa

Spinoff piece about why Siouxsie’s crowdfunding: https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/01-11-2025/siouxsie-wiles-why-im-crowdfunding-despite-winning-my-legal-battle