The Haunting of Belle Manor with Kitsie Duncan

*This transcript was auto-generated*

Kim Gravel: See the spirit done got Zac on this tape right now.

Hey y'all, and welcome to LOL with Kim Gravel. This is a comedy podcast for women. I know it doesn't sound it right now, but we laugh about the messiness of life and we turn that mess into our message of confidence and hope that our mission is to encourage women and lift you up. But today's show, we're gonna be doing that with our spooky Halloween show.

So listen, buckle up Buttercup, because this is the lol where we're gonna live out loud, laugh out loud and Halloween out loud together.

Talk about live out loud. So this episode, we're definitely living out loud cuz I've never told this story about Bell Manor until today publicly. Have I ever told you about Bell Manor?

Zac Miller: This is how you told me about Bell Manor Kim. I came to Bell Manor. And you were like, Oh yeah. You don't really like the hotel you're saying yet you should sleep here except it's haunted

Kim Gravel: You're like, yeah. Cause Bell Manor is so nice, right? It's beautiful, it's decorated, it's, you know, it's amazing. It sits on a corner lot by itself. It's a hundred year old house in you know, for this Halloween episode, I thought we should talk about Bell Manor and what that means to me, but I honestly Halloween, I know you think this is weird cuz Christmas is probably my favorite holiday.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that I host in my home, so it's the most stressful holiday. And Halloween is probably our funnest holiday in our family.

Zac Miller: Really? I now don't have you pegged for a Halloween family.

Kim Gravel: I know. It's weird because, you know, growing up my mom was like that, that is satan's holiday and I,

Zac Miller: that's exactly what I would've thought.

Kim Gravel: And so we would go and do fall festivals where we would do, which is great. I love fall festivals, but, you know, I could never, like my, my mother was sick one Halloween, I'll never forget this. I was a little. Probably's like, oh, I can't remember. I'm just guessing here. Eight or nine. And my dad, my mom was sick, so my dad went out, and this was back in the day when you would go two days, maybe the day before and pick out your Halloween costume.

Like now it's like you pick it out or the good ones are gone like six months in advance. It's like you gotta have it unlock, you know, a month in advance. So my dad just kind of ran me out to the local Kmart or wherever was around the corner, and I bought a witch costume. So I bought the mask back in the day.

They had the plastic mask, not the big latex ones.

Zac Miller: Oh, like with the, like the witch, a green face.

Kim Gravel: I was green and then the hat, and it had a little thing. And my dad brought that home. My mom goes, if you think that be witch for halloween, I'll never forget it. So Halloween growing up was never like huge. Right?

But since we've had children, I mean, it's so funny how when you become a grandparent, it becomes different. I said, well, mom, it's so funny how you let the kids trick or treat and do all this. That's just, I'm tell you something, Kim. Now listen, it's all in how you approach it. You know, it's all in how you approach.

We're giving out candy. We tell people that we love him. In Jesus' name is I said Mom to Freddy Kruger. When he comes up and asks First candy, she says, even to Freddy Kruger.

Zac Miller: Freddy Kruger, you got power rangers. You got it.

Kim Gravel: Freddy Kruegger needs Jesus too. Okay, Freddy Kruegger needs God too.

Zac Miller: That's the name of the episode.

Freddie Krueger needs Jesus too.

Kim Gravel: No, my mom. It's so funny cuz you'll do anything for your grandkids. And she goes, but she still won't let 'em dress up as anything evil. So you can't comment of anything evil. So my kids have been Mario, they've been, uh, last year, last year. Last year, you know, Bo's 15, but he still goes for the candy.

Last year he was a high school basketball player. , which is what he was. Yeah. He Just put on his basketball uniform.

Zac Miller: Yeah, I mean that's, you know, that's the low hanging fruit right there. What is, wait, I wanna know. Okay. Wait, what is Travis dress up as? Does he get into it? Travis?

Kim Gravel: No.

Travis don't dress up. He drives everybody around. He, he doesn't dress up. He got, cuz we always cook chili. And and then have cornbread. So he goes for the food and then he drives the kids around all night. So now's my funnest holiday back to Bel Manor and I'll tell the story a little bit later because our guest, uh, coming up, she is a paranormal investigator and she's perfect because.

I truly have witnessed things at Bell Manor that I almost don't wanna talk about. Like sometimes it's like, if you don't talk about it, it doesn't exist. Cuz I don't wanna get too deep into it now. I ain't trying to go there all the way there. I, it can be haunted, but as long as everybody stays in their place, I'm good.

Zac Miller: This is haunted,

Kim Gravel: but let's not talk about it. Yeah.

Zac Miller: let's not talk about it. Yeah. Let's just, you know, ghost you, do you, I'm gonna do me. I feel like, I definitely believe in ghosts. I believe in like, you know, spirits and afterlife and all of that. Okay, okay. But I like, I also feel like a lot of times when people think things are haunted, there may be not.

Kim Gravel: So you're a skeptic. I'm a skeptic. Well, baby, let me tell you something. The story I'm going tell you and our guest coming up is real, is real, is long, and I got receipts, baby. I got back up, so hang on, because our next guest is gonna be able to totally validate what I'm talking.

Zac Miller: Hey, Kim. Before we get to that though, we have to get to our listener question this week.

Kim Gravel: Oh, we have a question? Okay, good.

Zac Miller: This is a question written by a woman who emailed and signed it, desperate in Minnesota. Desperate in Minnesota rwrites: Hi Kim. I lost everyone to stupid politics, nasty opinions and secured myself in my bubble with my introverted boys in my.

She says, I can't turn anything on. It's just a major S show out there. . .

Kim Gravel: Well, I, you know, ,

Zac Miller: I love listening to the episode with you and Alina, cuz you're both so positive and happy and in all caps. So am I. Seriously, I'm so jealous because I'm just like you, but everyone around me is crabby and unhappy. Wow. I need to find a new tribe.

Signed desperate in Minnesota.

Kim Gravel: Oh, desperate in Minnesota. I don't, I hear, I totally smell what you're stepping in. I am picking up what you're throwing down. I would agree with you. I think the world is in total chaos. and I think that it's hard to find like-minded people, you know? It's hard to find people who are gonna lift you up and, and especially in this day and time, but I wanna say this.

and it's gonna sound cheesy and it's not easy.

Sometimes you have to be that leader of the tribe. And it's hard because a lot of times for me, I, I've actually been going through something really, really recently where I can say, I've been haunted by this. Right. I've been, yeah. I have been having moments of doubt and depression and you know, almost desperation in wanting to have people around me that can encourage me and lift me up.

You know, I've said in a previous podcast that I think my superpower is edification, which is to build up, but sometimes I don't get that for myself, and I get in not a dark place, but. My soul is hurting because I sometimes don't get that in return, especially from some of the people that I love in my friendships.

Not to say they're wrong or right. I'm just telling you I understand what you're saying, so I have to adjust and be that person that I need in that situation. I think a lot of times we're waiting for other people. Or circumstances to change or improve our situation, but a lot of times it's just we have to be that person in those circumstances and in those relationships.

So, I hear you girl. You can always tune into LOL and get your daily dose of, you know, encouragement. Oh yeah, we're here for it. But if, if you're, if you are feeling lonely or alone or angry or no one gets you or you're in a bubble by yourself, it's time to maybe for you to be that leader that you're being called to be right now.

Because if you were not desiring and wanting that connection and that tribe have you ever thought about the reason you're wanting it is because you're supposed to start it and be it just saying like, a lot of times what we want is really what? We need to do.

Zac Miller: That's powerful, Kim. Good question. That's a great question, and if you want Kim to answer your question on LOL with Kim Gravel, please call and leave us a voicemail.

Our number is 4 0 4 9 1 3 6 4 6 0, or you can email us your question to lolwithkimgravel@gmail.com.

Kim Gravel: Call us. This week we have Kitsie Duncan on the show. Yep. Kitsie is her name and she is a paranormal investigator. She's seen it all. Y'all she's seen it all on her TV show. Oddity Files.

She's a producer, an actress. And her latest book is mm-hmm . I'd rather Talk to Dead People. And she's here for our spooky Halloween episode. Everyone. Welcome Miss Kitsie Duncan.

Kitsie Duncan: Oh my gosh, I'm covering goosebumps right now. Thank you.

Kim Gravel: Well, first of all, Zac, what have you got on your head? I, I need to know,

Zac Miller: I decided to put out my Halloween costume, Kim, do you.

Kim Gravel: I, yeah, we love it, don't we? Kitsie?

Kitsie Duncan: Don't we love it? Yeah, I'm, I think you need the unitard to go full Playboy Bunny . Um, but it works.

Zac Miller: I know, right? I literally, I like, like 10 minutes ago I found this laying on the floor cuz my kids were playing with it and I was like, you got girls on the show? And look, it's like, see through with the green.

Kim Gravel: I love it. I love it. Okay, so let's get into it, Kitsie, because we brought you on specifically. First of all, audity files was your show. You've got this new book. I'd rather talk to dead people, but you gotta define for us what is a paranormal investigator. How did you start your paranormal investigator career? I have to know what that is.

Kitsie Duncan: I mean, it's, it's a fancy way to say Ghost hunter.

Oh, pretty much is what it is. But you know, it's, it's literally collecting data every location I go to and you document it, maybe turn it into a TV show. uh, it's, it's been. A journey, Kim. Wow. You know, I started off watching the TV shows on, you know, cable, where they're screaming and everything's a demonn.

And . I started watching that. I lost my, my dad very suddenly, and I, I felt a presence. I grew up terrified of the paranormal. Wow. Thanks, Poltergeist. The movie.

Kim Gravel: Oh my gosh.

Kitsie Duncan: No, really? They're here. Yeah. I decided to put on my, my big girl panties and I went on my first paranormal investigation and honestly,

It was calming.

Kim Gravel: It was, yeah. Wow.

Kitsie Duncan: It really was. It blew my mind. I walked into this, you know, notoriously haunted location where a little girl was set to haunt and a mean doctor had his office there, and it just felt, right now, the investigators I was with, not so much .

Kim Gravel: But this is a really interesting topic because you know so many people, the afterlife, do they believe it, do they not?

Are people, you know, I see dead people remember that movie and all that. I was telling Zac earlier that about two years ago, I bought a house here in Georgia that was over a hundred years old. Okay? Challenge. Well, it's, it's fabulous. It's wonderful. But I have experienced a few things here and like I have a gentleman that works with me.

He helps me manage the property. His name is John. and let me just tell you something. John is a skeptic and a realist. Okay? So let me just tell you, just go ahead and lay that out for you, first and foremost. And so he would come in, And, and he'd leave his keys in the truck because he's here by himself and he's working, he's repairing things, right.

Uh, kids, see, he's just doing his thing. And he would come in and the door would lock on its home. Now these are old doors and it's not like locks are just going, you know, click, click. I mean it. They're, you have to work to get 'em shut and locked. It's a hundred girl house with, yeah. Yeah. And. He, he said it would happen over and over and so, so much so that he started leaving his keys in the truck because when he would walk out of the door and leave his keys inside the door would lock so he couldn't get back in.

Kitsie Duncan: Oh, so it sounds like you have a trickster ghost .

Kim Gravel: Well, no, and I'm not even done. And so in the, in, in, and I was here cuz I type a lot of our shows here and one night and I walked out to put my clothes in the car. Because I always, you know, we were, we're apparel brand, so I bring my clothes in and out and when I came back in, the door was locked and I couldn't get in.

My husband had to come and gimme the keys. So we call her Sam, we say she's a friendly ghost. But girl, I'm telling you that's real.

Kitsie Duncan: It's absolutely real. Now see, that would classify as poltergeist activity because it's, it's moving something that, you know, you wouldn't think. Somebody who's invisible would be able to move.

But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I honestly feel like my,

Kim Gravel: I've never felt scared.

Kitsie Duncan: No, no, not at all. I feel like she's just playing with you.

Kim Gravel: Well, I think she's like wanting us to stay out or stay in one or the other. I mean, yeah, she doesn't want us to come.

Kitsie Duncan: We're not heating the whole neighborhood.

Kim Gravel: And John goes, how do you know it's a girl? I said, because honey, she's locking the door. That means she's trying to be efficient. She's trying to do, she's trying to lock us. If it was a dude, he'd leave the toilet seat up. Then white door wide open. Yeah.

Kitsie Duncan: Refrigerator door open

Zac Miller: the ghost just leaves the fridge open.

That's it.

Kim Gravel: That's the Yeah, that would be, that would be a male ghost. Okay.

Kitsie Duncan: You know what, Kim? Talk to her.

Kim Gravel: I'm, I can't do that, girl. I can't do that. I'm not, I'm not there yet. I'm not that evolved in that. It scares me cuz it does scare me, but I don't like, I, it doesn't scare me. Like, I'm like, oh my gosh, I, I'm never gonna come in here again.

I just feel, I feel, I don't feel alone. Right. I have a friend. Should I talk to her? You said talk to her.

Kitsie Duncan: Talk to her. Say, you know what, this is our house now together. If you wouldn't mind leaving the doors unlocked obviously she knows you are there and I feel like she's trying to reach out to you, trying to be noticed.

So I don't think she's doing anything malevolent in any way, shape or form. I think she's just trying to get your attention.

Kim Gravel: Well, she's got it . Okay. Let me ask you this. If you have a, a paranormal experience like I do here at Bell Manor, what would advice be? Your advice be to someone who's experiencing this in a real way? How to communicate with ghosts?

Kitsie Duncan: First thing like. I would tell them to talk to them out loud and, and just say, Hey, I'm not here. This is what I would do. I'd walk into, you know, jails known from malevolent spirits, and I'd walk in and I said, I'm not here to hurt you, harm you, or take you away. I want you to stay here if this is where you choose to stay, but I'm here out of love, like peace and positivity, and I expect you to do the same.

It's like talking to a real per well. I mean sometimes they listen better than, you know, living people . You gotta understand their personality and life is gonna be their personality and death.

Kim Gravel: Wow. Okay. So tell us about this new book. I'd Rather Talk to Dead People. What made you wanna write it and, and what are we gonna learn when we read it?

Kitsie Duncan: So this, this is just a retelling of my most profound experiences from, uh, investigating. Like 15 years now, God, I hate to admit that out loud, , but it's a friend of mine, Dave Schrader, he's got a show on discovery. He had asked me if I wanted to write a book. I said, you know what? Honestly, it's always been on my bucket list.

Can I do it? I'm not sure. But then the pandemic hit and I had plenty of time to write a book.

Kim Gravel: Yeah. Well, and books are a way to, to really, I think these kind of experiences that you're talking about and we're having fun with it and, and you know, saying it just, it's a way for people to connect and feel connected to people that have gone on.

I love your story about you. You started this, you know, journey after your father had passed. what have you learned from talking to dead people or being a paranormal investigator about the living.

Kitsie Duncan: Oh, so much. This has actually started after writing my book and realizing the mo some of these most profound things that these spirits have said to me started me on my wellness journey from going to being, from being angry all the time and stressed out at work to actually getting in touch with myself and learning how to deal with my past traumas and things like that.

And, The spirits that I've investigated have helped me through this. Wow. With the paranormal crossroads show I was telling you about here locally, that's what these spirit, these spirits are doing here in people's homes is trying to give them words of encouragement. Let them know that everything is gonna be okay.

I know this is supposed to be the spooky Halloween episode, but I find spirit interaction at this point in my life to be the most beautiful thing in the world. People reaching out from the other side to the living.

Kim Gravel: I love it. I love it so much. And what would you say to that skeptic look, watching right now,

Kitsie Duncan: I found that most skeptics are, are dead set against it because they're scared of it. Because they don't understand it.

And, and that's why we're scared of it. We don't understand it. We don't know why it's happening. And it, there's no book we can read on it that says how to deal with it.

Kim Gravel: Well maybe now, maybe now. Maybe.

Kitsie Duncan: I'd rather talk to dead people by Kitsie Duncan, give it a shot.

Kim Gravel: Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. . Maybe now we have a book, .

Kitsie Duncan: But yeah, it's just, you have to have an open mind and if you're not open to it, I, I'm not the kind of girl that's gonna be like, you know what? It's real. You have to believe it. if that's your thing, that's fine. but you know, once you witness it. You're gonna change your mind.

Kim Gravel: And I would not have agreed with you wholeheartedly unless John had experienced it and I experienced it. And then when I mentioned it to him, he was like, oh, let me tell you mine. So it's like we were, we were both experiencing it and we were, we weren't telling each other, you know?

Like I said, he is a skeptic, but not anymore. Not anymore.

Kitsie Duncan: No. . I love it. I really do.

Zac Miller: I'm gonna break in now with my Zac Attack.

Kim Gravel: Oh Lord. Is it gonna be paranormal?

Zac Miller: It's, it's gonna be a little paranormal. Every week we play a game with our guest Kitsie and Kim has no idea what's coming. this week I wanna play a fun game called would you rather Halloween edition? Let's just start and Kitsie, I wanna hear from you first.

Okay. Ready? So would you rather wear a sexy Halloween costume or a scary Halloween costume?

Kitsie Duncan: Sexy all the time?

Kim Gravel: Well, I can try to do sexy, but it would probably look scary, so I'm just gonna go with a scary.

Kitsie Duncan: Oh, stop. You and the playboy.

Zac Miller: I'm going back. I know my answer.

Would you rather sleep inside a haunted house for one night or sleep outside in a graveyard for one night?

Kitsie Duncan: Inside a haunted house because there might be people in the graveyard and people scare me.

Zac Miller: you're more scared of the humans.

Kim Gravel: Oh, I'm gonna say graveyard.

Zac Miller: Really? You're in a haunted house, right?

Kim Gravel: Right. My point exactly.

Zac Miller: would you rather be haunted by a ghost or be a ghost doing the haunt?

Kitsie Duncan: Ooh, well, I'd have to die to do the haunting, so I'd rather be haunted. ,

Kim Gravel: I, I love how Kitsie approaches all the paranormal activity and questions with such like logic. You know, , I'm scared to death even answer the question. She said, yeah, I don't wanna die.

So let's do that one. I think I would want to, I think I would want to haunt somebody and I think I actually. Already do that to my family, so I think I'll be a pro at it in the afterlife. Okay.

Kitsie Duncan: Same girl, same ,

Kim Gravel: Kitsie, we'll do it together. Honey. Hang with me. Hang with me.

Zac Miller: Last question. Last question. Would you rather be an extra in an Oscar winning horror movie or be the lead in a horror movie that bombed.

Kim Gravel: Oh, I've got this on the line.

Zac Miller: Kim. Kim, go ahead.

Kim Gravel: I want to be a lead in the one that bombs. Okay. Because there's something fabulous about a cheesy horror film that looks faker than a, you know, Rolex watch. And I absolutely would love to do that. Or not. A Rolex. A Ronex.

Kitsie Duncan: Look what it did for Jamie Lee Curtis.

Bam. Would you do the

Kim Gravel: same thing, Kitsie?

Kitsie Duncan: Yeah.

Zac Miller: Well, thank you for playing our fun Halloween theme, Zac Attack.

Kim Gravel: Well, you're amazing girl, and thank you for the advice on, uh, Sam here, the haunting of Bell Manor. Let me, let me leave you with this because every single show, Kitsie, we ask rapid fire questions. I like to ask just a question.

I'm just gonna give 'em to you. Boom, boom, boom. First thing that comes to your mind. Don't think about it. Just let What comes out. Comes out. Okay, here we go. Give it to. Who would play you in a movie of your life?

Kitsie Duncan: Um, Anne Hathaway.

Kim Gravel: That's really, Ooh, I'll take that. I can see that . I can so see that girl. I love that casting choice.

How do you handle people who don't believe in what you do?

Kitsie Duncan: I say to each their own. it, that's their choice. I'm not gonna try to, I'm not that person. If that's their choice, that's fine.

Kim Gravel: I love it. Who's your celebrity crush?

Kitsie Duncan: Well, I, okay. It's a lot of 'em. So .

Kim Gravel: Ah, give us, give us your top three.

Kitsie Duncan: Um, Chris Evans, Jensen Ackles from, uh, supernatural and Chris Hemsworth still for sure.

Kim Gravel: Why not? Why not? Thank you so much. I know, right? So pretty Oh, favorite junk food.

Kitsie Duncan: Peanut m and ms

Kim Gravel: 1000000%. Okay, last question. Do you believe that Casper is truly a friendly

Kitsie Duncan: ghost? Yes. . . I just saw a ghost in Zac's frame.

Zac Miller: I know my cat just walks by what happened?

Kim Gravel: Oh my gosh. What just happened?

Ok. Ok. Ok. Hey, I thought we were getting ready to have a paranormal activity live here. Kitsie Live. Live on LOL with Kim Gravel. I would love that. Okay. Kitsie, you've gotta come back.

Kitsie Duncan: Anytime. This was so much fun, you guys. You're amazing. I love your energy.

Kim Gravel: Oh, we love you too, girl. Y'all check out her book.

I'd rather talk with dead people and, uh, keep us posted. Hey, listen, if Sam comes to visit me a little bit more, I might call you girl.

All right, Zac. After hearing from Kitsie and after hearing my Bell Manor story, are you still a skeptic.

Wait a minute. No, you've already answered the question. No, you said there was like,

Zac Miller: I'm still a little bit of a skeptic. I do think, look, I think that you probably do have something going on at Bell Manor.

Kim Gravel: No, I, that, that does not sound a hundred percent like you believe it. I mean, look, dude, how does a, how now you know you've, did you met John?

Didn't you meet John when you were here?

Zac Miller: I never met John. No, I didn't meet John.

Kim Gravel: Okay, so you don't even believe John is real? That's what you're trying to tell me. You don't,

Zac Miller: maybe John's who's, who's this? John, who, I don't know who John is.

Kim Gravel: Okay. So John is my handyman husband. He's my, he's Travis is my real husband.

John is my honey new handyman husband. Seriously. And he is like, salt of the earth is not even trying to study any of that, right? And he, every, every time someone comes in here, he goes, you know, this place is haunted. .

Zac Miller: All right, Kim tell you I'm gonna be a skeptic, but I'm gonna be a skeptic forever.

Kim Gravel: Zac, be very careful.

Don't make something show up and turn you from skeptical to scared as all.

Zac Miller: Oh my gosh. All right.

Kim Gravel: You're frozen. Hello. See the spirit done got Zac on this tape right now.

Zac

Zac Miller: Kim. Okay. Okay. Kim, I believe.

Kim Gravel: Thank you.

Zac Miller: I just lost, I just lost power.

Kim Gravel: You just lost power. I'm, I'm right here.

Zac Miller: That's the house. I just lost power.

Kim Gravel: I know. I'm telling you. , I've got you on speaker now.

Zac Miller: Now I believe because that was crazy. Told you. Okay, I, I hope you're still recording. Do you have me on speaker phone right now?

Kim Gravel: I have you on speaker phone, so let's just close the show out right now. I'm telling you.

Zac Miller: We're just Kim. Okay. So I was just saying that I didn't, that I was being a skeptic and then the ghosts turned the lights out on me. All of a sudden, literally everything went out and like I'm in, I recorded my basement just pitch.

I'm just suddenly sitting in pitch black.

Kim Gravel: I know. So let me just say right now as we close off this show. For all of you watching Zac, tell everybody you're on speakerphone right now with me. Yes. Repeat after me. Okay. Zac, are you gonna repeat after me?

Zac Miller: Okay. Okay. I'm gonna repeat after you, Kim.

Kim Gravel: I believe I'm no longer a skeptic.

Zac Miller: I believe I'm no longer a skeptic.

Kim Gravel: Happy Halloween.

Zac Miller: Thank you, Kim. Happy Halloween.

Kim Gravel: Y'all say bye, Zac. They can't see you.

Zac Miller: Bye, Zac.

Kim Gravel: Bye y'all. Happy Halloween.

LOL is produced and edited by Zac Miller at Uncommon Audio. Our associate producer is Kathleen Grant at Brunette Exec. Production help from Emily Bredin. Our cover art is designed by Sara Noto. A special thanks to all the team members at QVC plus, and thank you for listening. I love ya.

Was that good?

Hello? Hello?

Zac Miller: Oh my gosh. Kim, you're gonna do all the side effects for the show from.

Kim Gravel: I know it's good, right? I do a good ghost. Hello, Zac. Zac. Zac. All right. All right. I'm out. This is scaring me too much.