Conversations with Nicki Baber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicki Baber.

Hi Nicki, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a haunted house, the kind of place where you’d get dragged across the floor and family members would sleepwalk and stand in the doorway at night. That was just normal for us. I still remember seeing Paranormal Activity when it first came out and thinking, at least we’re not the only ones.

The first ghost I ever saw, I was just cleaning my room when he appeared behind me in a mirror—clear as you or me. As a kid, I didn’t know what to think, so I told myself he was my guardian angel. I even gave him a name: Matthew. He stuck around for years, and I’d feel him with me during ghost hunts, until last year when he disappeared—or maybe finally moved on.

Those experiences shaped everything. I realized that ghosts and fear weren’t just scary, they were stories that connect people. So when I started creating content, it felt natural to bring together storytelling, makeup, and the paranormal. What started as posting spooky little videos for fun on TikTok grew into something so much bigger. Today, I’ve built a community of over 7 million followers on TikTok (and still growing), and I share everything from ghost stories and true crime to fan-submitted experiences that remind people just how strange and fascinating the world can be.

Beyond telling stories online, I’ve also investigated some of the most famously haunted places in America—including the Queen Mary, the Roosevelt Hotel, and the Missouri State Penitentiary. My approach is different from most ghost-hunting YouTubers, it’s not about jump scares or screaming every time a device goes off. I’m searching for untold stories, for the human history behind the hauntings, and for the connections that make the paranormal feel real.

It hasn’t always been easy. I’ve faced challenges; including a major surgery for endometriosis that forced me to slow down. But instead of stopping me, it gave me a deeper drive to create, connect, and turn my experiences into something meaningful.

Now, whether it’s through TikTok, YouTube, or my podcast Make You Scream, I get to combine beauty, fear, and storytelling in a way that reaches millions.

Mission statement: My mission is to help people not fear what we don’t understand- whether that’s ghosts, aliens, or even death itself. If we can approach the unknown with curiosity instead of fear, we can find connection, meaning, and maybe even a little magic in it.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest struggles in the paranormal world is that things just… don’t always cooperate. Footage goes missing, cameras glitch or break, batteries drain out of nowhere. Once, I even threw my camera at a bee because I’m terrified of bugs but apparently not of ghosts.

On a more serious level, my biggest personal struggle has been with endometriosis. I was out for almost a year after major surgery where they removed my entire ovary and found a teratoma (which, if you know, are literal nightmares). That recovery slowed everything down, but it also gave me perspective, and made me even more determined to keep creating.

And then there’s the industry itself. Ghost hunting is still so male-dominated. Most shows feature all-male groups, and maybe one woman tagged along here or there. I’ve always asked myself- where are the ghost-hunting shows led by women? From my own experience, I’d even argue that many of the women I know have stronger spiritual sensitivity and intuition than the men I’ve met. There’s space in this field for women’s voices, stories, and leadership and I want to be part of breaking that open.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a digital creator, paranormal investigator, and medium. I specialize in blending spooky storytelling with research, psychology, and lived experience. A lot of creators will skim the surface of a ghost story, but I like to dig deeper — if we’re talking about The Conjuring, I’m not just giving you a summary, I’ll read the entire book so my audience gets the bread and butter. If we’re investigating a haunting, I’ll pull the history of the location as far back as I can trace it.

I also host a podcast called Make You Scream. This season’s series, Don’t Play Scary Games, doesn’t just cover the legends themselves, we explore where they might have come from and the psychology behind why they scare us. It’s about entertainment, but also understanding the roots of fear.

On a personal level, I’m a practicing medium. My strongest gifts are clairvoyance and clairsentience, which means I experience the spiritual world through vision and feeling. Sometimes I’ll see symbols or flashes of imagery, other times I’ll sense the energy of a space or emotions that don’t belong to me. That perspective adds another layer to my investigations: the documented past, the energy of the present, and the connections in between.

What sets me apart is that I bring all of this together; research, psychology, and mediumship, to create paranormal storytelling that feels cinematic and immersive, but also deeply human. My audience knows they’re not just getting a scare… they’re getting something real.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to turn my experiences (growing up in a haunted house, facing health struggles, even just being the “weird spooky girl”) into something that inspires millions of people. Building a community of over 7 million followers still blows my mind.

I’m proud that I don’t just entertain, I create a space where people feel less alone in their own strange experiences. When someone tells me, “I thought I was the only one this ever happened to until I saw your video,” that means everything.

I’m also proud of the way I’ve carved out a lane for women in a space that hasn’t always welcomed us. To be able to ghost hunt, tell untold stories, and lead with curiosity rather than fear- it feels like I’m helping expand what’s possible for this genre.

And honestly? I’m proud that I’ve made it this far by staying true to myself. The makeup, the storytelling, the ghosts, it’s all me, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

What are your plans for the future?
Looking ahead, I want to take everything I’ve built online and expand it into bigger projects. I see myself hosting or producing a ghost-hunting show that’s female led and focused on untold stories instead of jump scares. I think there’s a huge gap in the paranormal space for shows that feel cinematic, empowering, and inclusive.

I’m also planning to grow my podcast Make You Scream and continue investigating more haunted locations across the country. Long term, I’d love to create my own line of paranormal inspired products such as tools, candles, and digital experiences that let people connect with the supernatural in their own homes.

On a bigger level, I want to keep pushing the conversation forward. For me, ghosts aren’t just about fear, they’re about the stories we carry, the mysteries we don’t understand, and even how we think about life and death. I’m excited to keep exploring that and to bring more people into the paranormal world in a way that feels beautiful, curious, and connected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Makeyouscreampodcast.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicki/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickibaber/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BansheeSociety