We were lucky to catch up with Ariel Sides recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ariel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
With my injury in 2024, discussed in my last interview, I’ve really been focusing on healing and finding a potential new direction, in case my knee is never strong enough to go back to sea. My husband, DJ, has always had an interest in the paranormal, and although he’s historically mostly been engaged as a spectator, the house we lived in in Sioux Falls really changed that. Our house there was INCREDIBLY haunted. We would hear loud banging coming from the walls at all hours of the day. Doors would open on their own. Things would move, both in front of our eyes, and when no one was around. Dj and I are both educated professionals. We’re natural skeptics; not instant believers. We took time to try to debunk what was happening. Could it be a draft? Pipes? The pets? The kids? During this process, I realized what we were doing WAS paranormal investigation. We ended up putting multiple cameras up in the house, in an attempt to further debunk what was happening. The footage we caught ended up confirming, beyond a reasonable doubt, that our house was, in fact, haunted. We moved to Maine shortly after, and sort of found ourselves missing the haunting experience. As I mentioned, I was working offshore at the time, and DJ was working full time as well, but he slowly started collecting paranormal investigative equipment, and we officially started Boo Fighters Paranormal in September 2025.
So to answer your question, finally, I learned from him. I think all of these things had to happen in the order in which they did, in order for me to have the desire to learn, because I was initially fearful and frankly wanted nothing to do with any of it. I’m not sure there would have ever been a point, previously where I would have WANTED to speed up the learning process. I think it all happened exactly as intended.
I think remaining calm is the most essential skill, and CERTAINLY took some time to hone. Living in the Sioux Falls house really tested me. I had to learn to stay calm, as a mom, before the official investigations started. I knew I couldn’t panic when things would happen around us, or I’d scare my kids. It wasn’t easy, but it’s helped me remain calm during an active investigation or if something extra spooky happens. It not only makes me more professional as an investigator, it also keeps me from missing evidence I may not have caught if I was freaking out, running away, or screaming.
While there are obstacles in every business, I think the only obstacle in terms of learning in this field is either one’s motivation or fear. Every form of paranormal evidence is essentially proxy data, and to collect and analyze it, you have to be willing to do the work. Motivation to get out there and observe and learn is key.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’m Ariel Sides and I am a lot. I am a wife, a mother, a student, a marine biologist, a writer, an unpaid political activist, a traveler, a National Parks enthusiast, and a paranormal investigator. I’ve earned these hats over time as my family and I have moved around North America over the last 13 years. We’ve lived in 8 U.S. states and Mexico, but recently settled, permanently, in Maine. My husband, DJ and I have been married for 15 years and have three kids. We have traveled most of the U.S. with our kids, camping, hiking, seeing sights, collecting treasures, and visiting over 60 NPS sites. I began my dream career as a marine biologist in 2024, but broke my knee early-on, and am still in the healing process, after two surgeries. I’ve been writing short stories and blogs for ten years now, and have plans to publish, eventually. After settling in Maine, I became more active in the politics of my community and formed a P.A.C. that supports our local education system. Most recently, however, DJ and I started a paranormal investigation team and have rapidly built it into a booming business.
We formed Boo Fighters Paranormal in September 2025, with the intention of just having fun. As I mentioned in the previous question, DJ had always wanted to do something like this, and I just wanted to support him. We had no intention of turning it into a business, initially.
We actually started out at our local library, and our first public investigation was a fundraiser for the library. Jess, our historian, is the young adult librarian there, and brought up the idea after years of paranormal experiences at work. We had three nights and limited the groups to ten people. It ended up being the second most profitable event of the year for the library and everyone involved had a blast. We actually met some of the people on our team, now, at that event.
In each location, we start with a preliminary night, with just our team members, and take initial readings. Sweep for EMF interference, wiring, drafts caused by gaps in doors, safety hazards, light sources that could explain phenomena, etc. Then we hold a public event, where we offer ticketed slots to join us on an investigation with real equipment commonly used in paranormal investigations. We give a short demonstration and teach people about the equipment, what it does and how to use it, about the different kinds of hauntings, how to look for things that can debunk common occurrences, and then Jess gives a brief history of the location, paranormal experiences, and sometimes creepy stories. After the event, we review our video/audio evidence and then share our findings with the business owner/guests who attended the event. We also post parts of the investigations and some of our evidence on our YouTube channel.
I think what sets us apart the most is that we are there to debunk FIRST. We don’t automatically believe every place is haunted. We try to debunk everything possible first. We don’t hear a noise and run away screaming like a lot of what you see on YouTube (there’s that staying calm skill we talked about earlier). We will spend significant time trying to explain something away before we believe it’s paranormal. We also offer business owners a unique opportunity to capitalize on their haunting and also bring people into their business who may not otherwise visit. It’s a win, win, win.
The thing I’m most proud of right now, is our team. We’ve built an incredible team of about ten investigators that double as great friends. They are all so kind, so professional, so intentional in everything they do, and they are incredibly reliable and helpful. I’m so grateful we have these people in our lives. Each of us brings something different to the table and everyone compliments everyone else. It’s perfect.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I met DJ in 2010 at a pool hall in Memphis, TN. I was actually there with a guy I worked with at the time and a group of co-workers who were trying to hook us up. I wasn’t really interested in him but figured I’d give him a chance and have the opportunity to hang out with friends from work anyway. I walked over to play some music on the juke box and DJ was sitting nearby in a white tee shirt and a black beanie, chains hanging from his jeans. As I was making my selections, DJ said to me “Nobody touches that juke box but me,” and I gave him a dirty look and continued, thinking WHAT A DOUCHEBAG and then went back to my friends. The guy I was supposed to be there with, eventually got the message that I was not into him and decided to leave early. My dad had taken me to work that day on his Harley, so my helmet was in the backseat of the guy’s car and I went to get it before he left and brought it into the pool hall. DJ clocked the helmet when I walked back in and said “you ride?” “Only on the back,” I replied and walked away. Several hours passed and our two groups kind of blended, eventually as the night dwindled and business slowed. We ended up playing pool together, and he sort of grew on me. He was very attractive, despite behaving like a dude-bro, and once we started talking, I decided he was ok. He asked me for my number, “in case he ever needed any work done on his bike,” and I gave it to him, thinking that’s all it was because he was surely out of my league and I’d never hear from him again. I went home around 2:30 in the morning and hoped in the shower. I got a text from him almost immediately,,,”when can I see you again?” Me, being me, and being difficult responded with “I’m not doing anything right now.” Smirking at myself for being oh, so clever, I got ready for bed, but decided to check my phone one more time. “I’m on the way, what’s your address?” *gasp* In a panicked hurry, I gave him the address with butterflies in my stomach and got dressed and threw on make-up like a toddler because I was in a rush. He picked me up around 3:30, in what I now know was his sister’s car (he only had a motorcycle at the time and had never ridden a passenger on the back), and because nothing is open in Memphis at 3:30 in the morning, we drove around for the rest of the night, listening to Journey. When the sun started to come up, we went to my favorite spot by a lake inside Shelby Farms and just talked. When he dropped me off at home, it was around 9 a.m. and my dad was awake. “Where have you been?” he asked. “I met the man I’m going to marry,” I said. We were married in April 2011, and 15 years later, I’ve never been happier.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My whole life has been a series of “pivots.” Just look back through the other interviews I’ve done in this series over the last ten years. The most profound compliment I’ve ever received was “how many lives have you lived?” I think it was actually meant as an insult from someone who didn’t believe I was who I said I was or had done the things I said I’d done. I took it as a compliment because I’m only 35 but I’ve done more than most twice my age. I’ve actively sought out experiences and opportunities to learn, and grow, and do better. I’m an active participant in the things that happen to me. I don’t just let life happen. I never want to stop learning. I will be a perpetual student of life. I will always try to make the best of every situation, and if that means changing my entire life, I’m not afraid to do the work to make that happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.greatpac.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloodsugarbaby?igsh=MXdseDk5a2J0ZWV4eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1b7J4Xd6VA/?mibextid=wwXlfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@boofightersparanormal?si=QR52S5kXUVCwjtsV
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/boofightersparanormal?igsh=bnYwbHg4dTFpemJh&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
James Cooper
DJ Sides