Episode 52| What They Say: Yowie Experiences, Belief, Skepticism & What They Might Be Telling Us

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Seeing something is one thing.

Saying it out loud… is something else entirely.

In Part 2 of Shannon's conversation with Sarah Bignell, we explore what happens after the encounter, when people are left to carry an experience that doesn’t easily fit into the world around them.

Because behind every story is a person who has had to make a decision.

Do I keep this to myself? Or do I risk how it will be received?

Drawing on years of speaking with witnesses, Sarah shares what she has seen not just in the encounters themselves, but in the way people live with them. The hesitation. The second-guessing. The long-term impact of holding something that others may dismiss, question, or refuse to hear.

This episode moves into the emotional and psychological weight of these experiences.

The trauma that can linger for years—sometimes decades.
The silence that comes from fear of ridicule or rejection.
And the very real consequences people face when their experiences are misunderstood or pathologised.

We talk about the importance of creating spaces where people feel safe enough to speak, without fear of being dismissed or defined by what they’ve experienced. The role of genuine listening. The power of being met with curiosity instead of fear. And the responsibility that comes with holding someone else’s story.

Through her work, Sarah supports those who have often been disbelieved or left without a place to land; bringing a compassionate, grounded approach to the intersection of personal experience and the unexplained.

And beyond that, this conversation opens something deeper.

Because maybe this isn’t just about what people are saying. Maybe it’s also about what’s being reflected back to us… through these encounters. The way these experiences are described—connected to the land, aware, deliberate—invites a different kind of question.

Not just what are they?

But…

what might they be trying to tell us?

About the way we move through the world. The way we relate to the land and the things we’ve stopped paying attention to.

Because at its core, this episode isn’t just about the unexplained.

It’s about what it means to be heard. To hold space and to meet each other with compassion… even when we don’t fully understand.

Sarah Bignall

Sarah Bignell is the host of Yowie Central, a podcast dedicated to sharing firsthand accounts of Yowie encounters and all things kooky and spooky across Australia. Her path as a social worker turned radio host, researcher and public speaker has led to her building a strong level of trust with witnesses, creating a space where people feel safe to share experiences that often sit outside of mainstream understanding.

Through her work, Sarah supports those who are open to sharing as well as those who have been dismissed or disbelieved, approaching each story with openness, curiosity, and a deep respect and empathy for the person behind it. Her perspective brings a compassionate lens to the intersection of personal experience and the unexplained, encouraging a more considered and human understanding of these encounters.

Her voice is a call to listen with curiosity, to the possibility, the meaning, and the wisdom that may sit within these experiences.

The Yowie Central Podcast

Yowie Central is an Australian podcast dedicated to sharing firsthand accounts of unexplained encounters, with a focus on Yowie sightings as well as other unexplained phenomena. Hosted by Sarah Bignell, the show creates a space where people from all walks of life can come forward and share experiences that often sit outside of mainstream understanding.

Each episode centres on the voices of witnesses; people describing moments that have stayed with them long after they occurred. From brief sightings in the bush to more complex encounters

Yowie Central approaches each account with openness and curiosity, allowing listeners to sit with the experience itself. In doing so, it offers not just insight into these beings, but also into the human need to be heard when something doesn’t easily fit into explanation.

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