Praise Be To Pod

In Part 2 of their You Can See Everything discussion, Ashley and Bailee unpack the documentary’s biggest questions: Who gets to control the story, and how much should we trust what we’re seeing? From Nathan Fielder’s role as an unreliable narrator to the familiar playbook of scandal-plagued megachurch pastors, they explore the art of salvaging a public image when accountability comes to collect. 

Along the way, they reflect on their own experiences trusting spiritual leaders whose intentions later came into question – and the eerily familiar tactics they recognized in the documentary's central figures.

* This episode contains spoilers for the film You Can See Everything

Plus, media literacy, calculated vulnerability, and the complicated relationship between memory, truth, and narrative control.

Listen to Part 1

Sources: 

Al Jazeera. (2022, January 4). Elizabeth Holmes: The rise and fall of the Theranos founder. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/4/elizabeth-holmes-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-theranos-founder

Barcella, L. (2026, October 13). Sunny Balwani and Elizabeth Holmes [Web page]. A&E. https://www.aetv.com/articles/sunny-balwani-elizabeth-holmes-boyfriend

Bay City News. (2023, May 16). Elizabeth Holmes loses latest bid to avoid prison and gets hit with $452M restitution bill. ABC7 News. https://abc7news.com/amp/post/elizabeth-holmes-prison-theranos-us-court-of-appeals-for-the-9th-circuit-news/13256920/

Boston Globe. (2023, May 18). Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is going to prison. Here’s what to know. The Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/18/business/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-is-going-prison-heres-what-know

EBSCO Research Starters. (n.d.). Theranos [Research starter]. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/technology/theranos

EQS Editorial Team. (2023, November 22). Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos case: History of a fraud scandal. Integrity Line. https://www.integrityline.com/expertise/blog/elizabeth-holmes-theranos/

Gale, A. (2026, October 7). Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans [Web page]. A&E. https://www.aetv.com/articles/elizabeth-holmes-billy-evans

Hartmans, A., & Leskin, P. (2020, February 11). The career rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/the-career-rise-and-fall-of-theranos-founder-elizabeth/346212

Herrnstadt, D. (2026, October 7). Nathan Fielder reveals Elizabeth Holmes’ partner tried to derail film. The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/nathan-fielder-reveals-elizabeth-holmes-partner-tried-to-derail-film

Italiano, E. (2025, August 27). The Rehearsal and the Mental Health in Aviation Act [Web page]. BroBible. https://brobible.com/culture/article/the-rehearsal-mental-health-in-aviation-act/

Keshavan, M., & Versel, N. (2016, February 5). Theranos doomsday clock: A full timeline of its rise and fall. MedCity News. https://medcitynews.com/2016/02/theranos-doomsday-clock-full-timeline-rise-fall/

Liedtke, M., & Budman, S. (2022, March 22). Elizabeth Holmes looms over trial of former lover, partner. NBC Bay Area. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/elizabeth-holmes-looms-over-trial-of-former-lover-partner/2844360/

Musumeci, N. (2025, November 30). Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has had nearly three years knocked off her prison sentence. Business Insider. https://www.aol.com/articles/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-had-100005390.html

NBC News. (2025). Nathan Fielder’s CNN interview about The Rehearsal and the FAA [Web page]. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/the-rehearsal-nathan-fielder-cnn-interview-faa-rcna209782

O’Brien, S. A. (2022, July 7). The rise and fall of Theranos: A timeline. CNN Business. https://krdo.com/money/cnn-social-media-technology/2022/07/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-theranos-a-timeline/

Ramsey, L. (2018, May 21). An incident back in 2006 shows just how far back Theranos’ deception went in the company’s history. Business Insider. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/incident-back-2006-shows-just-110000756.html

Renata, C. (2026, September 7). Unveiling Telluride’s big secret: Elizabeth Holmes documentary is sheer craziness. TheWrap. https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/tellurides-big-secret-elizabeth-holmes-documentary/

SuperSummary. (n.d.). Bad Blood: Secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup: Key figures [Study guide]. https://www.supersummary.com/bad-blood/key-figures/

Wilson, B. T. (2020, March 11). Theranos and the tale of the disappearing board of directors. Idaho State Bar. https://isb.idaho.gov/blog/theranos-and-the-tale-of-the-disappearing-board-of-directors/

Worland, J. (2016, April 19). Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes: The investigation. TIME. https://time.com/4298885/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-investigation/

Zacharek, S. (2026, October 16). Elizabeth Holmes is not the problem with You Can See Everything. TIME. https://time.com/article/2026/10/15/you-can-see-everything-movie-review/

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
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Elizabeth Holmes promised to revolutionize healthcare with just a few drops of blood. So how did Theranos go from Silicon Valley darling to one of the biggest fraud scandals in tech history? Ashley and Bailee trace the company's rise and fall, from Holmes's ambitious vision and meteoric success to the investigations and revelations that brought it all crashing down.

Plus, You Can See Everything and the parallels between Holmes's carefully crafted public image and the personas of megachurch pastors. What happens when powerful leaders build trust, cultivate devoted followers, and face the consequences when the story they've told about themselves begins to unravel?

Sources:

Al Jazeera. (2022, January 4). Elizabeth Holmes: The rise and fall of the Theranos founder. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/4/elizabeth-holmes-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-theranos-founder

Barcella, L. (2026, October 13). Sunny Balwani and Elizabeth Holmes [Web page]. A&E. https://www.aetv.com/articles/sunny-balwani-elizabeth-holmes-boyfriend

Bay City News. (2023, May 16). Elizabeth Holmes loses latest bid to avoid prison and gets hit with $452M restitution bill. ABC7 News. https://abc7news.com/amp/post/elizabeth-holmes-prison-theranos-us-court-of-appeals-for-the-9th-circuit-news/13256920/

Boston Globe. (2023, May 18). Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is going to prison. Here’s what to know. The Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/18/business/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-is-going-prison-heres-what-know

EBSCO Research Starters. (n.d.). Theranos [Research starter]. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/technology/theranos

EQS Editorial Team. (2023, November 22). Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos case: History of a fraud scandal. Integrity Line. https://www.integrityline.com/expertise/blog/elizabeth-holmes-theranos/

Gale, A. (2026, October 7). Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans [Web page]. A&E. https://www.aetv.com/articles/elizabeth-holmes-billy-evans

Hartmans, A., & Leskin, P. (2020, February 11). The career rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/the-career-rise-and-fall-of-theranos-founder-elizabeth/346212

Herrnstadt, D. (2026, October 7). Nathan Fielder reveals Elizabeth Holmes’ partner tried to derail film. The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/nathan-fielder-reveals-elizabeth-holmes-partner-tried-to-derail-film

Italiano, E. (2025, August 27). The Rehearsal and the Mental Health in Aviation Act [Web page]. BroBible. https://brobible.com/culture/article/the-rehearsal-mental-health-in-aviation-act/

Keshavan, M., & Versel, N. (2016, February 5). Theranos doomsday clock: A full timeline of its rise and fall. MedCity News. https://medcitynews.com/2016/02/theranos-doomsday-clock-full-timeline-rise-fall/

Liedtke, M., & Budman, S. (2022, March 22). Elizabeth Holmes looms over trial of former lover, partner. NBC Bay Area. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/elizabeth-holmes-looms-over-trial-of-former-lover-partner/2844360/

Musumeci, N. (2025, November 30). Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has had nearly three years knocked off her prison sentence. Business Insider. https://www.aol.com/articles/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-had-100005390.html

NBC News. (2025). Nathan Fielder’s CNN interview about The Rehearsal and the FAA [Web page]. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/the-rehearsal-nathan-fielder-cnn-interview-faa-rcna209782

O’Brien, S. A. (2022, July 7). The rise and fall of Theranos: A timeline. CNN Business. https://krdo.com/money/cnn-social-media-technology/2022/07/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-theranos-a-timeline/

Ramsey, L. (2018, May 21). An incident back in 2006 shows just how far back Theranos’ deception went in the company’s history. Business Insider. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/incident-back-2006-shows-just-110000756.html

Renata, C. (2026, September 7). Unveiling Telluride’s big secret: Elizabeth Holmes documentary is sheer craziness. TheWrap. https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/tellurides-big-secret-elizabeth-holmes-documentary/

SuperSummary. (n.d.). Bad Blood: Secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup: Key figures [Study guide]. https://www.supersummary.com/bad-blood/key-figures/

Wilson, B. T. (2020, March 11). Theranos and the tale of the disappearing board of directors. Idaho State Bar. https://isb.idaho.gov/blog/theranos-and-the-tale-of-the-disappearing-board-of-directors/

Worland, J. (2016, April 19). Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes: The investigation. TIME. https://time.com/4298885/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-investigation/

Zacharek, S. (2026, October 16). Elizabeth Holmes is not the problem with You Can See Everything. TIME. https://time.com/article/2026/10/15/you-can-see-everything-movie-review/

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
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💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod

From Catholic guilt to evangelical youth group, Maggie Crane has experienced more than one flavor of religious baggage. Ashley and Bailee sit down with the Massachusetts-born, NYC-based comedian to talk about growing up Irish Catholic, finding her way into evangelicalism, and the strange cultural differences between two religious worlds that might have more in common than you'd think.

Plus, purity culture, vaginismus, and what happens when the lessons you learn about your body stick around long after youth group ends.

Content Advisory: This episode discusses religious trauma, purity culture, and vaginismus.

Find Maggie:
📸 Instagram: @maggiecrane
🎵 TikTok: @maggiecrane

Connect with Us:
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🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
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💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
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Demons, deliverance, and the belief that every struggle has a spiritual explanation. Ashley and Bailee unpack the origins of deliverance ministry, what it looks like in modern evangelical and charismatic churches, and their own experiences with a practice that can blur the line between spiritual warfare and real-world harm. Together, they explore what happens when everything from anxiety to talking back to your parents gets blamed on demons.

Plus, Bailee shares a story from her past involving a remote gas station selling live guinea pigs, a child cashier, and a mudslide in Topanga Canyon that led her to what is now her favorite cardigan.

Content Advisory: Spiritual and sexual abuse.

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod

He told a whole congregation how wives should behave while doing the opposite behind closed doors. Ashley and Bailee skip the true crime recap of Netflix's Death of a Pastor's Wife and ask the scarier question: how does a church spend years training people to forgive a pastor before anything even comes out?

Plus, a praise report, a sprained foot, and a very serious debate about Nathan Fielder's hotness.

Content Advisory: this episode discusses suicide, sexual abuse, grooming, and religious abuse. The hosts share the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at the top.

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod

Ashley and Bailee unpack their thoughts and experiences with evangelical discipleship programs (think YWAM, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Teen Mania’s Honor Academy, etc.). They discuss how these programs offered young, disenchanted evangelical millennials an alternative to college, trade school, or other forms of higher education, as well as the immersive culture, community, and spiritual formation they provided. They explore how these experiences shaped their religious experiences and understanding of purpose, and what happens when those who lose their faith are left with no back-up plan.

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
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This week, Ashley and Bailee explore what it means to rebuild self-trust after spending years in an evangelical culture that taught them not to trust themselves. From being told that “the heart is deceitful” to learning to be suspicious of their own desires, instincts, and decision-making, they unpack how constantly looking outside ourselves for permission and direction can leave us disconnected from our own inner voice.

Together, they talk about what it looks like to begin trusting ourselves again and becoming open to the possibility that not every good decision has to come from sacrifice, suffering, or self-denial. Sometimes, joy, pleasure, and desire are just as connected to truth.

What We Talk About:

• Ashley found a scalp product that actually works. This is not a drill.
• Bailee gives tips on committing voter fraud.
• Hagar, Ishmael, and evangelicals’ insistence with spreading Islamophobia.
• Why are the same five actors in every movie?
• That one time “Satan” helped Bailee escape a cult in Kansas City.
• Ashley’s husband has no religious trauma and it’s bewildering.

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod

Ashley and Bailee sit down with filmmaker Grace Sims to talk about her evangelical childhood, her time with Youth With A Mission, and the purity-culture nicknames that followed her through high school. The conversation moves into Grace's gradual deconstruction and the deeply personal story behind her short film, The Country They Call Life, which follows a young woman navigating the decision to end a pregnancy. Grace opens up about her own abortion experience, why she chose to humanize every character in the film rather than write villains, and how she hopes the film builds empathy across the pro-life and pro-choice divide.

Connect with Grace:
Grace Sims is a writer, director, and producer based in Los Angeles. She began training in acting at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City before studying directing and screenwriting at Emerson College in Boston. Grace spent time in missions organizations before turning fully to storytelling. Her latest short film, The Country They Call Life (2025), follows a young woman named Maxine through the surreal, transformative experience of ending a pregnancy, drawing on Grace's own experience with abortion.

👩‍🦰 📸 Instagram: @meadowlarrk
👩‍🦰 💻 Web: gracesims.com

The Country they Call Life:

🎥 📸 Instagram: @thecountrytheycalllife
🎥 💻 Web: https://www.gracesims.com/

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
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This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their conversation about 9/11, getting into the attacks themselves and the enormous cultural impact they had on a generation of Americans. They talk about how September 11th changed the way Americans understood safety, terrorism, patriotism, and the world around them, and how the aftermath shaped American and Evangelical culture for years to come.

Together, they explore the War on Terror, Islamophobia, surveillance, and the ways 9/11 became woven into American politics, media, religion, and everyday life. They also dig into the evangelical response to the attacks and how growing up evangelical shaped the stories, fears, and beliefs they absorbed in a post-9/11 world.

References: 

Anti-Defamation League. (2023, February 21). The significance of the Oklahoma City bombing. https://www.adl.org/resources/news/significance-oklahoma-city-bombing

Avalon Project, Yale Law School. (n.d.). Military-industrial complex speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp

Bar-Lev, A., & Chermayeff, M. (Directors). (2021). Turning Point: 9/11 and the war on terror [TV series]. Netflix.

Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d.). Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing. https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/timothy-mcveigh-and-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/

Britannica. (2026a, June 24). Military-industrial complex. https://www.britannica.com/topic/military-industrial-complex

Britannica. (2026b, July 17). Pat Buchanan. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patrick-J-Buchanan

Common Dreams. (2025, November 19). "Trillion dollar war machine": Understanding US militarism and how to dismantle it. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trillion-dollar-us-war-machine

Council on Foreign Relations. (2021, August 31). How 9/11 reshaped foreign policy. https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-911-reshaped-foreign-policy

EBSCO Research Starters. (n.d.). Patrick "Pat" Joseph Buchanan. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/patrick-pat-joseph-buchanan

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2022, May 10). Oklahoma City bombing. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing

Foreign Policy in Focus. (2013, May 8). Defense conversion. https://fpif.org/defense_conversion/

González, R. J. (2010). Militarizing culture: Essays on the warfare state. Left Coast Press.

In These Times. (2020, August 17). How pro sports became part of the U.S. military's war machine. https://inthesetimes.com/article/sports-military-patriotism-corporate-war-baseball-football-hockey

Miller Center. (2025, May 28). Oklahoma City bombing. https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/oklahoma-city-bombing

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (2004). The 9/11 Commission report: Final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. 

U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf

Pew Research Center. (2023, November 8). The changing face of America's veteran population. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/

Political Research Associates. (1999, April 1). Clinton, conspiracism, and the continuing culture war: What is past is prologue. https://politicalresearch.org/1999/04/01/clinton-conspiracism-and-the-continuing-culture

U.S. Department of State Archive. (n.d.). 1989–2000: The post-Cold War era. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/pcw/index.htm

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod

This week, Ashley and Bailee begin a two-part conversation about 9/11 and the American evangelical response to one of the most defining events of their generation. But before getting into what happened after September 11th, they take a step back to look at the political, historical, and social climate that led up to the attacks.

Together, they unpack the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, the legacy of the Cold War, the rise of Islamic extremism, American foreign policy, and the complicated relationship between the United States and the Middle East. They also dig into Osama bin Laden’s origin story and radicalization, and the events and ideologies that shaped his path toward becoming the leader of al-Qaeda.

They talk about what Americans understood about Islam and terrorism before 9/11, the cultural narratives that were already taking shape, and how all of this context shaped the way Americans would eventually understand the attacks.

References:

• Anti-Defamation League. (2023, February 21). The significance of the Oklahoma City bombing. https://www.adl.org/resources/news/significance-oklahoma-city-bombing
• Avalon Project, Yale Law School. (n.d.). Military-industrial complex speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp
• Bar-Lev, A., & Chermayeff, M. (Directors). (2021). Turning Point: 9/11 and the war on terror [TV series]. Netflix.
• Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d.). Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing. https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/timothy-mcveigh-and-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/
• Britannica. (2026a, June 24). Military-industrial complex. https://www.britannica.com/topic/military-industrial-complex
• Britannica. (2026b, July 17). Pat Buchanan. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patrick-J-Buchanan
• Common Dreams. (2025, November 19). "Trillion dollar war machine": Understanding US militarism and how to dismantle it. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trillion-dollar-us-war-machine
• Council on Foreign Relations. (2021, August 31). How 9/11 reshaped foreign policy. https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-911-reshaped-foreign-policy
• EBSCO Research Starters. (n.d.). Patrick "Pat" Joseph Buchanan. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/patrick-pat-joseph-buchanan
• Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2022, May 10). Oklahoma City bombing. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing
• Foreign Policy in Focus. (2013, May 8). Defense conversion. https://fpif.org/defense_conversion/
• González, R. J. (2010). Militarizing culture: Essays on the warfare state. Left Coast Press.
• In These Times. (2020, August 17). How pro sports became part of the U.S. military's war machine. https://inthesetimes.com/article/sports-military-patriotism-corporate-war-baseball-football-hockey
• Miller Center. (2025, May 28). Oklahoma City bombing. https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/oklahoma-city-bombing
• National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (2004). The 9/11 Commission report: Final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf
• Pew Research Center. (2023, November 8). The changing face of America's veteran population. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/
• Political Research Associates. (1999, April 1). Clinton, conspiracism, and the continuing culture war: What is past is prologue. https://politicalresearch.org/1999/04/01/clinton-conspiracism-and-the-continuing-culture
• U.S. Department of State Archive. (n.d.). 1989–2000: The post-Cold War era. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/pcw/index.htm

Connect with Us:
📸 Instagram: @praisebetopod
🎵 TikTok: @praisebetopod
▶️ YouTube: @praisebetopod
💻 Web: www.praisebetopod.com
💸 Patreon: patreon.com/praisebetopod