Boundless Moments
Welcome to Boundless Moments, the storytelling podcast that brings sacred moments to life through the voices of those who lived them. Hosted by an internal medicine physician named Nathan Houchens, this podcast is part of a greater humanistic project called the Sacred Moments Initiative whose aim is to build a social movement of meaningful connection by studying, cataloging, and sharing sacred moments.
You might be asking, what is a sacred moment? This term has been used to describe a brief period in which people experience personal connection, powerful emotions, or spiritual qualities of transcendence and boundlessness. In these moments, it may feel as if time has stopped, as if typical boundaries have blurred. People who experience these moments are left with a sense of joy, peace, and empathy for the others involved and for themselves. These moments are often experienced in times of great stress or beauty and have the potential to profoundly impact our lives.
At Boundless Moments, we gather to share the stories that reveal the golden thread weaving us together. Sacred moments are recounted by the people who lived them and are often be followed by a conversation – an opportunity for reflection or a deeper dive into the ways in which the moment left lasting impressions. Every episode is an invitation to pause and appreciate the expansive power of shared humanity.
We would love for you to be part of this movement, and we would be honored to hear your story. If you have experienced a moment of grace, connection, or empathy that changed you, we invite you to submit it for consideration to be shared on Boundless Moments. By sharing, you not only contribute to a collective celebration of human connection but also inspire others to recognize and cherish the sacred moments in their own lives. To discover more about sacred moments and to share your own story, please visit sacredmomentsinitiative.org.
Join us as we delve into those brief moments that uncover the transformative power of compassion, the profound beauty of vulnerability, and the unyielding resilience of the human spirit. Through heartfelt tales and the conversations that follow, discover how ordinary encounters become extraordinary.
Episodes
14 episodes
Safe Haven
Jinae’s moment begins in one of the heaviest spots in healthcare: sitting alongside a grieving individual in the immediate aftermath of loss. As an administrator in a new role, Jinae was presented with a situation for which no training can prep...
Appamāda
Rev. Mary Myoku Remington, a Buddhist Chaplain and Director of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program at Upaya, takes us back to her very first day in clinical training. What began as a harried and judgment-laden handoff of a “difficult” pati...
A Call to a Calling
In his reflections, Dr. Dale Nikkel traces the origins of a calling that emerged through an interruption—an unexpected pager sounding in the midst of an ordinary evening, opening a pathway to extraordinary purpose. Drawn by a longing he could n...
Listening for Life
We as humans don't always appreciate the incredible automatic work our bodies do to keep us alive, like the silent rhythmic symphony of our heartbeat. In this episode, Naomi Zikmund-Fisher shares two deeply personal stories from her pregnancy t...
Doing Laps
Dr. Brian Zikmund-Fisher opens with a personal story from the bone marrow transplant ward, where he underwent chemotherapy and confronted the daily realities of serious illness. He describes his connection with Steve, another patient who had be...
126 Healers
So far in Boundless Moments, we have heard from healthcare and mental healthcare providers who have shared their reflections on what it means to experience sacred moments with patients, clients, colleagues, or even mentees. It's time then to ex...
Do You Know What I Mean?
Dr. Arlene MacDougall shares her profound experience with dreams, healing, and the transforming power of the sweat lodge. She reflects on a terrifying dream from her youth that became a symbol of her journey through pain and hardship. In her wo...
Origami Elephants
In this episode, we hear from a renowned PhD clinical psychologist, adjunct professor in psychiatry and psychology, and research scientist. Our guest begins with a brief guided meditation. Using gentle reflection, she helps us envision a metaph...
A Deep and Abiding Love
Dr. Adam Marks shares a profound story from his experience as an early career palliative care physician, focusing on the delicate balance between truth telling and maintaining hope for patients and their families. He discusses the emotional com...
Taking Bricks Out of the Backpack
Dr. Heather Gilmartin shares her evolution from nursing to leadership coaching. She talks about how a highly challenging moment in her professional life led to her desire to pursue guidance from a coach, and she describes the transformative mom...
Fijian Oldies
Dr. Andrew Kim shares a deeply moving story of unspoken reconciliation between a patient and his estranged mother. As they navigate the complexities of family estrangement, Dr. Kim reflects on the powerful moments of connection and forgiveness ...
Three Little Birds
Dr. Kristin Collier shares a deeply personal story about her friend Jake, a talented physician whose battle with cancer profoundly impacted her understanding of medicine, suffering, and spirituality. Through her reflections, she explores the li...