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.

Guest

Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD

Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD is Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity and Research Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the academic journals Medical Decision Making and MDM Policy & Practice. Dr. Zikmund-Fisher's career blends his training in decision psychology and behavioral economics with his personal experiences having to make multiple major medical treatment decisions. He designs and evaluates methods of making health data more intuitively meaningful to patients, the public, and policymakers. He studies the impact of people’s consistent preferences for more versus less health care on over- and underutilization of care. And he explores the power of narrative as a tool for sharing patient experiences. He also teaches courses on designing clear and memorable messages to non-scientist audiences and explores the use of improvisational theater games as tools for building health and science communication skills.

Guest appearance on:

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