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.

Host

Nathan Houchens, MD

Nathan Houchens, MD is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of Michigan. He serves as the Associate Chief of Medicine at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

His research and interests revolve around interpersonal relationships and communication in healthcare settings. He has a wealth of experience in facilitating communication skills training for diverse audiences. He emphasizes the role communication plays in patient and clinician satisfaction, education, professionalism, and humanism. He also studies the effects of empathy and compassion on healthcare delivery and outcomes, clinical reasoning and problem-solving, and medical education at multiple learning levels. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in medical journals as well as the book Teaching Inpatient Medicine: Connecting, Coaching, and Communicating in the Hospital 2nd Edition.