Boundless Moments

Dr. Adam Baruch's story begins and ends in the same place, on labor and delivery, the setting of his training as a physician and of the most heartbreaking and joyful moments of his own family's life. It is a story of sudden grief and of a medical discovery that changed the course of Adam and his wife Tali's lives, followed by a long road toward hope. Along the way, they were surrounded by family, friends, and a remarkable community of caregivers who showed up for them again and again, and their journey led to an unforgettable sacred moment of renewal.

In our conversation, we reflect on what it means to be a physician, a spouse, and a parent all at once, and how receiving deep, present care shaped the way Adam cares for his own patients. We talk about the limits of control in medicine and in pregnancy, and about how Jewish tradition offers a framework for moving through both grief and joy. We explore how doctors can be vulnerable and human without losing focus on the person in front of them, where they turn to process the weight of this work, and the humility of realizing that each of us is only one tiny piece of a much larger puzzle.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

Every great educator can trace their path back to a handful of pivotal moments. A mentor's offhand comment, an unexpected door that opened, a piece of advice that reshaped how they saw their work. Dr. Kelley Skeff has been a towering figure in medical education for decades, and his story takes us back to the mentors who shaped him and the sage advice that helped him discover his calling. In the interview, we talk about why exposing trainees to diverse fields early on can spark the kind of discovery that defines a career, how AI might personalize learning while nurturing a genuine love of it, and why something as simple as telling a patient's story in chronological order can transform how we understand and care for them. Dr. Skeff has a rare gift for finding the humanity in medicine's most technical corners, and I was thrilled to sit down with him for this one. 

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

Dr. Alicia Newsome — functional medicine physician, executive advisor, and author of the forthcoming book Worthy of Rest — shares her love story. She describes the immediate wordless pull toward a person whose face isn't even fully in view. Some may call it fate, others perhaps serendipity, or maybe it was two souls catching sight of one another after a thousand years. What follows is an extraordinary chain of small, seemingly forgettable moments that, when pulled together, look like a grander design. From a prayer whispered under a full moon in New York to the spiritual practice that helped her get clear on who she wanted to become, Alicia walks us through faith, surrender, and the art of recognizing alignment when it calls. Along the way, she introduces a concept that reframes how we think about love and connection altogether: instead of soulmates, we're actually looking for trailmates, the people who walk beside us for exactly as long as we're meant to walk together.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

As a medical intern in the intensive care unit, Dr. Nathan Houchens believed his patients needed him to be unshakeable. Fueled by exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty, he constructed a figurative “mask” of confidence and stoicism before the planned removal of life support from a woman with advanced ALS. But in the final moments before her death, she gave him a gift that caused his carefully crafted façade to crumble.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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 prepare. Forms and procedures were set aside to allow for a sacred space of compassion, tears, and prayer. She reflects on the anxiety and emotional weight of accompanying others through grief. Although Boundless Moments often explores the experiences of clinicians and patients, Jinae’s story offers up a reminder that healing presence is not limited to traditional caregiving roles. And while the story itself is undeniably somber, you’ll quickly discover that the spirit of our conversation is warm, hopeful, and joyful — a reflection of Jinae’s radiant personality and the genuine connections she makes with those around her.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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” patient quickly unfolded into a frightening moment. As a novice chaplain, with no script to follow, Mary chose to stay and listen and be interested. What emerges is a story about the slow unraveling of anger into grief, of distance into understanding. In bearing witness to her patient’s pain, Mary discovered an early and enduring truth of her calling: that beneath even the most volatile exteriors may lie a tender, wounded heart, and that the simple act of staying can lead to a closing of the chasm between two individuals.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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 not yet name, he stepped into the sacred space of spiritual care, where his very first encounter was marked not by expertise, but by humility and missteps. At the bedside of a dying man, stripped of training and pretense, he discovered that healing presence can begin simply with one human being willing to sit with another. In these tender, imperfect, and profoundly real moments, he found that the calling is less about knowing what to do, and more about being willing to show up, with an open heart, during life’s most fragile thresholds.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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 that reveal what it's like when the body suddenly feels unsafe, when the symphony becomes chaotic. From an abruptly racing heartbeat that left her questioning whether her body could sustain her unborn child to an emergency treatment that temporarily stopped her heart, Naomi invites listeners into the emotional landscape patients often experience in healthcare. She talks about the importance of validation even when symptoms are uncertain or evolving, the power of small acts of support, and the value in preparing patients for what medical interventions may feel like. I loved how each of her stories ends with the sound of a heartbeat.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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 begun the same treatment path a week earlier, and their silent pledge to each other and to themselves. Following his story, Dr. Zikmund-Fisher reflects on how patients may create a personal space in the hospital through meaningful and humanizing objects. He notes that patients need not be endlessly patient but can control parts of their experience. He explores fear as a motivator, the importance of understanding risk and making a commitment, the value of acceptance of one’s circumstances, and how shared experiences can build community—reminding us that in healthcare, the human experience matters just as much as the science.

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216

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 explore how sacred moments may unfold from the patient's perspective. And perhaps there's no more fitting segue than by hearing from a person who has experienced both the physician and the patient roles. 

Dr. Raj Mangrulkar shares with me the very personal moment he realized he was having a stroke, transitioning from caregiver to patient, from independent to relying on others. He shares parts of his health care journey in the hospital and later in the rehab center, reflecting on the value of being seen and heard in a holistic way, the emotional rollercoaster of recovery, and how the eyes can be a window to the soul. The sacred moments in his story are abundant and arise from his intense personal vulnerability and willingness to share his story with others, as well as his reliance on so many people in his community to heal and return to what he loves to do, and how his experience allowed him to grow closer to the Veterans for whom he cares. I left the conversation feeling uplifted and inspired, and I very much hope you do the same. 

Sacred Moments Initiative
2800 Plymouth Road
North Campus Research Complex
Building 16, Room 430W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
734-936-5216