🌱 Near you or online
Find or Start a Flourishing Pod
Find your people. Take one manageable next step. You do not have to do this alone.
What’s a Flourishing Pod?
A Flourishing Pod is Kitchen Monk’s name for any small circle of people who help each other eat well, move, rest, and connect. It might be a local plant-based group, an online program cohort, three coworkers who share lunch recipes, or neighbors who walk together on Saturdays. There’s no membership, fee, or sign-up with us. Two ways to begin:
⭐ FEATURED · IN PERSON & ONLINE · WORLDWIDE
🍲 Take a plant-based cooking class near you
The Physicians Committee’s Food for Life classes combine a short nutrition talk with a live cooking demonstration, taught by licensed instructors in communities around the world and online. PCRM keeps an up-to-date list, so you’ll always see the next classes, not last month’s.
No class nearby? PCRM’s page lets you find an instructor in your area and ask them to hold one. Some classes are free and some have a fee set by the instructor, so check each listing. Food for Life is PCRM’s own program and is not affiliated with Kitchen Monk.
1 · Join a group that already exists
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine runs Building Healthy Communities, a free worldwide network of local plant-based groups. Its map lists groups across the United States and in many other countries. Search by ZIP code or zoom in on your area.
Looking for PlantPure Pods? PlantPure Communities says its Pod Network has moved to Building Healthy Communities, so PCRM’s map is the place to look. Each group keeps its own name and is run independently; joining is free, though some activities may have costs.
🗽 Or join an online group, free
🆓 Starting Fall 2026, any adult can join Plant Powered Metro New York’s 21-Day Jumpstart free, online, or its Spanish version, Reto Salud. It’s a ready-made group to go through the first weeks with. Many PPMNY events are free; some have a cost.
2 · Start your own Flourishing Pod
No group nearby? Two or three people are enough.
- Invite one or two people: a friend, a coworker, a neighbor, someone from church.
- Pick one small thing to do together: try one new recipe a week, walk after dinner, or do a free online program side by side.
- Check in kindly: a text on Sunday, a shared meal once a month. No scores, no shame.
Want structure? Do Feel Better, Eat Better together, or join PPMNY’s free Jumpstart as a group. Want to become an official local group? PCRM explains how to start a Building Healthy Communities group ↗. Then add your pod to our Community Map.
Sharing food? Ask about allergies and let everyone know what’s in each dish.
🩺 Find a lifestyle medicine clinician
A pod is wonderful company, but it’s not medical care. If you have a health condition or take medicines, a clinician trained in lifestyle medicine can help you change safely. ACLM: Find a Clinician ↗
More places to connect: 💚 Plant Based Support (free online groups and classes) · 🤝 Kitchen Monk free online community · 🌳 Garden of Eden Initiative (in development)
💬 First message idea: “I’m interested in joining. Are you welcoming newcomers, when is the next gathering, and what should I know about cost, language, accessibility, and food expectations?”
🩺 For the nursing team: this page is safe to share with patients and families. How to share it within your role ↗
Our pathway, their programs. “Flourishing Pod” is Kitchen Monk’s informal name for small support circles; it is not a program, membership, or certification, and groups listed here keep their own names. Building Healthy Communities, Plant Powered Metro New York, and every other group named here are independent and are not affiliated with, partners of, or endorsers of Kitchen Monk™ or Flourishing Nursing. We earn nothing from these links. Details checked September 29, 2026; confirm times, costs, and eligibility with each group. Community support is not medical care. If you take medicine for blood sugar or blood pressure, talk with your clinician before big diet changes. Know a group we should add? Tell us.
✉️ Started a pod, or know a group we should list? Email rfjeep@gmail.com.
