🪔 From the EVERgreen Chronicle of Kitchen Monk™
Kitchen Monk™ Review
Recognition & Reflections
Kitchen Monk did not appear out of nowhere. It grew through years of mentorship, clinical practice, lifestyle medicine, nursing, nutrition, mindfulness, community, education, and people who challenged and encouraged new ways of thinking about health. This is where we keep the evidence of that journey.
From Mentorship to Flourishing
A Mentor’s Recognition: Dr. Ron Weiss, DipABLM
Dr. Ron Weiss, DipABLM, is a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, Executive Director of Ethos Primary Care ↗, and founder of the Ethos Farm Project ↗ in Long Valley, New Jersey. He was one of Nathanael Smith’s earlier lifestyle-medicine mentors.
These archival Chef AJ conversations capture an important moment in Nathanael’s mentorship journey and the professional history that eventually contributed to the development of Kitchen Monk™. The recordings themselves are the primary source; please watch them in their original context.
Jump to a moment:
🎞 Chef AJ · The Doctor Is In · Streamed live March 17, 2023
Iodine Discussion + A Personal Recognition
⭐ NATHANAEL’S RECOGNITION — ~56:36
💛 Why this clip matters
Former mentor Dr. Ron Weiss, DipABLM, publicly recognized Nathanael during this Chef AJ discussion, at approximately 56:36. For a nurse practitioner still early in his lifestyle-medicine journey, hearing a mentor acknowledge him on a public program was deeply meaningful, and it remains one of the moments Nathanael returns to when he remembers how many people helped Kitchen Monk grow.
💬 Quotation
We haven’t published a quotation yet. Any quote added here will be short, checked word for word against the recording, and shown with its exact timestamp and a link to the original moment.
Iodine note: this clip is here for its place in Kitchen Monk’s history, not as supplementation advice. Please talk with your own clinician about iodine.
🌱 Same conversation · A few minutes later
The Moment That Planted a Seed | 59:40–1:00:14
Nathanael remembers this brief exchange as a nudge to think more widely about the tools that can belong in care, including mindfulness and other lifestyle approaches. It became one of the seeds of his own later framework, the Flourishing Nursing Coach Ninja™, which Dr. Weiss did not create or endorse.
🎞 Chef AJ · Viewer Q&A · Streamed live March 15, 2024
Lyme Disease Discussion | 23:30–29:30
💛 Why this clip matters
This archival conversation forms part of the professional history behind Kitchen Monk and documents an important period in Nathanael’s mentorship and development in lifestyle medicine.
Lyme disease note: Lyme disease can involve complex diagnostic and treatment questions. This clip is preserved for its historical context and is not a Kitchen Monk Lyme disease protocol. If you’re concerned about a tick bite or Lyme disease, please see a qualified clinician promptly.
Historical recognition, not a present-day endorsement. These recordings document past mentorship and a public acknowledgment. Dr. Ron Weiss, Ethos Primary Care, the Ethos Farm Project, and Chef AJ are independent; they are not affiliated with Kitchen Monk™, Flourishing Nursing, or The EVERgreen Chronicles™, and have not reviewed or endorsed them. Archived medical discussions may not reflect current evidence and are not individualized medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.
Archive source record
Iodine conversation: The Doctor Is In: March Q&A with Ron Weiss, M.D – Sinusitis, Urticaria, Iodine Deficiency & More… · Chef AJ (YouTube) · streamed live March 17, 2023 · https://www.youtube.com/live/amSCAI-qZ_Q · featured 53:47–58:34 · recognition ~56:36 · seed moment 59:40–1:00:14
Lyme conversation: Ron Weiss, MD Answers Viewer Questions on Lyme Disease, Cellulitis Do Vegans Break More Bones & More · Chef AJ (YouTube) · streamed live March 15, 2024 · https://www.youtube.com/live/agRrBa_yEEU · featured 23:30–29:30
Accessed September 25, 2026 · Verified quotations: none yet
🩺 Professional Recognition · Lifestyle Medicine
Nathanael & the American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Nathanael Elijah Smith, FNP-C, DipACLM, is a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and a member of its nursing community.
🎤 Presentation · August 24, 2026
Moving Nursing Forward: The Journey
Presented by Nathanael to ACLM’s Nursing Member Interest Group (MIG), the member community for RNs and APRNs. The talk asked a central question: How can nurses help people flourish while building conditions in which nurses can flourish, too? It explored the six pillars of lifestyle medicine across patient care, nurse wellbeing, education, community partnerships, and health systems, and became the seed of Flourishing Nursing Forward™.
💛 What happened next
The presentation was well received, and afterward an ACLM staff member encouraged Nathanael to explore developing it into a workshop for Lifestyle Medicine Centers. He is working toward that possibility. It has not been approved or scheduled, and it is not an ACLM program or endorsement.
⭐ Featured by ACLM
Nathanael’s Words on ACLM’s Own Website
ACLM has chosen Nathanael’s member testimonial to feature across several pages of lifestylemedicine.org, including its pages for clinicians, membership, continuing education, and “What Is Lifestyle Medicine?”
“Joining ACLM gave me the tools and evidence-based training I had long been searching for to truly address the root causes of chronic disease. As a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional, I’m now able to make a meaningful, lasting difference in my patients’ lives—and in my own.”
— Nathanael Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, RN, DipACLM, as featured by ACLM
See it on ACLM’s website ↗
Lifestyle Medicine for Clinicians ↗
Become a Member ↗
Continuing Education ↗
What Is Lifestyle Medicine? ↗
Pages checked September 25, 2026. Websites change, so the testimonial may move or rotate over time.
ACLM featuring a member’s testimonial, and a member presenting to an ACLM interest group, do not mean ACLM endorses, sponsors, or is affiliated with Kitchen Monk™, Flourishing Nursing Forward™, ACFN, or The EVERgreen Chronicles™.
📖 Reader Reviews
“He’s more than a character. More than a brand. He’s an idea, and an idea that just may have the potential to ‘flourish.’”
— Erik L., ★★★★★, the first reader review of The Book of the Lamp · Read more reader responses →
📰 Outside Voices
The Kitchen Monk: Reinventing Healthcare, One Meal at a Time
Written by Chef Robin Jeep · Women’s Wellness / OptiMYz · September 1, 2026
Someone carried the lamp before us. We remember them. We learn from them. And then we carry the light forward.
