Peer Support

You’re in good company

You may be the only one in your social circle who’s heard about — or tried out — plant-based nutrition. Soon, that will change!

In the meantime, PPMNY’s peer support can be a key to your success. Whether you’re figuring out how to get started, or need an accountability partner to go farther, we make change easier through mentorship, support circles, and fun meet-ups.

Hang Out with Us

We organize potlucks, meals at local restaurants, and other social events throughout the year.

our events

Lifestyle Mentorship

Lifestyle Mentorship is our volunteer-run matching service for New York metro-area residents. We connect you with knowledgeable volunteers to serve as informal mentors and guides.

For 30 days (with the option to extend!) your mentor will offer support with the personal aspects of the lifestyle, helping you experiment, learn new skills, and gain confidence. PPMNY has trained around 90 peer mentors to support people like you!

TestimonialsThe Value of Mentorship

[My mentor and I] had an immediate connection and were friends from the beginning. She’s really supportive.

I love pizza. My mentor helped me break down the ingredients and showed me how to create a plant-based pizza so I’m not missing out!

The mentors are beyond helpful. They can relate 100% to what I am going through because they’ve been there.

My mentor addressed so many things with me, I don’t know where to start. From how to find plant-based pasta and healthy bread and nut butter brands, to which documentaries to watch, all the way up to how my religious beliefs align with plant-based eating … He covered it all.

The mentorship program feels personal, and your needs are met.

I enjoyed the [Jumpstart] mentorship sessions because everyone was so supportive of each other’s journey. We joked, we laughed, we shared food photos, recipes, and struggles. These moments confirmed what I was facing, and that I wasn’t in this by myself. The sense of community was priceless.

The guidance from the mentors was invaluable and created a strong bond in our [Jumpstart] group. We’re still talking even after the program ended.

The mentors were unbelievably knowledgeable and supportive … I can’t even believe the generosity of the one-on-one mentors who held our hands as we worked to make the lifestyle our own.

[My] mentor provided encouragement, support, concrete advice, and many, many delicious and easy recipes.

Your Mentor Will…

Build a trusting relationship to help you learn and navigate the process.
Help you establish a tangible goal and clear steps to achieve it in a short period of time.
Meet you where you are, depending on your starting point and whether you want to make gradual or wholesale changes to how you eat.

Serve as a helper, not an expert — we expect mentors and mentees to learn from each other!
Serve as a bridge to resources in the field.
Focus on lifestyle support, not health coaching or medical advising.

Gain Practical Tools

Mentors can help with so many different things, like:

Identifying recipes that fit your budget and lifestyle.
Helping you make sense of nutrition labels.
Creating a master shopping list.
Mastering tips and tricks for eating out while maintaining a healthy diet.
Finding affordable sources of whole plant ingredients.
Navigating conversations with friends and family about your lifestyle choices.
Making sense of popular science news that might contradict plant-based nutrition.

I’m interested — now what?

First, fill out the mentee intake form to let us know more about yourself. The more you’re willing to share, the easier it will be for us to match you with a mentor who’s had similar experiences.
Once you’re matched, the mentoring relationship lasts for 30 days and can be extended for another 1-2 months if you and your mentor both agree.
At your first meeting, you’ll talk about your goals and come up with achievable steps to reach them. You can determine if you’d like to be mentored remotely and/or meet up in-person.

Take note: This is not a health coaching program. Health coaches usually complete more advanced training to give you structured support.

Questions? Contact Anthony Spino, PPMNY’s Lifestyle Mentorship Coordinator.

want to be a mentor?

How it Works

Our mentorship coordinator will contact you when we have a mentor for you. Our goal is to match you within two weeks, but sometimes it can take a bit longer.
At the end of mentorship, you’ll complete a simple exit survey to let us know how it went. We’ll also invite you to make a donation to PPMNY within your means (encouraged but not required), as this is a donation-based program.
Separately, anyone who enrolls in our Plant Powered Jumpstart will be mentored in a small group. If you plan to participate in Jumpstart, you’re welcome to enroll in one-on-one mentorship before or after the program.

Other Considerations

If you’re on medication or otherwise under medical care for a diagnosed condition, please note that it is your responsibility to work with your physician on medical matters. Please don’t ask your mentor medical questions.
If you are struggling with disordered eating, we encourage you to seek out help from a professional, as our peer mentors won’t know how to address your needs.

Show Up With Your Mentor

We encourage mentorship pairs to get together for food shopping, eating out, and PPMNY’s learning and social events. You can also bring friends and family along to start widening your circle of support!

Our Events

Lifestyle Support Circles

Familiar with a whole food, plant-based lifestyle but still figuring out how to make it work? If you’d like to connect with a small group of health-seekers for new ideas and accountability, join a virtual Lifestyle Support Circle, facilitated by one of our Lifestyle Mentors.

We offer circles to people who have:

Completed a Plant Powered Jumpstart.
Participated in a Food for Life class series.
Attended a comparable plant-based health program that provided a solid foundation for plant-powered living.
Done a lot of personal learning and research into WFPB nutrition and are ready for next-stage support.

Lifestyle Support Circles include no more than 6 people and a mentor who meet weekly over 6 weeks, with the option to extend for another 2 weeks.

more on support circlesGroup Learning Made Fun

Your mentor-facilitator will guide the group in ongoing learning, recipe sharing, skill-building, and troubleshooting. The exact topics each circle explores will be shaped by its members — you!

PPMNY offers Lifestyle Support Circles at different times of year. Reach out to determine your eligibility to join and learn when our next circles are offered.