CLASSES BEGIN FALL 2024

FNA Curriculum

The Funk’tional Nutrition Academy™ is a 14-month functional nutrition certification program.

FNA bridges the gap between functional nutrition knowledge and clinical application to help you create a transformative experience for your clients, leverage yourself as an expert, and grow your business.

The curriculum gets DEEP into high level functional medicine nutrition education concepts.

Modules include thorough lab trainings so you understand how to analyze specific functional lab testing, when to apply them in your practice, and how to create protocols for your clients based on their symptoms and lab results AND what to do if these protocols don’t work! FNA takes training a step further by weaving live case studies throughout modules so you learn how to communicate with clients, help with application, and learn how to think outside the box to troubleshoot tough cases—when you’ve done everything right, and it’s still not working.

There’s more to owning or starting a successful practice than just clinical knowledge. This is why FNA also includes business trainings specifically curated for health practitioners to support steady growth in your practice AND personal transformation…all while avoiding burnout.

 

FNA was created in response to the gaps in the functional nutrition space. Many practitioners spend a lot of time and money on different “functional” trainings, yet are still unsure how to take what they’ve learned and put it into practice effectively—at FNA, you’ll learn just that, from instructors who’ve already done it.

 

Help your clients on a deeper level.

It takes more than just ordering functional lab tests and handing out protocols to become an excellent functional medicine practitioner.

 

What’s offered each month.

 

The Base 6

MONTH 1

Where to start with almost everyone: intake & interventions

Different approaches to discovery calls

The 6 things to focus on to move the needle, get clients more energy, & build trust & retention

Functional lab testing: when to know it's the right choice

Trauma informed care in functional medicine

Lab Spotlight: Micronutrient Panel, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

Neuroendocrine & HPA axis

MONTH 2

Helping your clients connect the dots with their stress response & I.D. their triggers

Cortisol, DHEA & adrenal testing

Regulating hormones through diet

Advanced protocols for HPA axis & adrenals

Lab Spotlight: DUTCH Test Lab Interpretation, Part 1

Thyroid Health

MONTH 3

Deep nutrition for thyroid health

Gut, thyroid & liver connection

Thyroid testing & subclinical “hidden” thyroid dysfunction

Top patterns of thyroid dysfunction & how to assess with labs

Hashimoto’s: understanding thyroid autoimmunity

Lab Spotlight: Complete Thyroid Panel

Female Hormones Part 1

MONTH 4

Energetics of the 4 phase cycle

Food as Medicine: nutrient cycling

Hormone-balancing herbs & botanicals

Understanding hormone physiology

Period problems & birth control

Menopause & peri-menopause

Lab Spotlight: DUTCH Test Lab Interpretation, Part 2 & Cycle Mapping

Hormones Part 2

MONTH 5

Estrogen dominance & detox

Endometriosis protocols

How to educate clients about environmental toxins

Testosterone, DHEA & androgen pathways

Blood sugar & insulin resistance deep dive

Different types of PCOS & protocols

Lab Spotlight: DUTCH Test Lab Interpretation, Part 3

Business Trainings

MONTH 6

During month 6, we focus our course work on the business side of functional nutrition and private practice. While you receive immediate access to all the business modules upon enrollment, this month provides focused time for you to jump in, review, or implement new strategies. Details on what is covered in the business modules are listed below.

Digestion & Gut Protocols

MONTH 7

The #1 mistake clinicians make with functional gut labs

Intestinal permeability: different types & how to assess

Dietary methods to lower inflammation & antigen exposure

Benefits and limitations of the 5R protocol

How to structure a gut-healing protocol

All about gluten

Lab Spotlight: Wheat Zoomer

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

MONTH 8

Different types of SIBO & how to assess

SIBO diets: friend or foe?

Treatment strategies & underlying causes

Treatment-resistant cases: how to troubleshoot

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lab Spotlight: SIBO testing

GI Pathogens & Microbiome Restoration

MONTH 9

Westernization of the modern gut

Microbiome’s effect on: metabolic health, immune system, inflammation

Bacteria: the good, the bad, the ugly

Common pathogens & protocols

Gut-skin connection

Stool testing controversy

Lab Spotlight: Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) GI Map

Case Studies & Real Practice

MONTH 10

Real-world cases

Practice with labs

See Erin in action with actual clients

Learn effective ways to communicate with your clients

Food Sensitivities & Immune Tolerance

MONTH 11

Bridging the gap between functional nutrition & mindful eating

Understanding food sensitivities & different types of food reactions

Elimination diets: the good, the bad, the ugly

Utilizing food sensitivity testing

How do you get clients off restrictive “healing” diets

Orthorexia master class

Intuitive Eating master class

Lab Spotlight: Clinical Applications for Peptide-Level Food Sensitivity Tests

The Nervous System & The Brain-Gut Connection

MONTH 12

Gut-brain axis

Vagus nerve communication & dysregulation

Bottom-up signaling: gut to brain

Inflammatory model of depression

Unresponsive & chronic GI disorders

IBD

Trauma & the brain

Limbic system dysfunction

How to work with hypervigilant clients

Organic Acid Testing, Mitochondria & Detox

MONTH 13

Detoxification overview 

Drainage pathways

The detox-mitochondria link

Energy production

Environmental toxins

Mold & mycotoxins

Chronic fatigue 

Deep dive into organic acid testing

Lab Spotlight: Organic Acids Test

Integration: Pulling it All Together

MONTH 14

Final case study for certification

The purpose of this final case report is for FNA faculty to get insight into your clinical thought process and your ability to apply the principles of Intuitive Functional Medicine™, a whole-human approach to functional medicine nutrition and holistic health.

The goal of FNA is to get you confident working in a clinical setting with actual humans, so our final exam reflects this—we want to see you fly in a real world setting!

You will have 8 months to complete & submit your final exam case study. We are not looking for “all the right answers,” but instead we are assessing your critical thinking tools since this is how we learn, grow & hone our clinical skills IRL.

 
 

Clinical Mentorship

 

We are extremely proud to offer extensive clinical mentorship throughout FNA. As our students and grads tell us, being able to collaborate with and receive guidance from a skilled practitioner is an invaluable part of the program.

Industry standard for this level of mentorship is $4000-$6000 for 14 months, but because we know what an important role clinical mentorship plays in becoming an excellent clinician, we offer it as part of the FNA curriculum.

 
 

As one of our mentees said, 

“As a new business owner, mentorship is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

 

Q&A and Coaching Office Hours

 

You have ample opportunity to submit your questions about curriculum, clients, case studies, Intuitive Functional Medicine™, business and mindset to our twice a month office hour sessions.

Questions are submitted ahead of time and ALL calls are recorded, so you have the option to attend live or watch the replay at your convenience! This is a phenomenal way to gain clarity, confidence and understand concepts on a deeper level.

1:1 Lab Review Mentorship

 

New to adding labs to your practice and lacking confidence? Working with a tricky client and feeling stuck? We've got you covered! While you can always submit labs for review in the Clinical Q&A sessions, we also offer 1:1 clinical support with Rachel Mistry, MS, RD to review client labs and help you strategize how to best help your clients!

This provides you with the peace of mind of knowing your work is “double checked” by an experienced clinician, and to make sure you’re not missing anything when you pull all the information together. There is huge value in being able to talk through your thought process with another practitioner—so much clinical insight comes out of these calls!

 

I actually find these one-on-one sessions to be one of the most helpful aspects of this program. I have learned so much from Rachel and appreciate these opportunities!” 

— Lori Fish Bard, MS, CNS, LDN, HHC, FNA grad

 
 

Ready to hit the ground running?

Although FNA officially holds 2 cohorts per year, upon enrollment you’ll immediately gain access to our prep work material so you can get started as soon as you'd like!

How to show up authentically and be you

Strategies & practices to make your investment back

Goal setting & guided hypnosis

Adopting the IIT factor (how to actually get something out of this program!!)

Using your intuition in your business

The body first, business second philosophy

Join the mastermind community

 

 Business Modules 

If your goal is to start a private practice—or you currently run a private practice—you're a business owner. And to be a successful business owner with a thriving practice, you need knowledge and tools beyond those gleaned to become a skilled clinician.

But most functional programs don’t cover the business side of being a functional health practitioner. The Funk’tional Nutrition Academy does—that’s part of what is so unique about FNA. Created and led by Erin Holt, who built a successful and sustainable seven-figure business from the ground up, these trainings include over 30 hours of modules dedicated to the business side of building and running a functional health practice.

 

Unlike our clinical modules (which are rolled out progressively each month) our business modules are all accessible at the start of FNA so you can jump into those trainings immediately, if that’s your preference. We also spend month 6 taking a collective deep dive into the business trainings together.

 

Here’s some of what you can expect from our business modules:

  • Business Basics & Mindset

    Discovering your core values

    Getting clients

    How to grow your business when you’re still working full time

    Addressing limiting beliefs

    Busting through imposter syndrome

    Dealing with negative reviews & criticism

    Finding your zone of genius

    Manifestation in business

    Money mindset

  • Selling & Launching Your Services

    Dialing in your ideal customer avatar

    Figuring out your fees, when to change them, & should you list them

    Selling for people who don’t like sales

    Launching, limiting beliefs, & launch goal energetics

    Trauma-informed discovery calls

  • Growth & Expansion

    How to attract your ideal customer without “feeling salesy”

    Content marketing

    Writing compelling copy & copy that converts

    Pitching yourself to media outlets & podcasts

    Social media marketing: Instagram growth strategies, magnetic marketing, & the energetics of being seen

  • Creating Your Own Unique Method

    Online course content & logistics

    Branding & positioning

    Leveraging yourself as an expert

    Protecting your IP

    Erin’s process in real time

  • Setting Boundaries to Prevent Practitioner Burnout

    Getting clear with your boundaries & where to start

    Why boundaries are hard

    Communicating boundaries

    Energetic boundaries

    Real world examples of boundary setting

Meet Erin Holt

Founder, Director & Lead Instructor of the Funk’tional Nutrition Academy

Erin is an integrative and functional nutritionist, and the creator and host of The Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast. It took Erin over a decade, and well over $200K in piecemeal trainings and mentorship to get to where she is today and she’s sharing everything she’s learned—through continuing education, clinical experience, and growing a business—in the Funk’tional Nutrition Academy.

 

Additional Resources

As an FNA student or continuing grad, you have access to a wealth of resources.

Q&A and Coaching

Submit your questions about curriculum, clients, case studies, Intuitive Functional Medicine™, business and mindset to these twice monthly sessions on Tuesdays at 11am EST. Questions are submitted ahead of time and ALL calls are recorded, so you have the option to attend live or watch the replay at your convenience!

 

Q&A and Coaching Showcases

All previously recorded Q&A and Coaching sessions are saved in this showcase. You have the ability to search all calls based on what specific topic you are looking for!

 

Complimentary Lab Review
Office Hours

 

New to adding labs to your practice and lacking confidence? Working with a tricky client and feel stuck? We've got you covered! While you can always submit labs for review in the Clinical Q&A sessions, we also offer complimentary 1:1 support to review client labs and help you strategize how to best help your clients!

Nervous System Reset Sessions
for Practitioners

 

This is something we're really proud to offer.

We tell our clients that self care and stress management is a MUST...but are we honoring those suggestions ourselves? The truth is, you can't preach what you do not actively practice...and practitioner burnout is REAL.

We KNOW how important our nervous system is to overall health (and if you don't now, you will by the end of FNA!!). Erin takes it a step further to suggest that a safe and regulated nervous system is ALSO important for success in your career & business!

That's why we offer guided practices for YOU as the practitioner. We know how much support you offer your clients, so it's important for you to have a space to feel supported and grounded, too! These sessions include breathwork, guided meditations, sound healings & more.

 

Community

Truly the best way to grow your business and bust through limiting beliefs is to spend time with others doing the same. In FNA, you will have access to a private community forum with other FNA students, grads and mentors. Link up with fellow practitioners to create study groups, business masterminds and/or collaborations!

Master Classes 

LED BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Each month, we bring in industry thought leaders and practitioners to share their expertise on a relevant topic related to health, enhancing your clinical skill set, or growing your practice.

When enrolled in FNA, you have access to ALL previously recorded master classes from year's past integrated within the curriculum, and all upcoming live master classes for your FNA cohort. FNA grads in our Ongoing Graduate Membership will also have access to previous master classes and any upcoming master classes occurring during active membership.

Upcoming Live Master Classes

  • Integrating Psychedelics with Functional Medicine: Navigating Neuroscience & Best Practices

    Led by Toréa Rodriguez FDN-P

    MAY 2024

  • Fertility Awareness Method

    Led by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

    JUNE 2024

  • Anti-Aging & Longevity

    Led by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

    OCTOBER 2024

Previously Recorded Master Classes

  • What I Wish More Practitioners Knew About Pregnancy... & What We're Doing Wrong

    Led by Lera Mikhailova, Holistic OB/GYN NP

    An exploration of how conventional medicine has let pregnant women down. and what we can do about it as practitioners. Dive into the most essential practices, wisdoms, mistakes, & missed foundations of the modern pregnancy journey. Learn lifestyle practices that create a bridge between medicine & ancestral practices to help women reclaim agency, beauty, confidence, understanding, & power during this sacred time.

  • Diagnoses, Treatments and Strategies of the Pelvic Physical Therapist

    Led by Dr. Cristin Zames

    Participants will gain a foundational understanding of pelvic anatomy, learn how pelvic PTs assess common pelvic floor dysfunctions, and explore treatment approaches that are typically utilized in practice. The course emphasizes the integration of therapeutic practices, highlighting the collaboration between healthcare professionals and dietitians in optimizing patient outcomes.

  • Grow and Scale Your Nutrition Business with Practice Better

    Led by Brittany Andrejcin

    In this Mega Masterclass, Brittany covers getting started with Practice Better, integration tools, how to streamline and stay organized, and how to get more clients.

  • GI-MAP: Advanced Q&A

    Led by Cat Simmons, MS, RD, CDCES

    This Q&A Style Masterclass is based on questions YOU submit!

  • Intellectual Property Protection & Content Creation

    Led by Intellectual Property Lawyer Kristen G. Roberts, Esq., Founder & Managing Attorney at Trestle Law and Erin Holt

    Learn what IP theft is & how to recognize it, specific tools to protect your IP and yourself, how to navigate awkward conversations (& your own feelings!!) when someone bites your style, how to prevent having these convos in the first place (creating policies, contracts & expectations), and what it means to establish yourself as an authority.

  • Perimenopause & Bioidentical Hormones

    Led by Lara Briden, ND

    Learn why perimenopause is mostly a time of high (not low) estrogen, the important role of progesterone, and how body-identical hormones went mainstream.

  • Mastering Male Hormones: DUTCH Testing

    Led by Beth Segerholm, DNP, FNP-BC, IFMCP

    Dive deep into the foundations of male hormone analysis through the use of the DUTCH test. These foundations will help you get to the root causes of male hormone imbalances so your clients can have optimal hormonal health.

  • Melatonin as the Ultimate Multi-tasker: More than for Sleep, More than a Hormone

    Led by Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, CNS

    This Masterclass features select melatonin myths and how to separate the truth from fiction using current scientific research and clinical guidelines. You will learn the six main functions of melatonin, the implications of melatonipause, different health conditions that have associations with low melatonin, the role of melatonin in brain detoxification at night, light recommendations in your everyday environment to support healthy circadian rhythm, how much melatonin is in foods, the good, bad, and ugly of melatonin supplements, how to dose melatonin and when, and how to best support circadian rhythm with nutrition and lifestyle practices.

  • Considerations for Dosing Probiotics

    Led by Grace Liu, PharmD, AFMCP

    In this Q&A style class, Grace answers questions on various microbiome topics, including probiotics, prebiotics and fiber.

  • Blood Work Analysis

    Led by Rachel Mistry, MS, RDN, IFMCP

    Comprehensive blood work can be a powerful treatment tool — IF it's utilized in the right way. In this labs-based Masterclass, Rachel will review real world blood work results and provide suggestions for next steps from a functional medicine lens. You'll walk away feeling more confident in ordering, analyzing, and making decisions based on comprehensive blood work panels.

  • Demystifying Herbal Allies for Women’s Health

    Led by Amy McKelvey, Herbalist

    Join Amy from her garden in Northern California for a fun and informative introduction to some of the most powerful herbal allies for women. In this class, you will learn how to incorporate tea infusions, powders, and extracts into your wellness protocols while learning about the valuable (and substantiated) role that herbs and supplements can play in getting root-cause healing results. Amy offers insight into the treasure trove of personalized herbal remedies that can work to energize you, your clients, and your practice.

  • Mastering Discovery Calls

    Led by Megan Blacksmith, FDNP, NLP Trainer

    Learn to quickly build rapport so that your potential client feels seen and understood and like you are the person to help them. Create a streamlined process for before, during and after the call for optimal client commitment & understand the magic is in the follow-up. Bust through limiting beliefs around selling your services, and why selling is actually serving.

  • Disordered & Emotional Eating

    Led by Jessica Flanigan, Clinical Nutritionist

    How do we navigate working with these clients? Learn the important neurobiological implications of trauma responses and how that may severely impact your client's ability to interpret hunger and fullness cues. Learn about the latest research on this subject and how mindful self-compassion can be used as an intervention tool.

  • Back to Business Basics

    Led by Meg O’Neill, Intuitive Business Coach

    Meg is back to talk all things business! Topics include: Organizing your business, “needle moving” activities, CEO mindset, attracting new leads and nurturing the ones you have, to niche or not to niche, and additional revenue streams. Running a business can feel overwhelming… and lonely. You will finish this class with more clarity and an overwhelming sense of “I’ve got this!”

  • Intro to Lymph Flow

    Led by Leah Levitan, LMT, MLD-C

    Lymph Love 101: A beginner’s guide to optimizing lymphatic health and harnessing the healing waters of our internal ocean.

  • Magnetic Money Making

    led by Meg O’Neill, Intuitive Business Coach

    Making money in your business doesn't have to feel like a constant struggle! In this class Meg teaches the 3 M's - Mindset, Methodology and Magnetism so that you can put your work out into the world in a way that feels authentic and sustainable. Learn ways to create ease in your marketing systems so that you have the energy to show up and magnetize exactly the right clients and leave with actionable tasks that will shift how you show up on social media and in email. Get ready to let the money start rolling in!

  • Lab Considerations & Treatment Strategies for Hashimoto’s

    Led by Carolyn Stone, ND

    Dive deep into all things Hashimoto's including diagnosis, lab interpretation, and treatment approach. This class also reviews a few cases to showcase how to apply these pieces clinically.

  • High Level Hormone Talk with the Queen

    Led by Carrie Jones, ND, FABNE, MPH

    In this high-level mixed bag Masterclass, Dr. Carrie will be covering topics such as hormone testing, infertility, irregular cycles, and perimenopause.

  • Using Your Human Design in Your Business

    Led by Aycee Brown, Human Design Expert, Spiritual Guide & Teacher

    In order to create a successful business and practice that feels authentic to you, that you can grow and scale, and where you can offer more services to help more people...WITHOUT burning out, you must understand yourself on a deep level. In this Masterclass Aycee teaches you how to understand and use your Human Design, find strategies to move forward to your destiny, and how to use your inner authority to make better decisions for your business.

  • Nutrigenomics, Epigenetics & How to Apply Genetic Testing Data Into Your Practice

    Led by Yael Joffe, PhD, RD, FACN

    Our genetic makeup influences not just the color of our eyes or our height, but also how we respond to things in our world: how we respond to the food we eat, the exercise we do, how we process trauma and stress. In this fascinating discussion, Yael dives deep into the facets of nutrigenomics, genetic testing, epigenetics and how you can apply this data into your practice to support your clients more deeply and completely.

  • SIBO & IBS: Research, Testing & Treatment Options

    Led by Mark Pimentel, MD

    In this Q&A, Dr. Pimentel answers high level questions on topics including SIBO & IBS treatment, the Methane-Candida/Fungal link, and discusses new research that he wants clinicians and providers to know about.

  • Christine Dyan Thomson, RDN LDN

    Money Mindset 101: Make More Money as a Dietitian

    Led by Christine Dyan Thomson, RDN, LDN

    Making more money in our field isn’t hard, but it does take work. And it’s a different kind of work than most people are used to. It has to do with changing your mindset about what’s possible for your RD career! Christine teaches the mindset basics of what it really takes to create sustainable change so you can make more money as a dietitian.

  • Dr. Beth Segerholm, DNP, FNP-BC, IFMCP

    Cholesterol: Size Matters! Understanding Cholesterol Through a Functional Medicine Lens

    Led by Dr. Beth Segerholm, DNP, FNP-BC, IFMCP

    Dive deep into understanding cholesterol! What impacts it, how to go beyond a basic lipid panel, and how to help your clients optimize cholesterol through a functional medicine approach. Dr. Segerholm also teaches specific labs and interpretations that help assess a client's cholesterol status.

  • Erin Holt

    Social Media Growth: The Energetics of Being Seen

    Led by Erin Holt, Founder & Director of the Funk’tional Nutrition Academy

    Erin often says her business is run with "a little strategy and a lot of soul." In this master class, Erin dives into the emotions, fear, limiting beliefs, and subconscious blocks around being “seen” on social media and growing in your business. Journaling, live coaching, breathwork, and other modalities are included to help you clear the blocks to confidently put the marketing skills you learn into action.

  • Allie Mason

    Instagram Growth Strategies for Nutrition Pros

    Led by Allie Mason, Social Media Strategist

    Learn everything you need to know to master your Instagram marketing without compromising your integrity or authenticity. Allie would know—she’s a professional social media strategist with celebrity clientele—and in this 2-hour session, she teaches you how to apply the most up-to-date Instagram best practices in a way that's unique to you and your business goals, so you can maximize your impact sustainably.

  • Trauma Informed Care & EMDR

    Led by Carli Genet, LICSW

    Explore how to screen for symptoms of trauma, and ways they may be connected to the client’s physical health and their experiences in the Western system of medicine, and discuss ways to ethically respond to your client’s emotional response, without putting your own mental health (read: burnout!!) at risk.

  • Building Brand Identity

    Led by Scott Holt, Marketing Strategist

    Did you know that a brand identity goes beyond just a logo? In the age of online business, strong branding matters. How do you want to stand out? What do you want to say? In this master class, learn how to create an aesthetic to reflect your message.

  • Environmental Toxins: The Missing Link

    Led by Lara Adler, CHHC

    Environmental exposures can be linked to many health issues you see in your practice like metabolic disease, gut problems, hormone imbalances, and endocrine disruption. Lara delivers a high-level overview of this connection, what you can do to start minimizing those exposures, and how to minimize anxiety and overwhelm when working with clients and patients.

  • Mold & Mycotoxins

    Led by Torea Rodriguez, FDN-P

    If you work with clients who have unresolved chronic illness or mystery symptoms, you’re going to want to know about mold. Mold illness can impact all other health parameters—including gut health, hormones and brain health. In this 4-part lecture series, you will learn about the different types of mycotoxins, lab testing to assess for mycotoxin exposure mold toxicity, and treatment strategies for when you do uncover mold as a root cause.

  • Kaely McDevitt, RD

    Drainage Pathways

    Led by Kaely McDevitt, RD

    Making sure your client’s drainage pathways are open is key to avoiding new or worsening symptoms when detoxing. In this master class Kaely highlights the differences between detox and drainage, why drainage is the key to an enjoyable and effective protocol, how to tell if drainage is an issue with your client, and how to support drainage pathways inside client programs.

  • Meg O'Neill, Intuitive Business Coach

    Creating Marketing Magic

    Led by Meg O'Neill, Intuitive Business Coach

    So you got something to sell, but you don't want to be salesy and gross? How do you attract the *right* clients without having to sell your soul? Do you wish there was an easier way? Selling doesn't have to be hard. And you don't have to do any weird, sleezy, or sketchy tactics to get a sale. In this master class, Meg unpacks the truth that there truly is no ONE special sales strategy formula for success. In fact, it's really about finding a way to attract your clients in a way that feels true and right for you.

The Investment

 

PAY IN FULL TUITION

$20,000

One Time Fee

PAYMENT PLAN

$1,599

14 Monthly Payment Installments

 

Extended financing available upon request

Ready to apply?

So you’ve read through the curriculum and think you’re a great fit for FNA? We’re so happy to hear it! Our next cohort begins Fall 2024.