About Funk’tional Nutrition Academy™
Funk’tional Nutrition Academy™ (FNA) is a 14-month, clinically focused certification program for practitioners and qualified health professionals who want to confidently apply functional medicine and grow a practice that actually supports their life.
This is not another course that leaves you with more theory and less clarity. You’ll get both the clinical skills and the strategic support to put them into practice. Inside FNA, we teach you to think like a functional clinician, navigate complex cases, interpret labs with confidence, and run a practice that gets real results.
Why FNA Is Different
Most functional programs fall into one of two camps: they either overload you with biochemistry and theory that feels disconnected from client work, or they give you oversimplified, plug-and-play protocols that ignore the nuance of clinical practice.
We don’t do either.
FNA teaches functional medicine through application. You won’t just learn concepts—you’ll know how to use them with your actual clients, from the moment you enroll.. You’ll develop clinical thinking skills, communication tools, and a framework for delivering genuine care in a real practice. All while getting feedback and support from seasoned practitioners.
What sets us apart:
1. Clinical Application is Where We Excel
You won’t just learn about functional medicine - you’ll learn how to practice it.
Our mentorship-based model means you’ll apply concepts to real-world cases, receive feedback in real-time, and learn how to think critically as a clinician. We don’t hand you protocols and wish you luck. We teach you how to deliver real transformation.
2. Mentorship That Multiplies Your Growth
The fastest way to become a confident, in-demand practitioner? Mentorship.
Inside FNA, you’ll learn from seasoned practitioners who’ve been where you are - and built thriving practices from the ground up. You’ll leverage our experience to accelerate yours, as the only way to grow is through practice, feedback, and refinement.
3. Business Acceleration
Many programs teach you how to run labs. Few teach you how to run a practice. At FNA, practice-building isn’t an afterthought - it’s foundational. You’ll learn how to build a sustainable and aligned practice with clarity and confidence. From pricing and messaging to social media strategy, we provide you with the tools to turn your expertise into impact—and your purpose into a lasting practice.
4. A Small Group, A Big Difference: Support That Won’t Let You Slip Through the Cracks
Our cohorts are capped at 35 students to ensure high-touch mentorship, personalized feedback, and deep connection. You won’t get lost in the crowd here. You’ll be surrounded by like-minded practitioners who are as committed to depth, nuance, and growth as you are - and supported by a team who knows your name and your goals.
5. Your Mastermind Circle Starts Here
You’re not just joining a program. You’re stepping into a room full of future leaders in functional medicine. Inside FNA, you’ll join a tight-knit cohort of growth-minded practitioners who collaborate, consult, and co-create as they rise together. This is the kind of community where lifelong connections are built, growth is contagious, and bold moves become your new normal.
The Philosophy Behind It All: Intuitive Functional Medicine™
FNA is built on the model of Intuitive Functional Medicine™, developed by Erin Holt.
This reimagined approach restores depth, discernment, and humanity to clinical care.
This isn’t just about labs and protocols (although we help you do that!). It’s about seeing the whole picture: physiology and psychology, biology and belief systems, nervous system patterns, and lived experience.
We teach you how to think, not what to think, so that you can approach each client with curiosity, nuance, and true clinical precision. You’ll learn to assess root causes across all four levels of healing: physical, emotional, mental, and energetic. You'll also create strategies that honor both the science and the self-healing intelligence of the body.
This is the method that brings it all together.
Meet Your Lead Instructors
Erin Holt
FNA Founder & Director
Erin Holt is an integrative nutritionist, Stanford-trained compassion teacher, and founder of The Funk'tional Nutritionist. Erin has 15+ years of clinical experience and has trained hundreds of practitioners through this program. She is also the host of a longstanding health show, The Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast.
Erin created FNA to fill a gap in the industry: programs were either heavy on science but light on application, or overly simplified with no depth. She wanted to build a certification that supported practitioners in both their clinical confidence and their practice growth.
Erin’s teaching style is direct, funny, and grounded in integrity.
Rachel Heintz
MS, RDN, IFMCP
Rachel is FNA’s lead instructor and a graduate of the first FNA cohort. She teaches core curriculum and leads mentorship calls inside the program. Rachel brings a grounded, evidence-informed lens to functional care and has a unique ability to help students untangle complex cases while building confidence.
You’ll see Rachel a lot throughout your FNA journey: teaching, answering questions, reviewing labs, and helping you refine your clinical voice.
Inside FNA, you’ll hear from some of the most respected voices in functional medicine, including Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, Dr. Mark Pimentel, Dr. Deanna Minich, Dr. Lara Briden, and Dr. Carrie Jones. Our visiting faculty bring cutting-edge insights and clinical expertise to help you deepen your mastery and expand your perspective.
What You’ll Learn
Inside FNA, you’ll master the clinical skills, business strategy, and practitioner mindset required to run a practice that gets results - and reflects your values.
You’ll get comprehensive, hands-on training in:
Functional physiology + root-cause frameworks that drive real transformation
Lab testing and interpretation (GI, hormone, micronutrient, metabolic panels)
Advanced case analysis + personalized protocol design
Clinical communication + client coaching that empowers behavior change
Program structure, pricing, and packaging for profitability and alignment
Magnetic messaging + ethical marketing that attracts your ideal clients
Business energetics, boundaries, and the mindset required for sustainable growth
And you won’t be doing it alone.
Live calls, Q&A sessions, guest masterclasses, and peer workshops give you space to ask questions, get feedback, and apply what you’re learning—in real time.
Who This Is For
FNA was designed for practitioners who are ready to sharpen their clinical thinking, expand their practice, and guide clients through genuine transformation.
This isn’t Functional Nutrition 101. FNA dives deep into advanced functional medicine concepts, high-level clinical reasoning, and real-world applications. You’ll learn how to interpret labs with clarity, design individualized treatment strategies, and synthesize complex information into confident, effective care.
We teach you how to synthesize what you know—and expand what you’re capable of.
You’re in the right place if:
You’re a qualified clinician (RD, CNS, DC, NP, PA, MD, DPT) or a well-trained health coach who knows functional medicine but still feels fragmented by piecemeal training and hesitant to integrate it fully.
You crave root-cause depth, not surface-level protocols. You want to think critically, not just follow someone else’s formula.
You might already be guiding clients, but you’re lacking confidence with complex cases. You want mentorship that stops the guesswork and starts the transformation.
You’re looking for advanced lab interpretation – and more. You want to know how to integrate labs, symptoms, and client context into a clear, personalized treatment strategy - so you’re not just reading results, but leading results.
You’ve outgrown piecing it together. You’ve completed the webinars, certifications, and PubMed deep dives, but your confidence still feels fragmented. You’re ready for a curriculum that connects the dots and gives you a clear path forward.
You have bigger impact in mind. You want a practice that delivers deep client results and scales with integrity, without sacrificing your wellbeing.
If you’ve already completed the trainings but still feel something’s missing, this is where it all comes together.
Real Results from Real Graduates
If you're feeling the pull, trust it. Your future clients can’t wait.
Neither should you.