Functional Medicine Academy — Accredited Functional Medicine Training and Practice-Building for Health Professionals
Clinical mastery.
Human transformation.
Scalable, sane practice growth.
Functional Medicine 2.0 trains clinicians to stop memorizing, stop spinning, and start making clear clinical and business decisions that actually work — without burning their lives down.
This isn’t more information.
It’s a new standard.
JOIN THE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE 2.0 COMMUNITY
Everything You Need to Practice Functional Medicine at the Highest Level.
The Functional Medicine Academy teaches you how to practice — with jointly accredited clinical training, proprietary lab interpretation tools, business systems, and AI-powered clinical and business decision support built for real-world practitioners.
Mentorship
The Mentorship 3.0
Build a functional medicine practice with the clinical training, business coaching, software, and support you actually need in one place. The Mentorship 3.0 gives practitioners a clear roadmap, one-on-one guidance, certifications, and real practice-building strategy — so you start building the practice you meant to create.
Clinical
Clinical Core Monthly
Get clinical support that keeps pace with real patients. Clinical Core Monthly gives functional medicine practitioners weekly live training, case review, CME/CE opportunities, certifications, LabDX access, and a practitioner-only community — so complex cases feel clearer, faster, and a whole lot less lonely.
Network
Search Functional Medicine
Get found by patients already searching for functional medicine care. Search Functional Medicine is a practitioner directory built for SEO, AI indexing, specialty search, location filters, Google reviews, and real ad traffic — because being excellent at what you do should not mean staying invisible online.
Labs
LabDX
Interpret functional medicine labs with more clarity and less chart spiral. LabDX helps practitioners choose the right labs, understand complex markers, and build care plans faster — with decision support built for GI-MAP, DUTCH, bloodwork, OATs, SIBO, urinalysis, and more. Labs are fabulous. Ten-hour lab reviews are not.
As a physician with 30 years of experience
Dr. Z’s Mentorship 3.0 program has given me the business knowledge and actionable steps I needed to launch my own functional medicine practice. The 1-on-1 coaching, daily live teaching, and patient clinical care reviews are invaluable, along with the complete marketing support to get my practice up and running. I’m truly thankful to Dr. Z and her team for their selfless dedication to our success. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to take their practice to the next level!
Cathy Jones, MD
This opportunity changed my life.
I have worked 13 years in the ER, burnt out, looking for something different. Came across this program and took a leap of faith. In my first month launching, I made $20k. I’m half way through my second month and made $10k so far. I started the program end of May with no previous functional medicine experience or education and launched on September 1st. What helped me was being coach able and trusting the process. There’s great mentorship and guidance the whole way through. This was the best investment into myself I’ve taken.
Tanya S., PA-C, FMACP
Why Learn from Dr. Z?
Because she’s done the thing. Multiple times. In scrubs and a muumuu.
Dr. Brandy Zachary, DC, IFMCP – known as Dr. Z – is the founder and CEO of TDZ Functional Medicine Academy™ (FMA), LabDX and DiagnoseThis, and a 5th-generation entrepreneur with CPA-verified growth of 2,095% over three years. FMA is a jointly accredited continuing education platform – accredited through ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC — on track for $10M+ in 2026.
In 2026, Dr. Z won four American Business Awards (Stevies), including the Gold for Best Female Entrepreneur — the first time that award has been given in the program’s 24-year history — plus three Silvers. She’s also a 2 Comma Award winner, an honor given to the top 1% of online educators and coaches worldwide.
She took a new functional medicine offer from $0 to $7M in under a year. Dr. Z will tell you she’s “not a fan of sales” but generated $850K from a single stage and outsold Disney – in their own park.
She’s trained thousands of licensed practitioners across more than a dozen disciplines — MD, DO, DC, ND, FNP, RN, PharmD, and more – and her eight books include six #1 Amazon bestsellers and a McGraw-Hill publication.
But here’s the thing: she’s not just brilliant. She’s real. She’s funny. She’s you, five years ahead with a clipboard and a battle plan. And she’s the coach who’ll tell you the truth, hand you the system, and then cheer while you win.
AS SEEN IN
Featured in major media outlets including Forbes Health, NBC News, Fox News, Entrepreneur, Shape, Yahoo, New York Weekly, CEO Weekly, Medium, and Woman’s World.
Recognized across both clinical and mainstream platforms, FMA and Dr. Brandy Zachary are known for advancing functional medicine education and modern practice building.
The Functional Medicine Academy gives you everything you were never taught to actually do it — jointly accredited, outcome-driven, and the only program that combines clinical training, proprietary AI tools, and full business systems in one place.
Founded by Dr. Brandy Zachary, FMA operates on the Functional Medicine 2.0 framework — a proprietary clinical education model that moves beyond traditional functional medicine by integrating root-cause decision-making, real patient outcomes, and scalable business systems into one unified training pathway. This isn’t another certification to shelve. It’s the system that changes how you practice.
Inside The Functional Medicine Academy, you’ll master advanced lab interpretation through LabDX — Functional Medicine Academy’s proprietary clinical decision-support platform — root-cause clinical strategy through The Dr. Z Way Tool, and the business systems required to build a profitable, sustainable practice without burning out or going back to insurance-driven medicine. Designed for MDs, DOs, NPs, DCs, RNs, PAs, and PharmDs who are done practicing beneath their potential.
Your training includes 100+ hours of accredited CME/CE — jointly recognized by ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC — hands-on mentorship, full certification pathways, and access to the Functional Medicine Academy Practitioner Network at searchfunctionalmedicine.com.
This isn’t theory. This is the system behind practices that finally work — for you and your patients.
The Only Jointly Accredited Functional Medicine Training That Combines Clinical Training, Business Systems, And Proprietary AI Tools — All In One Place.
Functional Medicine Academy integrates clinical mastery, advanced lab interpretation, Functional Medicine 2.0 methodology, and full practice-building systems into a single accredited certification pathway — a combination not standard in functional medicine training.
Inside The Functional Medicine Academy, practitioners don’t just learn protocols — they learn how to interpret complex labs, navigate real patient cases, build a legally sound business, and make faster clinical decisions using purpose-built tools.
Functional Medicine Academy is built around six integrated pillars:
Advanced clinical training and certification
Condition-specific clinical frameworks across gut, hormones, immune dysfunction, toxins, and complex chronic cases — built on the Functional Medicine 2.0 model and Dr. Z’s proprietary decision-tree methodology.
Real-time lab interpretation and decision-making
LabDX, Functional Medicine Academy’s proprietary lab analysis platform, trains practitioners to interpret complex functional labs and translate results into structured, patient-ready protocols — instantly.
AI-powered clinical and business decision tools
The Dr. Z Way Tool gives practitioners AI-powered support across clinical areas (SIBO, glucose, upper digestion, sleep) and business functions (including a built-in Webinar Builder) — all inside one platform.
Legal, compliance, and practice setup guidance
Marketing, sales, and patient retention systems
High-touch mentorship and live support
No practitioner figures it out alone — you get ongoing live case reviews, expert mentorship, and real-time clinical and business support, because complex cases don’t wait for office hours.
Functional Medicine 1.0 vs Functional Medicine 2.0
| Traditional Functional Medicine (Functional Medicine 1.0) | Functional Medicine 2.0 | |
| Teaching approach | Heavy on theory, light on application | Application-first clinical training |
| Clinical thinking | Protocol-based | Root-cause, systems-based thinking |
| Lab interpretation | Limited depth | Advanced interpretation via LabDX with real patient scenarios |
| Clinical decision support | None | The Dr. Z Way Tool — AI-powered clinical and business decisions |
| Business training | Minimal to none | Built-in marketing, sales, and patient retention systems |
| Mentorship | Little to no real-time case support | Ongoing live case reviews and expert mentorship |
| Accreditation | Varies; often none | Jointly accredited — ACCME, ACPE, ANCC — 100+ CME/CE hours |
| Certification | Generic or third-party | Proprietary FMACP / FMACC credentials |
| Outcome | Confident in knowledge, stuck in execution | Working, profitable practice |
Functional Medicine 2.0: What Functional Medicine Was Always Supposed to Be.
Functional Medicine 2.0 is the Functional Medicine Academy’s proprietary clinical education framework that integrates root-cause clinical decision-making, patient behavior change, and scalable business systems into one unified model — built specifically for practitioners who want results, not just protocols.
Traditional functional medicine teaches what to do. Functional Medicine 2.0 teaches how to think, how to get patients results, and how to build a practice that actually survives.
It closes the gap between knowing and doing.
Stop Guessing. Start Practicing At Your Actual Level.
You went to school for years. You’re smart, dedicated, and genuinely care about your patients. But nobody taught you how to solve complex chronic cases, interpret functional labs, or build a practice that doesn’t run you into the ground.
That’s exactly who the Functional Medicine Academy trains.
The Functional Medicine Academy serves licensed healthcare practitioners and non-licensed health professionals across every major clinical discipline — Medical Doctors (MD), Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Registered Nurses (RN), Doctors of Chiropractic (DC), Physician Assistants (PA), Pharmacists (PharmD), Dentists (DDS/DMD), Psychologists, Registered Dietitians, Social Workers, and Athletic Trainers — as well as non-licensed health professionals including health coaches and certified nutrition consultants, through two separate certification pathways.
Graduates earn Functional Medicine Academy’s proprietary credentials: the Functional Medicine Academy Certified Practitioner (FMACP) for licensed practitioners, and the Functional Medicine Academy Certified Coach (FMACC) for non-licensed health professionals.
If you’re licensed, overwhelmed by complex cases, and done guessing — you’re exactly who we built this for.
Stop Guessing. Start Practicing At Your Actual Level.
You went to school for years. You’re smart, dedicated, and genuinely care about your patients. But nobody taught you how to solve complex chronic cases, interpret functional labs, or build a practice that doesn’t run you into the ground.
That’s exactly who the Functional Medicine Academy trains.
The Functional Medicine Academy serves licensed healthcare practitioners and non-licensed health professionals across every major clinical discipline — Medical Doctors (MD), Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Registered Nurses (RN), Doctors of Chiropractic (DC), Physician Assistants (PA), Pharmacists (PharmD), Dentists (DDS/DMD), Psychologists, Registered Dietitians, Social Workers, and Athletic Trainers — as well as non-licensed health professionals including health coaches and certified nutrition consultants, through two separate certification pathways.
Graduates earn Functional Medicine Academy’s proprietary credentials: the Functional Medicine Academy Certified Practitioner (FMACP) for licensed practitioners, and the Functional Medicine Academy Certified Coach (FMACC) for non-licensed health professionals.
If you’re licensed, overwhelmed by complex cases, and done guessing — you’re exactly who we built this for.
Book a Free Practice Diagnosis Call
A free 15-minute call to give you a clear picture of where your practice stands — and what’s actually holding it back. On the call, you’ll get:
Your Rx5 Formula score — what’s solid, what’s shaky, and what’s quietly leaking
Your #1 bottleneck — the thing slowing everything else down (even if it doesn’t look obvious yet)
Your next best move — one clear, realistic step you can take without blowing things up
No pressure. Just clarity.
I love Functional Medicine but didn't know how or where to start
"In a short 9 months, I went from nothing to 1. build & start a business 2. Making my first 20K, while owning another business + raising 4 young children. Other people do it in 4 months. This is an amazing, well-rounded program that covers everything from clinical to build and how to grow your FM business. If you struggle, just join Dr. Z program & trust the process."
Kayla Pham, PharmD
I had the knowledge—but no roadmap, no mentorship, and no clear business model.
"I followed the process, and when I did, it worked. I hit 50K months. Not by doing anything extraordinary… but by doing what was taught."
Wanique Peterson
DC IFMCP Chiropractor & Functional Medicine Provider
Accredited Continuing Education
Functional Medicine Academy is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) — qualifying Functional Medicine Academy to issue CME/CE credit across 10 healthcare professions, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, chiropractic, psychology, dentistry, dietetics, social work, and athletic training.
Functional Medicine Academy delivers 100+ hours of accredited CME/CE credit as part of its core training programs — at no additional cost.
Most programs make you hunt for CE credit after the fact. Functional Medicine Academy builds it into the training — so every hour you spend learning counts toward your license and your practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who the heck is Dr. Z and why is she the one teaching?
Well, it all started when I was 8 years old and my sister was born… I jest, but that’s not too far off. I’ve been an over-responsible big sister and taught my entire life in multiple careers. You can get to know a bit about me in the pages of this website, the testimonials from practitioners & patients, the silly stories at the bottom of each page or by taking a free live Zoom class with me.
A few quick “sort-of-braggy” facts – I led the team that outsold Disney in their own park (it had never been done before!), I have a genius IQ and a history of a TBI (fun combination), I created the world’s first visual personality profiling system (which has since been copied many times!) that was published by McGraw-Hill, NY, I’m a 5th-generation female entrepreneur, I’ve won awards (lots, in many areas), I’ve been on the news (2x), I owned 8 houses by the time I was 31 years old, I’ve created multiple businesses that were all profitable and debt-free from year one, I designed a functional medicine lab analysis software program, I created nomenclature for a complex metabolic condition, I’ve published peer-reviewed literature, my spatial reasoning score was 100%.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ve got a long list of things I suck at or challenges I’ve faced along the way. A loooong list! And I cringe at throwing around facts about my “wins”, but I want you to know, you are in good hands.
I love to teach. I want you to win. I’m compulsively honest and endlessly creative.
Oh, I also make boring stuff fun. So, that’s why I teach.
How long do I have access to The Academy course material?
We’re excited for you to dive into this material because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be on your way to success and making money! Here’s the thing—we’ve learned that when people go at their own pace, they sometimes wait too long, and that’s not the path we want for you. We believe in your ability to start strong right now.
Here’s the good news: you’ll have lifetime access to the core material (as long as the program is running). Plus, while you’re in the program, you’ll have access to recorded classes, live sessions, and all the 1:1 support you need to thrive. Let’s get started—your success story is waiting to be written!
What’s the cost for the classes? Can I take just one? Do you have CME’s?
- Cost? It varies, but we’re committed to offering the best value possible.
- Take just one? Absolutely—you can pick and choose what works for you.
- CMEs? Yes for nurses, and more to come for other practitioners – as we’re always evolving to meet your needs.
We’re constantly working to improve and make our offerings as accessible and affordable as possible. For detailed information, check out The Academy page and the FAQ section. If you ever have a question that’s not answered, we’d love to hear from you—just email us at Team@TheDrZ.Com.
Why should I take this course or be in The Mentorship 3.0?
Well, if you are a great person wanting to build/expand your Functional Medicine practice and looking for solid clinical techniques with sound business practices and a wonderful, supportive group to share this wild journey of entrepreneurship with…then you belong here.
But, no mean girls allowed. So, if you want to tear down other people, love drama, create controversy or be in a perpetual state of negativity – then don’t join. This isn’t a reality TV show.
For those that want it, are coachable, open-hearted and determined to make this work – then we want YOU! Because there is nothing we love more than seeing our practitioners soar.
You aren’t a number to us or some faceless person pressing “buy”. We are invested in you and your success.
I’m just starting, what if I don’t have money for The Mentorship 3.0?
If you really are motivated to make your practice happen and you know The Mentorship is how you are going to do it – then we will likely be able to finance your program.
FMA offers payment schedules. We also have outside vendors that can help with financing. You shouldn’t have to wait until you have money to make money.
Contact the office and we’ll see how we can help. Schedule HERE.
Have questions? Let’s talk.
Frustrated with Conventional Medicine? Looking for something different?
If you are a practitioner tired of serving up pills but no solution or a patient struggling to get answers…you’ve come to the right place.
In exchange for your name, email & first-born I will send you witty banter, educational factoids & practical gems to brighten your day (or week, or month – I don’t email too often!) I promise that except for the occasional phenomenal sale, this won’t be a series of creepy, salesy, fake emails written by a faceless corporation. It’ll be from me, baby!