Stop wondering about all those mystery men on your family tree
YDNA for Genealogy: The Guided Plan Edition
October 27 - December 2, 2025
Join by October 20 and receive the complimentary YDNA Course Planner!
The Problem Every YDNA Tester Faces
You've spent hundreds of dollars on Y-DNA testing—maybe even upgraded to the Big Y-700. You were excited about finally finding those missing paternal ancestors.
But now you're staring at those YDNA results, feeling completely overwhelmed.
A jumble of numbers
Confusing surnames
So many things to click
You know there's valuable information buried in all this data, but you can't figure out how to turn it into actual genealogy.
Sound familiar? I thought it might.
Meet Your Step-by-Step Solution:
The Y-DNA for Genealogy Course: Guided Plan Edition gives you exactly what you need: a clear, repeatable process for turning your Y-DNA results into actionable genealogical next steps.
Instead of wandering around FamilyTreeDNA hoping something will click, you'll follow our proven 5-step plan that works, whether you have marker-level testing or the Big Y-700.
The Game-Changer: Your Genetic Family Tree
Here's what makes this course different: Instead of just learning to read Y-DNA reports, you'll learn to build a genetic family tree—a unique framework that turns your DNA data into a structure you can actually use for genealogy.
This genetic family tree becomes your roadmap, showing you:
- whether your traditional genealogy is incorrect
- which ancestors to connect and in what priority
- what genealogical research needs to be done next.
.png?width=400&height=400&name=Family%20Tree%20(1).png "Family Tree (1)")
Your Complete YDNA Learning Experience
You get 4 weeks of guided instruction using our proven SPIN teaching model:
- Study: 6+ hours of video tutorials with bright, clear visuals
- Practice: Hands-on case studies for both marker-level and Big Y paths
- Implement: Build your own genetic family tree using your results
- Next Steps: Know exactly what genealogy to do next
You'll also get:
- Full-length digital workbook with exercises and research logs
- Expert-monitored chat boards for 6 full months
- Live wrap-up Q&A session
- Y-DNA Quick Reference Guide
- 6 months of access to all materials
Two Learning Paths, One Clear Outcome
Whether you have basic marker testing or Big Y-700, this course provides tailored instruction for your testing level:
Marker-Level Path
Learn to use STR data, the Time Predictor tool, and approximate genetic family trees
Big Y Path
Master the Block Tree, Match Time Tree, and SNP-based genetic family trees
Both paths lead to the same destination: Confidence, clarity, and a research plan you can follow.
How much does it cost?
Just $297
Payment plans available via third-party apps
Meet the Course Creator
Diahan Southard is the founder of Your DNA Guide and has helped thousands of people worldwide turn DNA confusion into family discoveries. This course combines her Y-DNA expertise with her proven, fun teaching style that makes complex concepts clear and actionable. She leads an expert team of DNA coaches that support you throughout the course.
Diahan Southard
Founder and CEO of Your DNA Guide
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the old YDNA Course?
Great question. This Course has been completely updated and restructured. There is a new focus on building a genetic family tree, with two distinct pathways throughout the course: an STR marker-level analysis and a Big Y-700 SNP analysis.
Even if you took our previous YDNA for Genealogy course, you will find value in the new information and new approach.
What YDNA test results are required to take this Course?
You should have access to a YDNA test with a handful of matches at FamilyTreeDNA*. DNA testing itself is not included in the Course. Test results can be your own, if you are a genetic male, or someone else’s. If you’re using someone else’s test results, be sure you have their permission and the login access. There are times in class when you will be looking at and working with your own DNA test results.
That said, if you don't have access to a YDNA test with matches, but you'd still like to take the Course so you can learn the concepts, you are welcome to join. We will provide several case studies from which homework assignments will be given that do not require your own YDNA test results. Just understand that the learning experience may not be as powerful if you are not using your own results, or if you do not have matches to work with.
Are there any other prerequisites for this course?
In addition to have a YDNA test with matches, you should have at least a little bit of experience working with or learning about DNA matches.
Preferably, you will have a research goal or question in mind when you take this course, but it’s not required. Sometimes you’ll discover a research question or goal as you begin learning.
What technical requirements are necessary? Is there a textbook?
This course takes place online in our Circle community. During these weeks, you’ll need a reliable internet connection for streaming the video learning sessions and for additional learning on your own time. You’ll need access to your DNA test results on whatever testing site you’re using. You’ll receive a digital workbook and additional reference materials that support your learning
Read about Course enrollment and refund policies, including our money-back guarantee.
Why should I take the YDNA Course now?
The sooner you start learning to use YDNA, the sooner you’ll put that test to WORK answering your family history questions, whether they are about your own YDNA lineage or another male line for which you can get a YDNA test from a qualifying descendant. We are only opening the YDNA for Genealogy Course once in 2025, and we expect it to fill up, so if you’re interested, it’s a good idea to claim your seat before someone else does.
Praise for the YDNA for Genealogy Course
(and this feedback came even before we improved it!--you'll be the first to experience the new Course)
Greg
"The Course was great: love the pacing, the style, the humour, and the down-to earth advice. My biggest win was digging into the family project info and actually making use of those big tables of data–and finding connections between matches I hadn’t made sense of before!"
Anna Kleindschmidt
"I want to thank Diahan for a wonderful course. I received a PhD in Biochemistry in 1982, long before any of this type of analysis was possible, and my career spanned all of the breakthroughs that have allowed us to do these genetic analyses. So, I understood the science behind these data, and had a strong grasp of the genetic principles since I taught them for over 30 years. However, I learned a great deal in this course, and I greatly enjoyed and appreciated all the course videos....I love the analogies you used and the creative images for displaying complicated ideas. I often talked to my students about making “mind pictures” and Diahan did a great job of helping with this.
I also appreciate Diahan’s emphasis of both the paper and the genetic genealogy — both are needed, but I do not think everyone who has a DNA test done understands this. I also enjoyed all the homework, especially the ones where I had to engage with pen and paper to help complete them."
Kathleen Woodbury
"My paternal great grandfather and one of my maternal great-great grandfathers were brick walls. The former came out of nowhere and left very little information about himself. The latter was born four years before the couple who raised him were married. My brother did a YDNA test and I paid to upgrade it to BigY-700. A maternal cousin also did the BigY-700 test. Both gave me access to their results. And this course taught me how to understand those results. In both cases, I found out what surnames to search under because neither one matched what we had from the records. Using autosomal DNA matches, I believe I have found people who may be the cousins I need to locate our biological ancestors.
And it wouldn’t have happened without Diahan’s great instruction. There are very few easy answers in DNA research, but when you learn from someone who knows the science, you avoid so many pitfalls, rabbit holes, distractions, and confusions. I’m very glad I signed up for this course and I look forward to checking the YDNA results every so often, and using autosomal DNA matches, and doing genealogy with all of this new information to break down these two brick walls."
.png?width=300&height=212&name=Guarantee%20(1).png "Guarantee (1)")
Learn! Or your money back
I am so confident that my Workshops and Courses will make YOU more confident in using DNA for family history that I offer a money-back guarantee. If after 6 months from the start date of a Your DNA Guide Academy offering in which you have fully participated (meaning you have watched and marked “complete” each video tutorial, completed the classwork and homework, and have asked for help on the discussion boards), but are not more confident in this ‘using-DNA’ thing, I will refund the full cost. Read more about our refund policy.
Ready to stop wondering and start discovering?