Join the DNA Study Group
for a year of continuous DNA learning and support
We just re-enrolled our current members, and they are already having fun diving into the new, pre-recorded Core Concepts videos and chatting amongst themselves on our new Study Group platform. They’re commenting on news items. So, even though the live Study Sessions don’t start until April, they’re getting a great head start.
Won't you join them?
DNA Study Group is not a “watch-a-webinar-and-walk-away” experience.
We foster real, ongoing learning so you make more confident, accurate DNA discoveries.
Enroll for the 2025-2026 year of Study Group for $360/year
(monthly payment plan also available)
Clicking this button will prompt you to create an account with Circle, our new community platform
A nurturing online learning environment with all the steps of our SPIN process–Study, Practice, Implement and Next Steps. In many sessions, we even pause and practice what you’re learning on the spot.
Two live, 60-minute Study Sessions every month on exciting, timely DNA and family history topics. See the full Study Session calendar below.
On-demand Core Concepts Lessons–available as soon as you enroll! These prerecorded, foundational DNA topics are available for you to review all year long–so you can access them anytime but they don’t take up room in the Study Session calendar
Expanded, all-star instruction team: In addition to myself and our expert coaches, we will be joined by a short, hand-picked list of guest lecturers: Cyndi Ingle; Judy G. Russell, CG, CGL; Karen Stanbary, CG, CGG; and Rich Venezia
Robust, action-oriented handouts for each Study Session–these are not “file-away-for-never” syllabi!
Discussion space for conversations with our expert DNA coaches and other Study Group participants
More case studies with more diversity to reflect our growing international community’s desire to see how DNA works in real life situations
A new, easy-to-navigate online community you can reach from your computer or the app increases your ability to interact with each other and take Study Group with you
One full calendar month past the Study Session date to watch the recordings–plus, later this spring, when those recordings start to expire, we’ll open up an Extended Access option to keep access to recordings for a FULL YEAR for just $5/month
Linda Westover
"Study Group keeps me thinking about and working on my DNA research all year long instead of starting and stopping, as I've done before."
Clicking this button will prompt you to create an account with Circle, our new community platform
(monthly payment plan also available)
Core Concept Lessons:
Watch All Year
Learn and review
foundational DNA principles
anytime you like
in the on-demand
Core Concepts Lessons.
Core Concept Lessons:
Watch All Year
Learn and review
foundational DNA principles
anytime you like
in the on-demand
Core Concepts Lessons.
With core concepts lessons available on-demand,
We are filling our live sessions with topics that speak to your biggest pain points
–and move you AHEAD in your DNA skills
More instruction and case studies that demonstrate how autosomal DNA, mtDNA, XDNA, and YDNA can be used to answer common-to-complex questions
Ethical, legal, and social questions that come up with the DNA testing process
How to better understand and utilize components of the Shared cM Project
How to find and evaluate historical records that can help you build quick and simple trees for your DNA matches
More advice on properly using those helpful “cheat” tools that automate some of the analysis for us
More focus on shared matches of matches tools
More instruction and practice with various steps involved in creating and splitting genetic networks (such as Bottoms Up)
Third-party tools that help you with specific DNA issues, such as Banyan DNA for complicated family trees
Addressing your curiosity about those ancient origins–how accurate are they? How meaningful? What application do they have in your research?
Discover your health story: what use are those health and traits tools? What about epigenetics–the idea that experiences we have can actually change the expression of our DNA and be passed along to younger generations?
Finding your globe-trotting ancestors (for ourselves and our DNA matches): understanding immigration records; foreign-language tools for English-speaking researchers; understanding geography and migration patterns; and using Google Maps and Google Earth
Digital preservation of our family data- research and stories
Want to see the full Study Session Schedule for 2025-2026? It’s exciting! Scroll all the way down.
Rosalind Matthews
"I have taken each class, done the classwork, and it really works. I have had tremendous success and understanding of using all the tools your group has taught. I would recommend this type of study group to all researchers who are serious about finding their ancestors. Take the course, do the work, you will be successful!"
Beginning in April, participate in two new live Study Sessions on timely topics each month–just the right pace to absorb and put into practice what you learn
Recordings of each Study Session–closed captioned and with transcripts–are available for those who can’t attend live or want to rewatch. Access to recordings lasts through the end of the month following the Session (ie., a session taught on January 5 can be watched through February 28)
Most Study Sessions have a practice activity DURING the live event, so you can apply what you learn on the spot
Ask questions and share your wins (and brick walls) in the Study Sessions and on the discussion boards, where you’ll find our expert coaching team and fellow students
Work through the handouts to Practice and Implement what you’ve learned and develop your own Next Steps
Access the Core Concepts Lessons anytime you need a refresher
Pam Paxton
"I always learn something every class, even if it’s…slightly over my head! The handouts are very helpful and I like that many times we do work or examples in class. If you are looking to further your education on how to do genealogy and master DNA, the DNA Study Group is a must!!"
Clicking this button will prompt you to create an account with Circle, our new community platform
How will the new Study Group be different?
We are NOT changing many things that are working really well. We’re just adding to the experience.
Live Study Sessions with expert instructors will still be twice a month, many with practice time during the session to help you absorb the concepts. For a few special topics you requested, we’ve reached outside Your DNA Guide to find the best instructors on those subjects. (Scroll down to see the full lineup of sessions and instructors.)
We’re still offering core concepts lessons, but we’ve pre-recorded them and you’ll have access ALL YEAR. Many of you are ready to move past these foundational topics, but others need them for review, and some of our new members will need to watch them a few times to get up to speed.
I originally envisioned this experience like my college study groups: getting together after class to review and snack and laugh. It’s working (minus the snacks)–but I want you to have more ability to connect with each other, and have everything you need in one lively place, like a calendar of upcoming events, other Your DNA Guide Courses, and free guides, articles and video tutorials. So we’re moving over to a more powerful community platform, which you’ll be able to access from your desktop or on-the-go with the app.
Please explain the access policy for recorded Study Sessions.
This year, recordings of live Study Sessions will be available for one full month past the delivery date. So a session on May 15 can be watched through June 30. This is because I really want to structure the main Study Group in a way that will encourage lasting learning. From my experience, it means you come to class live and all-in. Then you spend the next several weeks applying what you have learned and asking your questions for our expert coaches to answer.
Because I know some people want even more time to watch and re-watch later we’ve made Extended Access an optional add-on (to help cover our costs for the extended access). For $5 a month, you’ll have a full year of access to the recordings after each session is delivered, as long as your Study Group membership is current. Watch and re-watch as much as you like!
2025 - 2026 Schedule
April 2025
2nd at 2pm ET: The Plan in Practice
16th at 2pm ET: Are You My Mother? An mtDNA Case Study
May
7th at 4pm ET: The Ethics of Genetic Genealogy
21st at 11am ET: DNA Doesn’t Lie, But Should We? Ethics and 21st Century Genealogy with
June
4th at 4pm ET: Immigration
18th at 2pm ET: Foreign Language Tools for English-Speaking Genealogists
July
2nd at 4pm ET: Using XDNA in Genealogy
16th at 2pm ET: YDNA: Strategies and a Famous Case or Two
August
6th at 11am ET: Should You Take the Hint?
20th at 11am ET: Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For? Where to Look for Old Records
September
3rd at 11am ET: DNA Is More Than Just Cousins!
17th at 2pm ET: Archaeogenetics and Ancient Origins
October
1st at 4pm ET: New Look at the Shared cM Project
15th at 2pm ET: Branch Out with BanyanDNA: A Tool for Your Genetic Journey
November
5th at 2pm ET: Be Your Own Digital Archivist: Preserve Your Research
19th at 1pm ET: Reparative Genealogy Case Study: Linked through Slavery
December
3rd at 6pm ET: King Richard III: Integrating Documentary Evidence with Mitochondrial DNA to Reach a Defensible Conclusion
17th at 2pm ET: Epigenetics, a New Frontier
January 2026
7th at 11am ET: Geography for Genealogists: Why “Where” Matters
21st at 2pm ET: Pin Your Ancestors Down with Google Maps & Google Earth
February
4th at 11am ET: “Terms And Conditions May Apply” : Contract Law and DNA Testing
18th at 2pm ET: Cheat Tools and More!
March
4th at 11am ET: What Kind of DNA Strategies Should Be on Your Checklist?
18th at 2pm ET: Pulling It All together– A Case Study
Clicking this button will prompt you to create an account with Circle, our new community platform
If you have questions, just reach out to our team at info@yourdnaguide.com.
