About Kara Yorkhall

As the founder and primary practitioner at Fertile Ground Kara offers education, acupuncture, herbs and other therapies to empower patients to move towards their goals, and to achieve and maintain life-long health. Kara is board certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and licensed by the Minnesota State Medical Board. Kara has a bachelors degree in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters degree in Oriental medicine from Northwestern Health Sciences University. She has completed years of specialized training in fertility and pregnancy care and is one of three practitioners in Minnesota that are certified by the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine, or ABORM.

Kara has had a passion for holistic health and natural living since the early 1990’s. As a young woman she had the opportunity to live and attend births with the traditional midwife of a small fishing village in India. This transformative experience left her with the certainty that she wanted to work with women throughout their journey of conception, pregnancy and motherhood. This led her to train as a doula and work with women during and in preparation for childbirth. She feels very fortunate to be able to use the ancient tools and knowledge of Chinese medicine to assist women in navigating their unique journey toward motherhood.

About Jen Connell

Jen earned her advanced degree in Oriental medicine from the College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CAOM) on the campus of Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) and holds a B.A. from Simmons College in Boston.  In addition, she was mentored for several years by a third generation native Vietnamese practitioner of classical Oriental medicine. Licensed since 1999, Jen works in private practice in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis and supervises acupuncture interns in clinics at Courage Center and the Salvation Army. Past experience includes working as a practitioner of Oriental medicine at Fairview University Medical Center’s Mind Body Spirit Clinic, serving on the board of directors for The Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Association of Minnesota and being a member of the CAOM steering committee.

Prior to becoming a health professional, Jen spent many years working in the natural health retail industry in the Twin Cities.  Though primarily an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, her knowledge of Western herbs and nutritional supplements assists her in guiding her patients. Jen enjoys working with a wide array of health conditions including pain, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, support for patients undergoing cancer treatments, as well as women’s health and fertility. She is particularly interested in how the emotions and spirit influence physical health.  Jen is grateful to work in the field of healing and encourages people to find peace on their wellness path.