Women’s health is about so much more than an annual checkup.
It’s about understanding what’s happening in your body, feeling comfortable talking about the things that can be difficult to bring up, and having a healthcare provider who listens when something doesn’t feel quite right.
That’s a big part of why Key Wellness & Aesthetics exists.
Founded by Kelly VanVickle and Kelly Thompson, Key Wellness is an award-winning wellness and aesthetics clinic, built around a more comprehensive approach to women’s care.
With September being Sexual Health Awareness Month, we’re taking the opportunity to introduce the two women behind the practice and the work they’ve dedicated their careers to: helping women feel their best at every stage of life.
Meet Kelly VanVickle, Co-Founder & Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Kelly VanVickle, WHNP-BC, is a co-founder of Key Wellness and a board-certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner.
She began her nursing career in 1999, and in many ways, her career has been a long journey toward the work she does now. She started out in hospital care, moving through emergency medicine and labor and delivery before finding her way to women’s health case management, where her passion for advocating for women and giving patients the space to be heard really took shape.
Kelly earned her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati in 2013. In 2021, she and Kelly Thompson co-founded Key Wellness & Aesthetics, bringing together their shared belief that women deserve more than a rushed appointment and a prescription. They deserve a provider who actually listens.
Kelly’s approach to women’s wellness care is grounded in meeting people where they are. She creates personalized care plans that support both how her patients feel and how they show up in the world, and she brings that same philosophy to her aesthetic work, believing that beauty should enhance who someone already is, not change them.
I want women to know that whatever they are feeling, they aren’t alone. One of the most difficult things to do is to let someone in on your insecurities, especially when it comes to sexual health. It’s an honor when a woman trusts me enough to say, “You know, I don’t feel like myself anymore, and I don’t know where else to go.” We’ve got you. Kelly VanVickle, WHNP-BC |
Meet Kelly Thompson, Co-Founder & Family Practice Nurse Practitioner
Kelly Thompson, APRN-BC, is a co-founder of Key Wellness and a Family Nurse Practitioner.
She has been a nurse since 1995 and a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2003. For the past 19 years, her work has focused heavily on women’s health and infertility, where she has helped thousands of couples on their path to parenthood.
That depth of experience has shaped her approach to care, with a focus on the whole person and the physical, emotional, and overall wellness factors that can impact how a woman feels. At Key Wellness, Kelly brings that perspective to women’s wellness, hormone management, sexual health, and aesthetics, creating personalized care based on each patient’s individual needs.
My goal is to – each year – have you as healthy, or healthier, than you were last year by treating your emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Kelly Thompson, APRN-BC |
A Comprehensive Approach to Women’s Wellness
Sexual health is often treated like a separate conversation. At Key Wellness, it’s part of the bigger picture.
The Kellys each bring their own experience and areas of expertise to Key Wellness & Aesthetics, with a shared focus on helping women better understand and care for their health across hormone management, women’s wellness, and sexual health.
How you feel in your body can affect your relationships, confidence, emotional well-being, and quality of life. When something changes, you deserve to understand why and have options for addressing it.
That might mean talking through symptoms you’ve been experiencing, discussing hormonal changes, exploring treatment options, or simply having a conversation with a provider about something you’ve been hesitant to bring up.
Hormone Management
Hormonal changes can affect far more than one area of your health. Changes in energy, sleep, mood, weight, libido, and other symptoms can leave women wondering what’s going on with their bodies. Hormone management takes those concerns into consideration to help identify what may be contributing to how you’re feeling and determine an approach that fits your individual needs.
Women’s Wellness & Annual Exams
Your healthcare needs don’t stay the same throughout your life. From reproductive health and hormonal changes to the physical and emotional shifts that come with different stages of life, women’s wellness care is designed around where you are now and what your health needs today.
Infertility
Infertility can be an emotional and complicated part of a woman’s health journey, and having a provider who understands that process can make all the difference. Our providers have helped thousands of couples navigate fertility challenges and work toward growing their families. Care may include infertility consultations and fertility evaluations, with assessments such as hormone testing, ultrasounds, and semen analysis when appropriate. For patients pursuing treatment, we also offer IUI (intrauterine insemination) and local IVF monitoring.
Sexual Health
Concerns about libido, vaginal dryness, discomfort, or changes in sexual function are more common than many women realize, but they aren’t always easy to talk about. Having a comfortable setting to discuss those concerns can make it easier to understand what may be contributing to the changes you’re experiencing and explore potential treatment options.
Pelvic Floor Health
Bladder control, pelvic discomfort, changes in sexual function, and other concerns can sometimes be connected to the pelvic floor. Supporting pelvic floor health can be an important part of overall wellness, particularly when these changes begin affecting everyday comfort or quality of life.
Weight Management
Weight can be influenced by hormones, lifestyle, metabolism, age, and a number of other factors. A personalized approach to weight management looks at the bigger picture rather than treating weight as an isolated concern, with the goal of supporting overall health and long-term wellness.
While women’s wellness is at the core of the Kellys’ work, Key Wellness & Aesthetics also brings that same personalized approach to aesthetics. The practice offers a range of treatments designed to support skin health, rejuvenate and refresh the appearance, and help patients feel confident in their own skin.
Because at Key Wellness, feeling your best isn’t limited to one part of your health. It’s about the whole picture.
Personalized Women’s Wellness Care
At the heart of Key Wellness is the belief that women should feel empowered to take care of themselves. The work the Kellys have built around that approach has earned recognition throughout the Brainerd Lakes community. The practice has been named Best Cosmetic/Esthetic Clinic, Best Massage/Spa/Alternative Healing, and Crosslake Business of the Year, while Kelly Thompson has been recognized multiple times in the Best Healthcare Provider category.
This Sexual Health Awareness Month, consider it your reminder that your sexual health deserves a place in the conversation, too.
If something has changed, something doesn’t feel right, or there’s a question you’ve been putting off asking, start the conversation. You don’t have to figure it out on your own.
To learn more about women’s wellness services at Key Wellness & Aesthetics, visit our women’s wellness page or call us at (218) 692-5397.
