Why I Strive: How a Nurse Practitioner Is Building a Purpose-Driven Career at Strive Health

As a Senior Manager of Clinical Care Delivery and Nurse Practitioner at Strive Health, Careah Bell McPeek, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, has spent her career caring for patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. From nearly a decade spent in cardiac critical care and the open-heart ICU setting to helping build new care models at Strive, her journey has been guided by one mission: Helping patients avoid the very crises she once treated every day.  

Over the past three years, Careah has grown alongside Strive, helping to expand nurse practitioner access, improve patient engagement and advocate for the clinicians delivering care on the front lines. We sat down with Careah to discuss her journey, what a typical day looks like and why Strive has become such a meaningful place to build a career. 

Q: What led you to become a nurse practitioner and ultimately brought you to Strive?
A: I started my career as an RN in the open-heart ICU and spent several years caring for patients during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I loved critical care, but over time I began asking myself a different question: how could I help patients earlier in their healthcare journey and potentially prevent some of these life-altering events? 

That question led me back to school while continuing to work full time. I eventually transitioned into urgent care, which gave me the opportunity to blend acute care with prevention. But I still felt drawn to cardiac care and wanted to make a bigger impact upstream. 

When I discovered Strive, it immediately resonated with me. During my first interview, I met our Chief Clinical Officer, Sumair Akhtar, M.D., and his passion for the mission was infectious. It was clear that this wasn’t just another healthcare organization. There was a genuine commitment to changing outcomes for patients and helping them avoid the hospitalizations and complications that so many people fear.  

Q. What was it like joining Strive in those early days?
A: It was busy in the best possible way. 

At the time, I was the only nurse practitioner for one line of our business across Indiana and Illinois. We were building processes in real time, solving problems, developing workflows and collaborating across teams to create something new. 

That experience pushed me professionally in ways I never expected. I had opportunities to work directly with nephrology partners, contribute to clinical practice guidelines and help shape programs that continue to impact patient care today. 

One of the things that has stood out most throughout my time here is that nurse practitioners truly have a voice. Leadership listens, invests in our growth and gives us opportunities to contribute beyond our immediate roles. 

Q. What does a typical day at Strive look like for you now?
A: No two days are exactly the same, which is one of the things I love most about my role. 

A large part of my week is dedicated to supporting my team. I meet regularly with my direct reports and always ask, “What’s a problem I can help you solve?” I want to make sure our clinicians feel supported and have the resources they need to succeed. 

I also spend time collaborating with nephrology partners, participating in interdisciplinary rounds, working on clinical initiatives and partnering with leaders across the organization to improve workflows and patient care. 

And then, of course, there are always surprises. Healthcare never stops. Every day presents new challenges, and I view those challenges as opportunities for growth and problem-solving. 

Q. What has been the most rewarding part of your journey at Strive?
A: One of the things I’m most proud of is the culture we’ve built.  

Something I live by — and learned from leaders here at Strive — is to bring people up. We want to make sure our clinicians have the resources, support, and opportunities they need to succeed. If we’re all bringing each other up, our patients are brought up as well. When our teams are supported, our patients receive better care, stay out of the hospital and have access to the education and resources they deserve.  

Another equally rewarding opportunity is seeing the long-term impact we have on patients. In many healthcare settings, you may only see a patient once. You help them in that moment, but you may never know what happened to them after.  

At Strive, we have the opportunity to walk alongside patients over time. We help patients delay disease progression, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, improve their quality of life and gain access to resources they may not have known existed. We collaborate across specialties to care for the whole person, not just one diagnosis. 

That’s incredibly meaningful work. 

Q: What would you tell NPs considering a career at Strive?
A: Strive has given me the opportunity to practice at the top of my license in ways I hadn’t experienced before. 

Here, nurse practitioners are encouraged to think critically, collaborate across specialties, and do what’s right for the patient. You’re not siloed into one narrow area of care. You become part of a multidisciplinary team focused on improving outcomes for complex patients. 

The flexibility has also been incredibly meaningful for me. As the mother of two young children, Strive has allowed me to be both the clinician I worked so hard to become and the mother and wife I want to be at home. That work-life balance matters. 

I feel empowered at Strive. I feel heard. And I genuinely believe there is tremendous opportunity for both professional and personal growth. 

Q: Finish this sentence: I Strive because…
A: Caring for people isn’t just my profession; it’s my purpose.  

Every patient deserves hope, every clinician deserves support and every day is an opportunity to make a lasting difference. 

Interested in joining the Strive team and making an impact as a nurse practitioner? Apply today: https://strivehealth.com/careers/