Staff

Carla Sparrow is the founding owner of Thriving Health NP Care Clinic. Her career in healthcare began in 2001 when she graduated with distinction from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Nursing degree. Over the years, Carla worked across a variety of healthcare settings, often simultaneously, gaining experience in medical, surgical, trauma, and ICU care.

She found her passion in pain management while working with the Acute/Chronic Pain Service in Calgary, which led her to pursue a Master’s program with a focus on Acute Pain Management at Athabasca University, completing her degree in 2009.

After relocating to Fort McMurray with her family, Carla shifted her focus toward personal training and health promotion, running her own private business for four years. During that time, she welcomed her two sons and later transitioned to working with Innomar Strategies, where she supported patients undergoing biological medicine and infusion treatments—a schedule that aligned better with motherhood.

Craving new challenges, she returned to academia and completed her Nurse Practitioner training at Athabasca University in 2021, again graduating with distinction. Since then, she has been practicing as an NP for over three years and remains passionate about the endless opportunities for growth in the profession.

Carla has also developed a strong personal and professional interest in fitness and chronic pain prevention. A long-time advocate of the Pilates Method, she incorporates its principles to support patients experiencing musculoskeletal misalignment and chronic pain.

In her free time, Carla enjoys staying active — cross-country skiing and fat-tire biking in winter, and paddleboarding and road biking in summer. She also enjoys cooking and spending time with her family, including her husband Stu, whom she married at Christmas 2024.

Beyond healthcare, Carla is an avid reader and aspiring author. She has found joy in reading literary classics such as Gone with the Wind, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice, which she admires for their rich language and depth. Currently, she is working toward publishing her first trilogy, a dream she has nurtured over the past four years.

Her recent six-month hiatus from practice allowed her the space to focus on writing and laying the foundation for Thriving Health. With deep gratitude for this opportunity, Carla is excited to embrace this next chapter as a healthcare provider, entrepreneur, and clinic owner, welcoming all patients seeking compassionate, quality care.