Meet Our Team
Our Team
Consulting Medical Director
Dr. Arie Blitz
Dr. Arie Blitz is an independently practicing physician who is one of the physicians affiliated with Strive. He attended Cornell University for his undergraduate degree in philosophy and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York for his medical degree. He completed a General Surgery residency at Montefiore Medical Center in NY and became board-certified in General Surgery. He completed a Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at UCLA Medical Center in California and became board-certified in Cardiothoracic Surgery. In addition, he has completed several advanced fellowships. Currently, he is board-eligible in Obesity Medicine and will be standing for his board exam in late 2023.
Dr. Blitz has served several leadership roles throughout his career, including as a full professor and as President of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Heart Association.
Widely published in both peer-reviewed journals and textbook chapters, Dr. Blitz is also a sought-out speaker at national and international meetings, and has appeared in both local and national media on numerous occasions.
We are happy to have Dr. Blitz as our medical director!
Clinic Manager
Scott Merenz
Scott is a native Montanan who was raised in Dillon, MT. After attending Montana State University, he graduated with a degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and gradually found his way into the senior-living world. He was a caregiver for a few years but then Scott moved on to become a community relations manager in a local assisted-living community. After spending several years in senior living, and most notably, helping his community of seniors endure the pandemic, he found Strive. Scott has primarily taken interest in vegetarianism as a way to maintain a healthy relationship to good eating but he doesn’t consider himself completely devout to the practice. Scott is now looking forward to helping people achieve their weight-loss goals with the resources that are newly available to them and learning more about healthy lifestyles and nutrition along the way.
Scott is usually found accompanied by his beautiful wife Kaitlin while either enjoying nature, cruising the waves on his sailboat, cooking, or playing music with his band.
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Consultant
LeAnn Bunn
LeAnn Bunn is a Montana native, raised in Harrison, MT. After graduating valedictorian, she attended Montana State University. Being a natural caregiver, LeAnn was able to raise two wonderful kids as her family moved around the Northwest following construction projects her husband supervised. They finally settled close to home in Bozeman and she and her husband built and ran an assisted-living facility in their own home, of which she maintained for 12 years. Despite the challenges of Covid, she was able to protect her facility from the reaches of covid and is proud to say none of the residents acquired covid under her care. She was able to sell the business in the spring of 2022 and is enjoying a new outlet for her caregiving abilities. She has been dedicated to health and exercise all of her life and has always taken a particular interest in nutrition and the important role it plays in healthy living. She is excited to help people with their weight challenges because she too fights hard to eat right, exercise, and keep a mindful balance between the enjoyment of social eating and the importance of healthy nutrition. LeAnn understands the challenges people face with weight-loss and she loves to help them let go of expectations so they can enjoy living the life they deserve.
LeAnn’s pastimes usually include trips to the gym or outdoor activities. Being raised on the ranch, she is looking forward to a lifelong dream of training horses.
Consultant
Davida Grant
Davida was born and raised in Crow Agency, MT and currently resides in Billings, MT. After attending Montana State University, she graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is married with eight children and two dogs that she loves dearly. Davida is very involved with her kid’s sports including: basketball, football, and track. She has been a caregiver in the hospital and nursing-home settings for eleven years. Davida tries to keep a healthy lifestyle as she believes adopting healthier choices will help you thrive as you move through your life's journey.
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Consultant
Evelyn Grismore
Evelyn was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. Alongside her best friend and hubby, David, she has lived all over the country, even trying van life for a bit. Over the past few years, Evelyn has worked in healthcare, gaining experience in optometry, dermatology and now, medical weight loss. In her spare time, Evelyn enjoys outdoor recreation and creating memories with her friends.