The People Behind the Practice
Meet the Founders
Desert Roots Wellness was built by two people who found their way through the same walls their clients face. Different paths. Same truth.
Founder
Samka Keranovic
Co-Founder & Holistic Life Coach
Samka Keranovic has spent the better part of her adult life helping people find their way back to themselves — first in private, and now publicly.
Since 2006, Samka built her career in corporate transportation. She rose through the ranks to serve as VP and Chief Operating Officer, managing a $5.2 million P&L, leading large teams, and earning recognition as a top woman in the industry. From the outside, it looked like a story of professional success. And in many ways, it was.
What most people didn't see was what she was doing alongside it. For 16 years — while holding down a demanding executive career — Samka coached privately. Under confidentiality agreements, she traveled to companies and worked directly with their staff on burnout, boundaries, indecision, and performance. The work was real. The results were real. The only thing missing was a public name for what she was doing.
When corporate life stopped feeling like a fit, Samka made the decision most high achievers dread: she left. Not because she had failed — but because she had grown beyond it. In May 2026, she and Tyler LaBarge launched Desert Roots Wellness — the first time her coaching has ever been promoted publicly.
"My work is all about helping you find that sweet spot where your career, your relationships, and your inner world finally align. If you're ready to trade people-pleasing for peace of mind and performance, you're in the right place. Let's get real, let's get messy, and most importantly, let's get you back." — Samka
Founder
Tyler LaBarge
Co-Founder & Empowerment Coach
Tyler LaBarge has spent 20 years in transportation education — and most of that time, he was doing more than running operations. Since stepping into a Vice President role in 2011 and becoming President & CEO in 2020, Tyler led teams of up to 35 people and built a reputation for something that rarely shows up in a job description: he helped people figure out what to do with their lives after graduation.
Alongside managing the business, Tyler spent years coaching graduates one-on-one — helping them assess career opportunities, build business plans, navigate the decision to become owner-operators, and develop the time management strategies that turn a license into a livelihood. It was practical, direct, and grounded in real outcomes. It was coaching before he ever called it that.
In May 2026, he and co-founder Samka Keranovic launched Desert Roots Wellness — bringing that same direct, results-focused approach into a dedicated coaching practice. Tyler is a Certified Geo Love Healing Practitioner and works with clients on leadership, clarity, accountability, and building a life and career that actually fits who they are.
"Over the years I have come to learn that failure to achieve one's dreams is rarely linked to a lack of talent or determination, but rather a misalignment between their professional and personal aspirations and their support system." — Tyler
Training & Professional Standards
How We're Trained and Accredited
Samka holds seven certifications — in life coaching, transformational coaching, neuroscience coaching, trauma-informed coaching, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), meditation coaching, and Geo Love Healing — all completed through internationally accredited training programs.
Her certifications are recognized by five independent accrediting bodies:
- CPDThe Continuing Professional Development Certification Service (UK-based) — a globally recognized standard used across coaching, healthcare, education, and business to verify that training meets professional quality benchmarks.
- NCCAPThe National Certification Council for Activity Professionals — accredits coaches and practitioners working in holistic and therapeutic modalities.
- CMAThe Complementary Medical Association (UK) — a professional body for holistic practitioners that maintains rigorous ethical and training standards for its accredited members.
- IPHMThe International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine — a global accrediting body for holistic health and wellness professionals, focused on training quality and practitioner ethics.
- ICAHPThe International Council for Applied Hypnotic Practitioners and Coaching Professionals — specializes in accrediting NLP, hypnotherapy, and evidence-based coaching certifications.
Both Samka and Tyler are also Certified Geo Love Healing Practitioners — a specialized training in breathwork, somatic boundary practices, and body-mind awareness as tools for lasting behavioral change.
Coaching is an unregulated field — which is exactly why we pursued formal accreditation. These bodies don't just issue certificates; they set standards for the quality and ethics of the training programs themselves.
Together
20+ Years of Combined Experience
Sales. Marketing. Finance. HR. Leadership. Team building. Family business dynamics. Personal reinvention. Mind-body practices. We have lived it, navigated it, and built a system to help you do the same.
7 Internationally Accredited Certifications
Explained below ↓
Mind, Body, Soul Methodology
Holistic · Trauma-Informed · NLP
Built from Lived Experience
Not theory. Real transformation.