Media & Announcements
Official press releases and media coverage from Desert Roots Wellness. For media inquiries and interview requests, contact [email protected].
Standardized Bios for Media Use
Samka Keranovic
Samka Keranovic is Co-Founder of Desert Roots Wellness, a holistic life coach, former Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine. With 16 years of private coaching experience and more than 20 years in business leadership, her work focuses on burnout, self-abandonment, people-pleasing, boundaries, and sustainable high performance. Featured in Fast Company and Financial Tech Times. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Full bio →
Tyler LaBarge
Tyler LaBarge is Co-Founder of Desert Roots Wellness, a leadership coach, and President & CEO of U.S. Truck Driver Training School. With more than 20 years of ground-up leadership experience — rising from washing trucks in 2003 to President & CEO in 2020 — he works with high-achieving leaders on burnout, over-responsibility, delegation, team development, family-business dynamics, and sustainable high performance. Full bio →
Media Coverage
Samka Keranovic's first authored article as a Brainz Magazine Executive Contributor — on the underexamined link between parental burnout and the generation of teenagers arriving at adulthood with no template for honoring themselves. “We are not raising an anxious generation by accident. We are raising the children of burned-out adults who never learned to come home to themselves.”
Read on Brainz MagazineSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on why celebrating small wins isn't a wellness tip — it's a hard-earned lesson. She shares the story of rebuilding a team through a two-year turnaround without once stopping to acknowledge what had been achieved, and what her body taught her next.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on the real barriers clinicians face getting mental health support — and the practical fixes. Her section, “Find Private Treatment Beyond Referrals,” covers going outside your own referral network and protecting a 60-minute calendar block that nobody can touch.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on beating procrastination — sharing her “leverage-first rule”: start the day with the one task that unlocks movement for everyone else, before touching inboxes or routine updates. Procrastination isn't laziness; it's the brain freezing in the face of ten competing priorities.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on when to hire and how to manage payroll without putting cash flow at risk — sharing the “wait for sustained overflow” rule she uses to avoid hiring against forecasts and price fill time realistically.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on what makes Arizona a compelling destination for professionals — covering quality of life, work-life balance, and the conditions that allow people to build careers and lives that actually fit.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on how finding purpose reshapes mental health — drawing on her coaching work with high achievers navigating burnout, self-abandonment, and the search for a life that actually fits.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on making smarter capital allocation decisions under financial pressure — drawing on her experience coaching high-achieving leaders through high-stakes, resource-constrained decisions.
Read FeatureBurnout isn't a workload problem — it's a self-abandonment problem. Samka Keranovic writes in Fast Company's Leadership section on the three warning signs high achievers miss before hitting a wall.
Read on Fast CompanyA full feature interview with Samka Keranovic in Authority Magazine — on lived experience as a credential, why people-pleasing kills businesses, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
Read on Authority MagazineSamka Keranovic named Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine — a global business, mindset, and leadership publication reaching millions of readers. She contributes original writing on burnout, self-abandonment, people-pleasing, and sustainable high performance.
View Contributor ProfileSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on establishing practical norms that protect focus time and prevent burnout in hybrid and remote work environments.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among 25 expert contributors on the defining traits of visionary leaders — how exceptional leaders transform ambiguity into strategic advantage.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured as an expert contributor on the growing trend of proactive relationship investment — coaching and counseling before problems arise, not after.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among the most efficient women leaders to watch — recognized for her leadership in business and personal transformation.
Read FeatureYou don't run out of energy. You run out of yourself. Samka Keranovic on the three signals that show up before burnout hits — and why most high achievers miss them entirely.
Read on MediumPassion doesn't protect you from burnout — it often masks the early warning signs for years. Published on Medium by Samka Keranovic.
Read on MediumMost people who struggle to set boundaries aren't lacking scripts or communication skills — they're lacking self-trust. Published on Medium by Samka Keranovic.
Read on MediumSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors sharing practical decision filters for protecting capacity and choosing the right opportunities when every hour is already committed.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured on Pursue the Passion, sharing expert insights on protecting your focus time and setting limits that actually stick.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among 25 expert contributors sharing practical self-care and detachment strategies for CEOs navigating high-pressure leadership.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among 18 expert contributors sharing practical strategies for sustaining motivation and momentum on long-term projects.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured as an expert contributor sharing practical, real-world stress management techniques rooted in self-awareness and authentic living.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured as an expert contributor in PharmaTech News, challenging common burnout misconceptions and sharing insight on sustainable recovery rooted in self-trust and authentic living.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured as an expert contributor, sharing insights on navigating relationship stability risks rooted in boundaries, self-trust, and emotional resilience.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors breaking down the critical signs that reveal whether performance stagnation originates in mindset or physical capacity.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors on the human side of workforce planning — how leaders make difficult headcount decisions when clarity is scarce and the stakes are high.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured among expert contributors sharing practical strategies for building movement into the workday — because your body keeping score doesn't wait for you to notice.
Read FeatureSamka Keranovic featured on Fitness Interview, contributing insights on building sustainable follow-through rooted in structure, identity, and self-trust.
Read FeatureSamka shares the story behind Desert Roots Wellness, her 16 years of coaching work, and the practices she uses with high-pressure clients navigating burnout and self-abandonment.
Read InterviewPress Releases
President & CEO of U.S. Truck Driver Training School, Inc. Launches Personal Transformation and Coaching Company Alongside Co-Founding Partner Samka Keranovic.
Read Full Press ReleaseAfter more than two decades of award-winning leadership in the transportation sector, Samka Keranovic and co-founder Tyler LaBarge officially launch Desert Roots Wellness.
Read Full Press ReleasePractitioner Research
Evidence-informed practitioner insights on the five recurring patterns Samka observes beneath burnout in high-achieving clients — grounded in 16 years of coaching observations and supported by published research including the WHO burnout definition, APA guidance, and a peer-reviewed perfectionism meta-analysis.
Read the full report →Learn More About Our Work
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