At Home With Kat Schneider, Founder of Ritual
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Nicki Sebastian
Photographed by Nicki Sebastian
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The entrepreneur and mother of three on creating a health-conscious and Earth-friendly home.
Mom of three Kat Schneider has built a career—and a family life—rooted in intention.
As the founder and CEO of Ritual, she’s long been on a mission to bring clarity, science, and accountability to women’s health, a philosophy that began with her own first pregnancy and has since reshaped the supplement industry.
That same values-first approach extends well beyond work: Kat and her husband are deeply health-conscious and lovers of Mother Earth, raising their three daughters in a household where wellness, transparency, and mindful living are everyday practices.
With her husband leading the transportation advocacy nonprofit Streets for All, the family rarely drives, opting instead to walk or bike whenever possible.
And to add to her accolades, the busy mom and entrepreneur recently became an author, with the debut of her first book, Help Your Self: The New Rules for Wellness, which spreads her healthy living philosophy far and wide.
Meanwhile, Kat’s first baby, Ritual, continues to grow—most recently launching its #1 prenatal in 200 select Costco stores across the country.
If you live in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, Montana, or Alaska—be sure to check out your local Costco to find Ritual’s best-selling Essential Prenatal, now sold in a unique-to-Costco 2-pack (120 capsules) at an exclusive price of $48.99.
Read our conversation with Kat below, to find out how she’s navigating a season where motherhood, impact, and long-term vision feel more intertwined than ever.
Follow Kat and Ritual on Instagram @katandkale and @ritual
Did you always know you wanted to be a mother?
"I actually didn’t always know. I never have an attachment to what I want to be or plan that far ahead the way other people do. I was also never amazing with little kids, until I had my own and it’s given me a whole new purpose in life."
How were your pregnancies and birth experiences?
"My first pregnancy was a surprise. We had just gotten married and that same year I got pregnant. It changed my life and I felt like it was no longer just mine. It also inspired me to start Ritual."
"My second pregnancy I found out about when I went to a checkup with One Medical. I didn’t even feel like I was pregnant. I got an alert in the app and a note from the doctor that I was pregnant. I still have the screenshot because it was both shocking and hilarious. I sent the screenshot to my husband as his way of finding out too."
“I didn’t expect that kids with the same upbringing, in the same house, could be so different. It makes you feel like you can have impact on their values, but not their identities. It kind of takes the pressure off honestly.”
As you mentioned, Ritual was inspired by your first pregnancy. What was that a-ha moment like?
"I was 4 months pregnant when I couldn’t find a prenatal I trusted. One that was science backed and also where I knew where the ingredients came from. Every bottle on the shelf had vague labels, questionable ingredients, and zero accountability. At a moment when I needed certainty most, the category offered none—no transparency, no proof, no real standards. I decided then to build what didn’t exist: a prenatal grounded in traceable ingredients, rigorous science, and radical transparency. Women should know and trust what it is they are putting in their bodies, especially at such vulnerable life stages."
Tell us about your kids names.
"My oldest is Tali Lara, middle is Mika Marta, and youngest is Sofi Jeri. A friend of mine said that Tali tallest, Mika middle, and Sofi smallest...and while that wasn’t intentional, it is true! Their middle names are names of our grandparents that we wanted to honor that were also our closest friends growing up. The kids don’t have full names and nicknames, just 4 letter first names."
What excites you about raising three daughters?
"I definitely didn’t care what gender my kids were and didn’t do any sort of reveal. But as I’ve gotten older and built a brand in women’s health, I often get emotional about building a better future for them. My husband did care about gender and really wanted to go for a boy (he still does!). So the last pregnancy I gave the phone to him when the doctor called with the gender and I said 'surprise me,' given this was my third. The doctor told him it was a girl…he was stunned, he looked over at me and said, 'it’s another girl.'"
What has surprised you about the experience of motherhood so far?
"I didn’t expect it to give so much meaning and purpose to my life. I also didn’t expect that kids with the same upbringing, in the same house, could be so different. Different personalities, preferences in food, style, etc. It makes you really feel like you can have so much impact on their values, but not their identities. It kind of takes the pressure off honestly."
What was your own upbringing like?
"I was an immigrant born in the Ukraine and a refugee to the U.S. in 1989 (we came with only one suitcase and $50). My parents were so inspiring and we first moved to a welfare hotel in Brooklyn. My mom became a trader on Wall Street and my dad started a software company. They showed me you can be anything you want to be or do. I try to show my kids the same."
"My big brother was a big part of my life. He was only 3 years older than me but really helped raise me. I can’t imagine my oldest being able to do that with her sisters. If I left her with my youngest, she might kill her!"
Are there things from your upbringing that you're consciously trying to incorporate into your kids' upbringing?
"I try to inspire them to think and dream big. I recently took them to my friend's fashion studio to show them how she concepts design, to fabric, to production. I wanted to show them that they can do anything and be anything."
“Motherhood makes me more ambitious and wanting to have more of an impact on the world. I want to make them proud.”
Health is something you're clearly passionate about. How do you infuse healthy living into your own life—and your children's lives?
"I’m a little health obsessed, but I always have been. I had a Norman Walker juicer growing up and studied Ayurveda practices when I was a kid—and even did the blood type diet in my teenage years. I’ve just been part of so many wellness fads and trends and I now believe in going back to the basics."
"I’m trying to not choose for my kids, but teach them how to make their own healthy choices. When I was thinking of having a vegan/vegetarian household, my middle daughter, Mika, didn’t know what meat really was. But we would go to the grocery store and she would say, 'I want that red thing' (steak), or sit in front of snack sections at birthday parties instead of playing. I knew I made a mistake and I wanted them to make their own choices and have a variety of choices."
What excites you most about motherhood right now?
"It’s exciting that my kids are becoming my friends, confidants, and people I’m proud of. My daughter recently earned money baking some banana bread during her break and she donated half of it to a foundation. I was both shocked and so proud."
What advice would you give to other moms about to start their motherhood journey?
"Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You don’t have as much impact as you think (haha)."
Tell us about your home.
"I’m in a transitional time in my home. My kids are no longer toddlers and so they aren’t destroying the house as much, but I’m still nervous to put any nice items in there that they will destroy. My business style is so funky and provocative, but I wanted to make my home more minimal and minimally cluttered."
"My favorite aspect is my kitchen because the cabinets look more like a lab than they do a family kitchen. I also love my dining table because it perfectly highlights my kids' pottery, which they are so talented at making. I love using their bowls and plates for every meal. It’s a good reminder of the importance to still build things with our hands and be creators."
What spots in L.A. can folks find you at when you're not at home?
"I am still a wellness girly TBH. After I send my kids to school, you can find me at Poinsettia Park playing tennis, or with Saul Choza in his pilates studio. I love the sauna at Heimat or Joe K’s yoga class."
"I don’t shop much, unless it’s groceries. I buy everything I need at the West Hollywood Farmers Market on Melrose. I love Dave’s Korean—I drink their broth every night. I love Cafe Gratitude as an OG vegan place, I also love N/Soto for date night."
What appeals to you about raising your kids in L.A.?
"I love the outdoors—Franklin Canyon is a top place we like to play with the kids. My husband and I also mostly bike or walk in our area. We rarely drive. I will never get groceries or things for the house by car. If we get anything, my rule is we all need to carry it with our bare hands."
"I don’t think we will settle in L.A. My husband has Mexican roots and we have a place in Careyes, Mexico. I would love to live there in the future."
Tell us about your career in a nutshell.
"I studied applied math at Brown University. I loved solving problems and puzzles. But I was also super creative and took classes at RISD, which was right down the street from Brown."
"I ended up working on Wall Street at Lehman Brothers doing M&A for gaming and lodging companies, and yes, I was there during the largest bank failure in history."
"From there, I worked for the CEO of Universal Music, as his right hand—I helped bring Spotify to the U.S. After I left UMG, I ran a fund for Troy Carter, and got my big break working with incredible founders managing a fund that invested in Uber, Dropbox, Warby Parker, and others. Working with those founders, I always knew that I also wanted to start something, but didn’t know what until I got pregnant, and Troy was my first investor!"
You've accomplished so much professionally. What big goals or happenings are you most excited about right now?
"I’m in a season where a lot of long-term bets are coming to fruition, which feels incredibly energizing. I wrote a book! Help Your Self is co-authored by me, and it brings Ritual’s science-first philosophy beyond supplements and into everyday wellness."
"Ritual is now the #1 prenatal in the U.S. and surpassed $250 million in retail sales in 2024—milestones that validate the trust our customers place in us. I’m especially excited about our recent launch in Costco on the West Coast, which makes science-backed prenatal nutrition accessible to many more women."
"Partnering with Serena Williams as Ritual’s women’s health ambassador has been another career highlight—she shares our belief that women deserve better information and better products at every life stage."
"Beyond the business wins, helping pass landmark prenatal safety legislation in California may be what I’m most proud of. California’s SB 646 is a first-of-its-kind law, requiring transparency around heavy-metal testing in prenatal vitamins. Ritual was the first and only supplement brand to successfully advocate for, testify on behalf of, and help pass a landmark law to bring new transparency and safety measures to prenatal vitamins. It’s proof that brands can—and should—play a role in advancing public health, not just selling products."
"For context, the consumer market place is skeptical about the safety and efficacy of supplements and for good reason. The last major law governing the supplement industry (DSHEA) was passed in 1994 when there were 4,000 supplements on the market. Today, there are 100,000 and widespread safety issues like heavy metal contamination and no standards for efficacy, like clinical trial requirements for finished goods."
How has becoming a mother impacted your career and ambition?
"So much. It makes me more ambitious and wanting to have more of an impact on the world. Now that my kids are older, they have a deeper understanding of what I do and why I do it. I now want to make them proud."
Do you have regular hours that you try to work each day?
"I mostly work 9-6 and then on the fringes at night and early in the morning. Our team is hybrid, so a lot of my executives are on the east coast, so in some ways I often get pulled into east coast and west coast hours. I’m still trying to manage that. I love our office, it's such a beautiful reflection of science and art."
What about any creative habits to get going + stay inspired?
"Sunday yoga, 9 a.m., 90 minutes is a practice that gets me inspired. I recently heard from my teacher via dharma that the most enlightened people are the ones that are content. I take a lot of my teachings from yoga and think about how I want to lead or the team to be empowered. Another idea from my friend Niki Trosky, who is a healer and yogi, was we are human beings not human doings—that has really stuck with me."
Any advice you'd give to fellow entrepreneurs about juggling a business + young children?
"I often tell people to start companies, even if they are thinking about having families. You can do both and it’s actually easier in the early days when your kids have more physical needs than emotional ones."
"Child care is essential, and finding either a village to help you raise your children (so the emotional support is spread) or someone you trust with not just childcare but house upkeep is essential to find balance."
"Structure, but finding rituals, is essential. How can you elevate something from a routine to a habit to a ritual?"
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