Taking Care

When Katerina Schneider was four months pregnant with her daughter, she found herself unable to recognize any of the ingredients in her prenatal vitamins. Determined to reinvent the concept of the vitamin from the ground up, this soon-to-be mom of two founded Ritual, a wave-making start-up with a clean multivitamin including the nine essential nutrients women actually need.

photography by MORGAN PANSING

BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR ISHARD, BUT BEING A MOTHERIS EVEN HARDER.

MINI | Tell us what inspired you to create Ritual. How did it all begin?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I started Ritual when I was four months pregnant. I cared more than ever what I was putting in and on my body. I got rid of everything in our house—deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc. But when it came to the vitamin I had been taking every day, I felt like it was a black box. I quickly realized it contained ingredients that were unproven, in dosages that were excessive and it was actually missing a lot of nutrients I needed for my pregnancy. I had my work cut out for me. So I left my cushy job and decided to start a company that was going to reinvent the vitamin industry., all while being pregnant. I hired one of the leading scientists in the industry and we literally spent a year just researching womens diets today (not 50 years ago with which most vitamins are formulated). We realized that women were actually getting a lot of nutrients from their diets alone and that most multivitamins were kind of B.S. We identified nine essential nutrients that all women could use more of (think folate, omega-3s, D3, K2MK7). We searched the world for the best forms that were vegan, gluten free, non gmo, that had clinical studies and

research and bypassed any gene variations. It was shocking to me that over 1/3 of women had a gene variation where they couldn’t properly utilize folic acid (which was in over 90% of prenatals and multivitamins!). No one, not even most doctors, were talking about this. So we decided to create a product that accounted for something so important.

MINI | What would you say is the greatest challenge of being a working mom?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | The greatest challenge is guilt. Not feeling guilty about not seeing your kids as much as you’d like or not working hard enough because you’re seeing your kids.

MINI | What helps you to juggle motherhood and career?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Accepting help from others. For so long I was so antihelp, but I’ve come to embrace it.

MINI | Where have you seen the biggest changes in your life since becoming a mom?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Being an entrepreneur is hard, but being a mother is even harder, I would say. It teaches you do deal with chaos all the time and not let it get to you.

MINI | What do you think is the one thing about motherhood that no one really warns you about?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Breastfeeding. Man, that was tough in the beginning. No one warns you about the changes you see in your body (your nipples) and how painful it is at first. Also, as a working mom, I pumped for a year and a half and that was one of the most stressful, selfless things I think I’ve ever done.

MINI | As a mom and the founder of Ritual, can you give us an idea of what a typical work day looks like?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I play with Tali and we have breakfast before I get into the office. Some days, I’ll get a workout in (Soul Cycle or pilates are what I’m into right now in my pregnancy) [before I get into] the office around 9. On Mondays, we have our weekly all-hands meeting where everyone shares what they are excited about for the week and someone on the team they are grateful for. Then I’ll meet with our scientific team to discuss formulations, sourcing, and studies. Some days, I’ll walk to grab some lunch with someone on the team or someone I’m interviewing. Other days, I’ll Postmates something yummy from Make Out Café (Matthew Kenney’s restaurant in Culver City). I have 1 to 2 bigger press interviews a week so,

I’ll try to fit that in. I’m also working on the design for our new office space which is incredible and I get to work with so many talented designers. I’ll meet with our copywriter to make sure our Instagram grid is looking and feeling great. Before I leave the office, I will also work with our COO on our financials and any material for our Board of Directors. It’s never a dull day. I typically get home around 6:30 or 7 to put Tali to bed and then I’m back online working on more creative things for the company like new packaging designs or product ideas.

THE MOTHER OF VITAMINS

Ritual is not your typical multivitamin— Here’s what they have above the others:

9 essential nutrients women lack the most

Open-source ingredients, so you know where they came from

Same bioavailable forms found in healthy foods

Non-GMO, Vegan, Gluten and Soy free, No synthetic fillers or colorants

Natural mint-essence for the best taste

Nothing you don’t need— most American women can do without common ingredients like Vitamin A, B Vitamins, and Trace Minerals

MINI | What is your greatest joy of motherhood?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Experiencing life through the lens of another human being that is so open and excited about the world. It makes you really appreciate the more basic things.

MINI | How did you decide on your children’s names?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | My husband and I literally battled it out for months on a name. We were so stuck that we even both downloaded a naming app that matches you when you align on a name (like Tinder for baby names). Unfortunately, we still couldn’t align. I threw the name Tali out there and it seemed to stick. Tali’s name means ‘morning dew.’ Everyone asks us if it’s short for something, but we refused to name her Talia because we knew we would forever call her Tali.

MINI | What is most important to you in raising your children?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I was an immigrant when I moved to this country. My parents wanted to give me an opportunity that they never had and valued the importance of education. I never want to take that for granted when raising my kids.

MINI | We want to know about your own wellness routine! What vitamins do you take yourself?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I only take [Ritual’s] Essential For Women. It was designed to be the only vitamin a woman needs.

MINI | How about diet? Is there anything you try to stick to or stay away from?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I eat a plant-based diet. I’ve stayed away from dairy and meat for over ten years.

MINI | And your skincare routine? What is that like right now?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I’m obsessed with a company called True Botanicals. I have a four step routine with them that I love.

I WAS AN IMMIGRANT WHEN I MOVED TO THIS COUNTRY

MINI | Let’s talk about your home. Do you have a favorite room?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Our bedroom. I fell in love with our Environment bed once when I saw it in a showroom and I knew it was the bed that we had to have. We don’t have much else in our room (no TV, no electronics). I like the statement of just a bed in a bedroom and less clutter because in many ways you sleep better when you get rid of all of the noise and distraction.

MINI | Where do you spend the most time in your home?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I spend most of my free time at home outside walking with Tali in our neighborhood. It’s inspiring because she’s so curious about the simplest things—rocks, leaves—and it’s refreshing to see life from her perspective. It makes me more appreciative of where we live and the little things. I’m so busy day to day with numbers, growth, and data that it recharges me to play with her in nature.

MINI | Where do you like to shop? For yourself and your kids.

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | I use Rent the Runway Unlimited for myself. I love not owning clothing and I’m really into the idea of minimalism if you can’t tell. For my daughter, I love Zara Kids since she grows out of things so quickly.

MINI | If you could give your kids one piece of advice, what would it be?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Get gritty. Nothing is ever handed to you, nor should it be.

MINI | Looking back to your first days as a mom, what advice would you give yourself?

KATERINA SCHNEIDER | Everything is going to be fine.

FAST FACTS

BEFORE KIDS, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD Sit in a kids pool for two hours at a time.

TYPICAL COFFEE ORDER Iced latte with nut milk. If they don’t have freshly made milk then pass.

IF THERE WERE MORE HOURS IN THE DAY, I WOULD Sleep.

CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO Ray LaMontagne’s Ojai.

GUILTY PLEASURE Erewhon’s green goddess ice cream.

ON MY NIGHTSTAND A candle, Le Labo, and rose oil.

ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE Almond butter.

FAVORITE KIDS MOVIE Shrek.

IDEAL DATE NIGHT Korean food and spa.

LAST BOOK I READ Radical Candor.

SIGNATURE SCENT Le Labo Santal 33.