July 26, 2025
The collaboration reflects a broader trend of athletes entering the beauty and wellness spaces in deeper ways than traditional endorsements.
Serena Williams is taking on a new challenge off the court. The tennis legend, who officially retired in 2022 with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name, has joined wellness brand Ritual as its first women’s health advisor, the company announced July 23 through CEO Katerina Schneider.
As part of the new role, Williams will provide feedback and insights on Ritual’s product development behind the scenes, helping shape new offerings for the wellness-focused brand.
“[Serena Williams] was our North Star of somebody that we wanted to partner with at Ritual,” said Ritual founder and CEO Katerina Schneider. “We wanted her to play a deeper role in the brand, which is why we’ve given her the title of our first women’s health advisor. We’re excited for her to use her platform to be more vocal about wellness, in general, and we’re also excited for her to have access to our products first and give us feedback.”
The collaboration reflects a broader trend of athletes entering the beauty and wellness spaces in deeper ways than traditional endorsements. Ritual previously served as the official protein partner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC from 2022 to 2024.
In recent years, other athletes have followed suit — such as Pamela Anderson becoming a co-founder and co-owner of skin-care brand Sonsie and Selma Blair joining Guide Beauty as chief creative officers, as reported by Glossy.
“Athletes are expected to perform at the highest levels, both mentally and physically,” Schneider noted. “That translates to how consumers view and aspire to and trust athletes for what they’re putting in and on their bodies.”
Although tennis will not be a central theme of Williams’s involvement, the timing aligns with a cultural upswing in the sport.
Wimbledon 2025 recently recorded its highest average viewership since 2019 — the last year Williams reached the finals.
For Schneider, Williams’s addition to the Ritual team marks a new chapter of brand evolution.
“We’re building an iconic brand, something that’s going to last forever. We’re not taking shortcuts. We’re not doing marketing for marketing’s sake,” she said.
“Partnering with someone that is actually an icon and the greatest at what they do levels this brand up in a way that’s faster than maybe we would get there on our own.”
Ritual, founded in 2015, achieved $250 million in gross revenue in 2024 and continues expanding.
On July 21, the company launched in 300 Ulta Beauty stores nationwide, which is the same retailer that carries Williams’s own makeup line, Wyn Beauty.
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