Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Ricci.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story really begins with a relentless drive to create, to serve, and to make something better than how I found it. I grew up with an innate hunger to build and make a positive impact in the world. By the time I was 12, I was begging my dad to let me mow the lawn. Not just to contribute, but because I loved the feeling of ownership and dreamt of starting a business one day. Once he finally gave me the green light, I was off to the races. I turned that simple chore into a landscaping business, walking the neighborhood with a push mower and a dream, landing my first clients and getting hooked on entrepreneurship before I ever really knew what the word meant. I couldn’t get enough of making customers happy and leaving them with utmost satisfaction.
That spirit carried me into adulthood. I paid my own way through the University of Tennessee, where I graduated in the top 10 of the supply chain program and joined the Alumni Advisory Board for the Business School. From there, I built a fast moving corporate career, leading global initiatives at Nissan, Bridgestone, and Dollar General. These were experiences that taught me the power of precision, discipline, strategy, and execution.
But everything changed when life hit me hard on an idle Tuesday.
In 2012, my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. The doctors gave her weeks to live. That moment shattered my world, but also reshaped it. I went all in researching, connecting with alternative practitioners, studying ancestral health, and helping guide her through a healing journey that extended her life years beyond what doctors expected. I saw firsthand how food, mindset, movement, and lifestyle could radically change someone’s health trajectory. That experience redefined success for me. I no longer wanted to just grow businesses; I wanted to build companies that restore people to strength, health, and happiness.
That’s when I pivoted from corporate to mission driven health ventures. In 2017 I joined forces with Dr. Axe, Jordan Rubin, Evan Tardy, and Colt Morton during their rocketship growth years, then stepped in as a turnaround CEO of a meal prep and delivery company to help scale access to convenient, healthy, and clean food. Eventually, I partnered with Brian Johnson and became the CEO of Ancestral Supplements, which is built on the same principles that helped my mom thrive: whole food nutrition and a lifestyle based on ancestral wisdom.
In just two years, we took a declining company to more than double revenue and profitability, rebuilt the culture, and created systems that allowed us to serve over 3 million lives to date! What drives me isn’t the financial metrics.. It’s the messages we get from people who tell us we’ve changed their lives. It’s the mom who got her energy back. The man who no longer needs antidepressants. The dad who can finally play with his kids again. It’s the IMPACT. Now I’m blessed to serve as the CEO of 6 companies in the natural health and wellness space, with my primary focus being Ancestral Supplements.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. It’s been anything but smooth, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Every challenge has shaped me into who I am today.
One of my first big tests was uprooting my life to move to Washington, D.C. for a role in international trade. Specifically ITAR and managing foreign military supply chains. It was a highly complex, heavily regulated environment, and I was young and hungry which forced me to grow fast. I was surrounded by some of the smartest and hardest working people I had ever met, which inspired me to become even more focused and disciplined. After making the shift to corporate America, I was told I was on the fast track to executive management, but I quickly realized how stifling the politics and bureaucracy could be. I constantly wanted more responsibility and to make a bigger impact, but the pace of advancement was slow, and creativity was often smothered by red tape. I found myself restless. I knew I was meant for something more than pushing projects through committees and fighting for budget approvals. I wanted to build. To lead. To change lives. And I just couldn’t do that in the way I wanted within those walls.
The real turning point, though, was my mom’s cancer diagnosis. Watching someone you love suffer is excruciating. But it was also the greatest blessing, because it revealed my calling. It lit a fire in me to do work that truly matters..to help people take back control of their health, their vitality, and their lives. That mission has taken me from functional food to supplements, from startup turnarounds to scaling mission driven and high impact brands like Ancestral Supplements.
Today, I get to wake up knowing our work is helping fight chronic disease, obesity, depression, infertility, and the downstream symptoms of a broken modern lifestyle. We’re restoring strength, health, and happiness at scale and I wouldn’t have found this path without all of the hardships.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the highest level, I help people restore their strength, health, and happiness through food, lifestyle, and ancestral wisdom. As CEO of Ancestral Supplements, we specialize in grass fed, pasture raised beef organ supplements that reconnect people with the nutrient density and healing power of ancestral foods.
What drives me isn’t just building a business, it’s changing lives. I wake up every day fired up to serve. Our customers often come to us after everything else has failed them, and their stories of getting energy back, getting off medications, reclaiming vitality are what keep me going.
Within the last two years, we’ve doubled revenue and profit, built a high impact/performing culture, and built a company that can weather storms and drive massive impact for years to come. But what truly sets us apart isn’t just growth, It’s our relentless focus on authenticity, discipline, and execution. We build with integrity and we earn the trust of our customers, every single day.
I’ve dedicated my life to helping others through high impact businesses, and if someone out there is suffering, my job’s not done yet. That’s what fuels me.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve been building strong relationships since I was a kid. Whether it was knocking on doors with a lawnmower or leading teams in business, I’ve learned that relationships are everything and consistency is key. The best mentors and networks have come from showing up with integrity, doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and adding value without expectation.
If you want to find great mentors, start by becoming someone worth mentoring. Be excellent at what you do. Ask thoughtful questions. Be dependable. Most importantly, be the kind of person others want to root for….someone who leads with strong character.
Networking is about building trust over time. Studies consistently point to authenticity, generosity, and follow through as the core of meaningful connections. When you lead with those values, everything else tends to fall into place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ancestralsupplements.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-ricci-22411018/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPhQGlohcvxjotrOs24E7bg
