Natalie Waltz is the founder and CEO of Tabu, a sexual wellness brand for bodies that change.
After years in brand strategy and storytelling, Natalie left her dream job to start Tabu in 2019, sparked by an awkward but eye-opening conversation with her mom about intimacy and aging. She learned that up to 90% of women experience pain or discomfort during sex, and nearly 50% give up on their sex lives in their fifties, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. The problem wasn't desire, it was a lack of education and open conversation.
Now a mom herself, living in Santa Barbara with her fiancé and two little ones, Natalie is building a brand that reframes sexual wellness as essential to long-term health, alongside movement, nutrition and skincare.
We sat down with Natalie to talk about her daily routine, the work behind Tabu, and what self-care actually looks like when you're building the next generation of sexual wellness.
What does your go-to shower ritual look like?
These days my showers typically include a two year old laughing hysterically while she sprays water in my face and I wouldn't have it any other way. In terms of products, I'm not super loyal to anything in my shower other than my Gntl Skin Wash. Obsessed with it for the whole family.
What’s the one product you swear by and why?
I used to say jojoba oil is like my windex but these days I've been really into the Nourish Avocado Facial Oil by Osmosis.
Pull back the curtain for us... what moment or spark set you on the path to creating what you’re building now?
I founded Tabu after an awkward and enlightening conversation with my mom about sex. “Use it or lose it,” she said, as she opened up about the intimacy challenges we women face as our hormones change over time. Tabu was born to help women remedy the common symptoms that get in the way of a healthy, vibrant sex life. We started with women over 45 (women like my mom). Then I became a mom. For many of us, childbirth is a catalyst for sexual health symptoms that – if left unchecked – can last the rest of our lives. For others, menopause, medications, or cancer change things. The good news? The right tools (not toys) can help. I started Tabu to make sexual wellness as much a part of our wellness routines as our nutrition, movement, or skincare. Shining a light on how sex isn’t just a means to pleasure, but an essential part of long-term well-being.
What’s something most people don’t see about the work that goes into your brand?
The stories. We get so many moving, empowering, and sometimes heartbreaking stories from our community. Tabu has helped women find their way back to intimacy after cancer, trauma, and divorce. We've helped couples reconnect after years of feeling like strangers under the same roof. We've helped women understand and get a handle on things like atrophy, low libido, and low body confidence. Most of these stories we can't share because they are so personal. But they make me proud of the work that we do.
Tell us one Gntl thing you do for yourself.
Ooo this is a good question! I'm not sure if this counts but I love a blowout. I take the extra 20 minutes or so a few times a week to blow out my hair and it always makes me feel so much better.
