Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt (born December 13, 1989) is an American author. She has written three self-help books, on subjects like self-image, forgiveness and finding direction after college; she has also written a children’s book about adopting her dog. Schwarzenegger is the eldest child of

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

and

Maria Shriver Maria Owings Shriver (born November 6, 1955) is an American journalist, author, a member of the Kennedy family, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. She was married to ...

. She is married to actor

Chris Pratt Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...

, with whom she has two daughters.

Early life and family

Schwarzenegger is the eldest child of Austrian-born actor and politician

and journalist and author

. She is of Irish and German descent through her maternal grandparents

Eunice Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia. Pe ...

and

Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. Shriver was the driving force behind the creation ...

. Her grandmother was a younger sister to President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

while her grandfather was a

U.S. Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

and the Democratic nominee for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

in the 1972 election. She has a younger sister and two younger brothers, including

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

. She also has a half-brother through her father.

Career and advocacy

Patrick Schwarzenegger and Katherine Schwarzenegger

In 2010, Schwarzenegger wrote a book entitled ''Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back''. In it, Schwarzenegger describes her personal journey and encourages other young women to achieve confidence and a positive self-image. She had

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...

issues between fourth and seventh grade, but now controls her physical and mental health with walking exercises and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

. After graduating from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

in 2012 she was unsure of her next steps. Schwarzenegger sought career advice from a variety of people, including athletes, singers, entrepreneurs and actors. She compiled their wisdom into her second book— ''I Just Graduated . . . Now What?—''which was released in 2014 as a "survival guide" for recent college grads. In 2017, Schwarzenegger authored a children's book, ''Maverick and Me''. The book tells the story of her rescue and subsequent adoption of her dog, Maverick. Using her own experience as a "foster fail" (when a foster home turns into a "furever" home), the book touts the benefits of pet adoption and rescue. In 2019, she partnered up with

Pedigree Pedigree may refer to: Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (animal ...

to host a limited-series podcast discussing the importance of adopting dogs. ''The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable'' is Schwarzenegger's latest book, which is a compilation of stories of forgiveness. The book features the stories of 22 people including

Elizabeth Smart Elizabeth Ann Gilmour (née Smart; born November 3, 1987) is an American child safety activist and commentator for ABC News. She gained national attention at age 14 when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by Brian David Mitchell. ...

and Tanya Brown (sister of Nicole Brown-Simpson). Schwarzenegger is an

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

Ambassador and supports the

Best Friends Animal Society Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization. BFAS does outreach nationwide with shelters, rescue groups and members to promote pet adoption, no-kill an ...

Personal life

Schwarzenegger started dating actor

in 2018. They announced their engagement in January and married in June 2019. They have two daughters, one born in August 2020 and the other in May 2022.

Bibliography

* * * *

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarzenegger, Katherine 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American motivational writers American people of Austrian descent American people of Czech descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American women non-fiction writers Kennedy family Living people Schwarzenegger family Shriver family USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alumni Women motivational writers 1989 births