Ryder was born in Edmonton, Alberta and attended the University of Toronto, where she began acting. She formed a local theatre group, Bald Ego Productions, in Toronto after graduation and landed her first film and television roles in the mid-1990s. She starred in many theatre productions, including “Put Me Away,” a one-woman show which she wrote. She gained a following as Detective Tracy Vetter on the final season of the vampire drama Forever Knight in 1995–1996 and was cast on the syndicated science-fiction series Andromeda in 2000; the series ended in 2005 after 110 episodes. She also co-starred, as android Kay-Em 14, in the 2001 film Jason X, starring Andromeda alumnus Lexa Doig (notable is the role reversal).

In 2019, Ryder’s play A Blow in the Face premiered with Nightwood Theatre and Bald Ego Theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The play was inspired by her personal experiences with postpartum depression after the birth of her first child. In the premiere, Ryder played the roofer Cloudy.