Meet the Founders
Claudia Hanna Veysel, MBA, CEO and Founder of Athena’s Bump
Claudia Hanna is the Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of “If This Food Could Talk: A History Show for Everyone Who Eats”, food history show with APT Podcast Studios. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and MBA in Corporate Finance from Emory University. She was a Management Consultant and Finance professional for years before slipping off the power suits and donning flip flops and beach sarongs for a simpler, healthier life in Cyprus. She now writes her own blog (Live Like a Goddess), is a Lifestyle Writer for Mind Body Green, C’ville Weekly, Women Who Lives on Rocks, Expats.com, and Sivana Spirit.
A serial entrepreneur, Claudia founded Athena’s Bump, a maternal nutrition company focusing on customized nutrition for the four stages of pregnancy (from preconception to postpartum). The smart app was designed for the FEMTECH market and focused on providing education, resources, and delivered foods to expecting families.
Claudia was taught to cook by her two Mediterranean mothers: her own Egyptian & Greek Mom, Kamilia, and her Cypriot Mother-in-Law Tulin. She has taken her love for authentic Mediterranean cooking to the classroom, where she teaches Eat Like a Greek cooking classes at the University of Virginia and James Madison University, where she is Faculty. She teaches people ages 5 – 80+ in a simple, comprehensive and easy to follow steps for developing a healthy palate using natural, local and sustainable products.
Claudia loves leading culinary and cultural tours to Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, and Egypt where she enjoys sharing the warm culture and foods of these ancient lands. Quadra-lingual in Arabic, Greek, Turkish and English, Claudia loves sharing food history, language, culture and leans on her expertise, contacts across the globe for a truly authentic experience to her guests.
Katherine Timbrook,
RDN, LD, Chief Nutrition Officer for Athena’s Bump
Katie has had a passion for women’s health from a nutrition standpoint for many years. Her career as a registered dietitian has led her in many different directions, but has ultimately always come back to women’s health.
Katie began researching the intricacies of prenatal nutrition while trying to conceive herself. Although she and her husband were not blessed with a child, with Athena’s Bump Katie shares her passion and knowledge to help make a positive impact on the health of pregnant individuals and their families. Katie teaches her clients how to fill their plates with nutrient dense foods, while enjoying treats without guilt. In her free time, she loves cooking with her husband, snuggling with her dog (aka her child) and walking on the beach.
Our Story
Athena's Bump was founded by two like-minded women aiming to bridge the gap between nutritional education and expecting families. We began the journey into maternity nutrition when Claudia, who fell pregnant with her third child, began a tongue-and-cheek YouTube and blog about her Mediterranean Pregnancy. She received hundreds of messages asking her about what to eat for a traditional Mediterranean diet while pregnant. Knowing that there was a lack of information, she reached out to the Department Head of Dietetics at James Madison University, where Claudia is an Adjunct Faculty. She reached out to Katherine, a US Registered Dietitian and graduate of JMU Dietetics. Meanwhile, Katherine was in another state researching conception, health and diet. It seemed fortuitous and an instant friendship began - two women with a deep rooted love for nature’s best medicine: good nutrition. Claudia and Katherine share their belief that Athena’s Bump must be steeped in solid research and a key resource for like-minded families looking to expand. They also strongly believe that good health does not need to be expensive - that research-based information be accessible for all.