The powerlifting journey of IMO Car Wash’s Anna leronimos
Anna Ieronimos, a Purchasing Officer at IMO Car Wash in Düsseldorf, Germany, brings the same discipline and focus to her career that she uses to compete on the international powerlifting stage.
For Anna Ieronimos, it’s all about mindset – in the office and in the gym.
Anna is a purchasing officer for IMO Car Wash in Düsseldorf, Germany. Outside of work, she is making a name for herself in the world of competitive powerlifting. Most recently, she placed second in the deadlift at the European Open Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Whether lifting on the platform or managing operations, Anna knows that discipline, focus, and consistency are non-negotiable. In this Q&A, she shares how powerlifting shapes her professional life, how she balances intense training with her career, and what keeps her coming back to the barbell.
Driven Brands: How many years have you been powerlifting?
Anna: I started boxing when I was a kid. At 16, I began strength training to become stronger in the ring. In the gym, I crossed paths with a powerlifting coach who introduced me to the sport. From that moment on, I was hooked. I tried to juggle both sports for a few years, but eventually, I realized that my heart belonged to powerlifting. Now, I’ve been powerlifting for the past five years, and from the very beginning, I’ve had one goal in mind: stepping onto the competition platform.
What started as a way to complement my athletic background quickly turned into a full-blown passion. It’s become more than just a sport; it’s a lifestyle built around discipline, focus, and constant self-improvement.
Driven Brands: How do you prepare and train for competitions?
Anna: My training routine is intense but intentional. I train six days a week. Each session has a clear goal, whether it’s building strength, refining technique, or working on mobility and recovery. But training doesn’t stop when I leave the gym. I treat nutrition and sleep as part of the process. I track my macros, eat to perform, and protect my sleep schedule like it’s sacred. Leading up to a competition, everything gets even more dialed in. Volume changes, intensity ramps up, and I work closely with my coach to peak at the right time. It’s a science and an art, and I love both sides of it.
Driven Brands: How do you balance work and training?
Anna: Balancing work and training hasn’t always been easy, but over time I’ve found a rhythm that works for me. I currently work part-time, which gives me the freedom to dedicate serious time and energy to training and recovery. But more than that, I’ve developed a mindset around structure and efficiency.
Years of studying and working alongside training taught me the value of time management. I plan out my day almost to the hour: meals, training, rest, work all of it fits into a system that helps me stay consistent and avoid burnout. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s effective.
Driven Brands: What’s your favorite thing about powerlifting?
Anna: Honestly, it’s hard to choose just one thing — but if I had to, I’d say it’s the community. Powerlifters are a special breed: we’re driven, focused, supportive, and relentless in our pursuit of strength. Whether it’s someone pulling a personal best or struggling through a tough training block, there’s always mutual respect and encouragement.
But beyond that, powerlifting is one of the few sports where your biggest rival is yourself. You’re constantly trying to outdo your last performance: to lift more, move better, stay more consistent. Every session is an opportunity to beat your yesterday.
Driven Brands: Have you found skills that are transferable between powerlifting and your career?
Anna: There are so many lessons from powerlifting that carry over into my professional life. First and foremost: discipline. In both lifting and work, success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to show up, stay consistent, and keep pushing, even when progress feels slow or challenges arise. Another big one is time management. When you're training almost daily and also working, you have to be efficient. I’ve learned how to get the same amount of work done in less time by staying focused and cutting out distractions.
Finally, there's mindset. In powerlifting, you learn to stop seeing problems as roadblocks and start seeing them as challenges to be solved.
Driven Brands: What’s next on your competition schedule?
Anna: The next big event on my calendar is even more exciting, the World Championship, which will take place on June 14, 2025 in Germany. It’s my first-ever appearance on the world stage, and I couldn’t be more motivated.
Competing at a World Championship is something I’ve dreamed of since the beginning. Having it on home soil adds a whole new level of excitement and pride. My goal is to give everything I’ve got and earn a spot among the Top 5 lifters in the world. That’s the target and every training session between now and then is about making it a reality.
