The entrepreneurial secrets of Anna Lewandowska: Much more than a 'WAG'

Far from carrying the label of 'Robert Lewandowski's wife', nutritionist and former elite athlete Anna Lewandoska has created a thriving business, thanks to which she has become a celebrity in her native Poland. Meanwhile, little by little, her influence is spreading across Europe.

Born in the city of Lodz, in 1988, she was Anna Stachurska before her marriage to the FC Barcelona forward in 2013 – whom she had met six years before. As a young athlete, she stood out as an excellent karate fighter and top-class athlete.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

She made her official debut as a karate fighter at the age of 13. She grew up in a family deeply immersed in karate, as her uncle Pawel Krzywański and her cousin Katarzyna were prominent figures of the sport. She continued competing until she was 25 when she married Robert Lewandowski.

Today, she is regarded as a very successful businesswoman. However, during her early competitive years, she won more than 40 medals, both in national and international championships. She won a total of three World Championship medals and six at the Karate Championships. Her excellent performances led her to a call from the national team, earning a spot amongst the best in the country.

In 2023, Anna Lewandowska received an offer from KSW [Polish MMA company] to debut as an MMA fighter. She considered the offer but ultimately rejected the move, as she said on her podcast 'WojewódzkiKędzierski': "I once told Robert that if I weren't his wife, I would probably participate in an event like that."

Alongside her sporting career, Anna Lewandowska studied kinesiology, a discipline to which she has directed most of her businesses with which she is today successful inside and outside her country, in addition to monitoring her husband's diet.

While her business expanded, the Polish nutritionist decided to distance herself from the karate world, after marrying the Barça striker, but without leaving sports aside.

In 2013, Anna Lewandowska began to mold her business independently when she ran into Robert Lewandowski at Borussia Dortmund. It was around that time she started her 'Healthy Plan by Ann' blog, where she gave nutritional and sports advice.

It would not be until three years later, in 2016, when she finally created the 'Foods By Ann' brand, through which she markets all types of healthy food products, among which you can find energy bars, smoothies, supplements, muesli, organic oils, kinds of butter, and even sports and kitchen accessories.

She would later expand the brand with a mobile application called 'Diet and Training by Ann' alongside 'Phlov, a vegan cosmetics brand. She created her model with Justyna Żukowska-Bodnar, a world expert on nutrition and beauty.

She has also published several books on the subject, 'Live Healthy and Active with Anna Lewandowska' (2014), 'Healthy Cooking by Ann' (2016) and 'Healthy Mom: A Healthy Mother's Guide' (2017), in addition of several DVD editions with exercises aimed at women to get in shape, one of them specifically for pregnant women. And as if that were not enough, she launched her dietary catering: 'Super Menu by Anna'.

All this while she has become a star on social media, especially in her native country, where she is one of the most viral influencers on nutrition. She has over 6 million followers!

According to the newspaper El Mundo, Anna Lewandowska has regularly appeared on the list of the richest and most influential women in Poland, in addition to leading the 'Forbes Woman' ranking for the best-most recognized brands in Polish media and social networks

While living in Barcelona with her family, the former Polish karate star has begun organizing sporting events such as 'Camp by Ann', in El Vendrell, or the 'Healthy Weekend', as we saw in March 2024.

"I want to open a gym and a dance school in Barcelona. (…) I can't wait for it to happen! I am constantly thinking about the things I can do and my team always laughs at me for being such an active person," she shared during an interview.

Since 2016, Anna Lewandowska has been the president of the Special Olympics Poland, an international organization that carries out sporting events in which people with intellectual disabilities participate and whose objective is to promote its integration through sport and competition.

Furthermore, in her role as an influencer, she has had time to be a promoter for other brands, such as 'Cybex' baby strollers or the 'Shepora' cosmetics chain, in addition to fashion brand as 'Vogue' or 'Giorgio Armani', as he did on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival.

"I didn't just want to be a footballer's wife. I still work a lot, I have more than 200 people working in my companies and new projects underway. I run most of my companies together with my partners and we do it with a lot of passion," she told Mundo Deportivo.

It is common to see her at Camp Nou, cheering on Robert Lewandowski during his matches, but far from the 'WAG' stigma. Her independent portfolio alongside her numerous businesses shows what a great entrepreneurial figure she is.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!