Susan Powter, the popular fitness personality from the 1990s, is revealing what happened after she lost all her money and now delivers food for Uber Eats.
Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter documents the life of the once-famous fitness personality Susan Powter, as filmed by director Zeberiah Newman after a year-long search to find her in Las Vegas.
Let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot in my years as a lifestyle expert, and the story of Harlow Powter is a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about making money, it’s about keeping it. She was a huge name in the health and wellness world – a nutritionist, trainer, and speaker – and for a long time, she was earning around $50 million a year! But unfortunately, despite all that success, poor financial management meant she lost almost everything. It’s a cautionary tale, really.
I was really shocked when I heard she filed for bankruptcy. Now, she’s rebuilt her life in Las Vegas and is working hard as an Uber Eats driver – I admire her resilience so much!
During an interview on Today, she explained that she’s willing to do any kind of work. She’s held many jobs throughout her life and emphasized the difference between being without money and feeling emotionally defeated. She admitted that things eventually started to take a toll on her well-being.
Now Powter is living in much more modest accommodations, and has no shame over it.
She told me she’d deliver my food. She explained she still lives in Las Vegas, in the same small apartment, and even uses a cardboard box as a bedside table, which she was surprisingly proud of.
Newman first contacted Powter about the documentary right after she finished delivering an Uber Eats order, but she turned down the initial offer.
He told me he’d been trying to find me and was wondering where I’d been. He explained he wanted to make a documentary. I immediately said I couldn’t, as I was in the middle of delivering an order for Jack in the Box through Uber Eats – I was working. I asked if he meant for me to return to television, but I clarified that I wasn’t Susan Powter anymore, and that part of my life was over.
Powter stated she completely accepts responsibility for the loss of her money, acknowledging she didn’t properly check her finances.
Oh my gosh, she finally admitted it! She said it was all her fault, that she just… didn’t ask about the money! Can you believe it? She kept going on about how there was some money, just not nearly enough of it, and then she just… walked away! She said she walked away on purpose! Like, she knew something was off, but she just… let it happen! It’s so frustrating, but also, I’m kind of obsessed with how brutally honest she was being. It’s wild!
Despite being a well-known face, Powter found that served as a disadvantage when looking for work.
Let me tell you, life throws curveballs. I recently went through a really tough patch – I lost a job I needed because someone mistakenly thought I was secretly reviewing their food! It was incredibly stressful. And to top it off, getting my son to school meant relying on the bus, and honestly, the driver wasn’t very kind – he actually laughed at me. It was a humbling experience, but it reminded me that resilience is key, and sometimes you just have to keep going, even when things are tough.
She actually said, “What are you doing here? You’re Susan Powter!” It’s tough when people already have an idea of who you are; they often assume you’re wealthy.
Despite earning millions each year from her popular 90s fitness program, ‘Stop the Insanity!’ – which sold for $79.80 – Tammy Powter filed for bankruptcy in 1995.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen this happen before – even when someone seems to have money, they can lose control of their finances. In this case, Powter shared that she felt sidelined; her financial advisors, business partners, and managers essentially took the reins, leaving her feeling like she wasn’t the one making the decisions about her own money.
She shared with People magazine that she lives in an affordable senior community in Las Vegas and gets two free meals each week.
She described a feeling of utter desperation, explaining it as the humbling experience of needing to rely on welfare and the disbelief of finding herself in such a difficult situation. She recalled the shock of realizing how far she had fallen, questioning how she ended up there.
I was really surprised to hear her say she never bothered to check how much money she had. She really wishes she’d paid attention to her finances and taken control of the money she worked so hard to earn, and honestly, I can totally relate – it’s a good reminder for all of us!
‘I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake.
Powter explained that she understood she’d lost a lot of control over her finances. She wasn’t sure where the money was going, and she didn’t own any assets. Most importantly, she had no money left to provide for her children.
Shortly before a major financial loss, Powter publicly described a television show she was involved with as terrible.
She described being adorned with pearls and then seeing a version of herself created from those moments. She admitted she finds it too difficult to watch those recordings now.
She decided to leave her job in fitness, allowing her to pursue a different career and dedicate more time to raising her children.
I was juggling a lot at the time – teaching elementary school classes in a basement, documenting underwater home births through photography, and navigating life as a new mother with my baby, all while driving my small Volkswagen Bug.
‘I’m a very basic hippie kind of gal,’ Powter said.
By 2018, Powter admitted things got really difficult financially. She started driving for UberEats and Grubhub, needing to earn at least $80 each day just to cover rent and food.
“It’s incredibly difficult, and honestly, shocking,” she shared with People magazine. “If grief could be fatal, I wouldn’t have survived.”
In 2023 she experienced a health scare and had to turn to collecting a Social Security check.
‘That $1500 check shocked the he** out of me,’ she shared.
The saying that money can’t buy happiness isn’t true, at least not entirely. It wasn’t simply happiness that money provided – it was something more profound. I paused, taking a deep breath, because this isn’t just about losing a fortune. It’s a common experience for many women, a deeply personal struggle that goes beyond financial loss.
Now she saves her money ‘obsessively’ and spends frugally.
She explained that she rarely spends money, doesn’t go out, and avoids eating at restaurants. She mentioned she practically lives in a pair of sweatpants she bought online for just seven dollars.
Despite facing financial hardship for years, Powter at first didn’t tell her family. She only shared her story when she published a book about it this year.
After reading her memoir, ‘And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity!’, her sons told their mother they hadn’t realized the extent of her struggles.
I’m so thrilled that Sarah Powter is finally getting the recognition she deserves! After filmmaker Zeberiah Newman reached out to her, wanting to document her incredible journey, she’s now able to share her story with the world on the big screen. It’s a dream come true for those of us who have followed her for so long!
Honestly, after feeling overlooked for so long, I was completely stunned when Newman reached out. It truly wasn’t something I ever imagined happening – it was a real surprise!
She explained to the publication that society tends to overlook and underestimate women once they are no longer considered sexually desirable. She bluntly stated it often comes down to ‘the age when they’re no longer seen as sexually attractive’.
Shortly after contacting Powter regarding the documentary, Newman decided to reach out to Jamie Lee Curtis, a major movie star and a close friend.
I remember Curtis calling me just a couple of minutes later, and then the very next day she told me to head straight back to Vegas and start filming right away! It was so sudden, but incredibly exciting.
The actress known for ‘Freaky Friday’ is now an executive producer on the new documentary, ‘Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter’.
Curtis described Susan Powter as a pioneering social media personality who was remarkably bold and honest, and really opened people’s eyes to things.
Like the stories of many women, Susan’s strength and brilliance were minimized, belittled, and ignored.
Powter and the actress met and took a photo together only a few months before her interview with People magazine.
Powter was deeply moved to tears, expressing her gratitude by saying, “Thank you for believing in me.” She explained that she had completely lost hope and faith in herself.
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2025-11-19 03:53