Susan Powter, the popular fitness personality from the 90s, recently revealed surprising details about her life outside of the public eye – and the truth is more unusual than most people realized.
Known for her work as a nutritionist, personal trainer, and motivational speaker, Powter once made $50 million annually. However, poor financial management led to the loss of almost all of her wealth.
She declared bankruptcy and now lives in Las Vegas, working as an Uber Eats delivery driver.
A new documentary, Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, reveals what life is like for her now, including living in a small apartment and even using a cardboard box as a bedside table.
The story of how she was discovered after leaving public life is almost as incredible as her life today, and now she’s sharing it herself.
The Daily Mail obtained video of Powter describing how documentary filmmaker Zeberiah Newman went to great lengths to find her, during a speech she gave on Friday.
He even ordered fast food just so she’d deliver it — a setup to confirm he’d finally found her.
She recounted delivering an order for Burger King and receiving a text message simply saying “Susan Powter,” which completely startled her. She gripped the microphone tightly as she shared the story with the audience.
I’ve been driving for nine years, and it finally hit me – someone had figured out my name. I was completely shocked and felt really embarrassed.
She went on to say that the man introduced himself as Zeberiah Newman, explaining he’d been trying to find her for a year and wanted to discuss a documentary with her.
Powter laughed at the boldness of his approach.
He actually asked if he could return the next day to film me, and I honestly don’t know why I agreed. I really have no idea. But I guess the moment was right. It just felt like the right time. It was time.
I was really struck by Sarah Powter’s interview on Today this week. She was incredibly honest, taking complete responsibility for what happened with her money. She admitted she just didn’t check things properly and that she should have looked into her finances more closely. It was brave of her to own up to that.
She stated she takes complete responsibility for what happened. She admitted she didn’t verify the funds or ask where the money was, clarifying that some money was present, but it wasn’t the full amount that should have been there. She explained she knowingly left the situation, making a deliberate decision to walk away.
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 absolutely needed because my boss mistakenly thought I was secretly reviewing the food. It was mortifying! And to add to it, I was taking my son to school on the bus since I didn’t have a car at the time, and the bus driver actually laughed at me. It felt like everything was going wrong at once, but you know what? You just have to keep moving forward and find the silver lining.
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 or doing well.
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.
Even though Powter had money remaining, she stated she’d lost control of her finances because her advisors, partners, and managers were handling them.
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 deep hardship, explaining it as the humbling experience of needing to rely on welfare and the disbelief of finding herself in such a difficult situation. ‘It’s the shock of realizing how much things have changed,’ she said.
She confessed she didn’t bother to check how much money she had in her account and now wishes she’d managed her finances better.
‘I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake.
Powter explained that she understood she had relinquished a lot of control over her finances. She wasn’t aware of where the money was going, and she had no assets of her own. Most importantly, she had no money left to provide for her children.
Right before experiencing significant financial losses, Powter participated in a televised program she openly described as terrible.
She described being adorned with pearls and feeling as though a different version of herself had been created. She admitted she finds it difficult to watch footage of that time.
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, capturing underwater home births with my camera, driving around in my small Volkswagen Beetle with my baby, and simply focusing on motherhood.
‘I’m a very basic hippie kind of gal,’ Powter said.
By 2018, Powter admitted her life had become frightening. She was working as a delivery driver for UberEats and Grubhub, needing to earn at least $80 daily just to cover food and rent.
“It’s incredibly difficult, and I’m deeply shaken,” she shared with People magazine. “If grief could be fatal, I wouldn’t have survived.”
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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 in my experience. It wasn’t just happiness I gained; it was something even more profound. I paused, taking a deep breath, because this isn’t simply a story about losing a fortune. It’s a common experience for many women, a very real struggle they face.
Now she saves her money ‘obsessively’ and spends frugally.
Honestly, I’ve really simplified my life lately. I’m not spending much money at all – I’m staying home, cooking in, and really embracing comfort. In fact, these are the sweatpants I practically live in! And can you believe I snagged them on Amazon for just seven dollars? It’s all about finding joy in the simple things, and saving a little along the way.
Despite years of financial hardship, Powter at first didn’t tell her family. She only shared her story when she published a book about it this year.
As a lifestyle expert, I often talk about the importance of truly seeing your loved ones. It really struck me when I learned that after reading my memoir, ‘And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity!,’ her sons confessed to their mother that they hadn’t realized the depth of her struggles. It’s a powerful reminder that even those closest to us can’t fully understand what we’re going through unless we open up and share.
Filmmaker Zeberiah Newman reached out to Powter and, inspired by her experiences, proposed making a documentary about her life. This has given Powter the opportunity to share her story with a wider audience.
Powter said she was surprised by Newman’s request, especially after years of feeling overlooked and forgotten by society.
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.
Newman remembers Curtis calling him just two minutes later, and then telling him the next day to return to Las Vegas and begin filming right away.
I’m so excited! Jamie Lee Curtis, who I’ve admired since ‘Freaky Friday,’ is now an executive producer on a new documentary called ‘Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter.’ It’s a project she’s really passionate about, and I can’t wait to see it!
According to Curtis, Susan Powter was a pioneer of modern social media influence. She was bold and fearless, and really opened people’s eyes to things back in the early days of online platforms.
Like the stories of many women, Susan’s strength and value were minimized, belittled, and ignored.
Powter and the actress had only met a few months before her interview with People magazine, and they even took a photo together.
Honestly, hearing those words from Powter just broke me. She said, ‘Thank you. Thank you for believing in me.’ It was so raw because she admitted she’d completely lost hope – she’d lost all faith in everything. It was incredibly moving.
Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter will be available on Video On Demand starting 12/9.
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2025-11-22 23:20