‘90s Fitness Guru Loses Multimillion-Dollar Empire, Turns to GrubHub and Uber Eats in Desperation

October 26, 2024 – Susan Powter, the once-celebrated fitness guru known for her popular program “Stop the Insanity!”, has opened up about her dramatic fall from financial success to hardship.

In a recent interview with People magazine, the 66-year-old revealed that mismanagement of her finances led to the collapse of her multimillion-dollar fitness empire.

Susan Powter circa 1993

Powter described the feeling of desperation that accompanied her financial struggles, stating, “Desperation is walking back from the welfare office. It’s the shock of, ‘From there, now I’m here? How in God’s name?’” She resides in a low-income senior community and receives two free meals a week, contrasting her past.

Fitness mogul Susan Powter now lives in a low-income senior community. RPR And Associates

In the 1990s, Powter’s fitness program, which sold for $79.80, generated around $50 million annually. However, she declared bankruptcy in 1995 due to financial mismanagement, a situation she did not fully understand. “Someone else was handling it. I never checked balances,” she admitted, reflecting on her lack of oversight. “I should have questioned. I fully acknowledge that. I made a mistake.”

Powter turned to Uber Eats and GrubHub to make ends meet. New York Post

By 2018, Powter found herself in dire straits, resorting to food delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats to make ends meet. “It’s so hard. It’s horrifyingly shocking,” she said.

Despite her struggles, she kept her financial situation hidden from her family until she addressed it in her memoir, “And Then Em Died… Stop the Insanity! A Memoir.” After reading the book, her sons were surprised, saying, “Mom, we didn’t know.”

Susan Powter was photographed at Dust Studios in West Hollywood, CA, on 7/30/24.

Before her financial downfall, Powter hosted a syndicated television show, which she criticised for its production choices. “They put me in pearls. They produced ‘me’ out of me. Those segments — I can’t even watch them now,” she remarked. Ultimately, she left the fitness empire, focusing on teaching classes and embracing motherhood.

90s fitness guru lost multimillion-dollar empire, delivered food for Grubhub and Uber Eats in ‘desperation’ | Fox Business

In 2023, a health scare led Powter to apply for Social Security benefits, which provided a much-needed financial boost. “That $1500 check shocked the h— out of me,” she said, emphasising its importance in her life. “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness lied. It wasn’t happiness. It was bigger than happiness.”

Now committed to a frugal lifestyle, Powter explained, “I don’t spend any money. I don’t go anywhere. I don’t eat out.” Her journey powerfully reminds us of many people’s financial challenges, particularly women navigating similar struggles in their later years.