In the 1990s, few wellness personalities were more recognisable than Susan Powter, the fitness firebrand whose "Stop the Insanity!" catchphrase became a cultural phenomenon. With her platinum crop, no-nonsense delivery and bestselling books, she was everywhere: on TV screens, talk shows, workout tapes and magazine covers. Susan wasn't just a fitness expert; she was a pop-culture moment, and at one point had a multi-million dollar empire.
But behind the fame, her story took a very different turn. In 1995, due to a series of bad business deals and lawsuits, she was forced to declare bankruptcy and ended up on welfare, delivering food orders to make ends meet. After years out of the public eye, she now says she’s finally ready to tell her full story, and reclaim her voice.
The 67-year-old is the subject of a new documentary, Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, which is executive-produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, and charts her rapid rise, painful disappearance from the spotlight and the long, difficult years that followed. The film premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival on June 18, 2025, is in selected cinemas now and is expected to become available to stream beginning December 9, 2025.
Speaking to the Today show on Tuesday November 18 as part of the documentary's promotional tour, she revealed that she is still working for Uber Eats to cover her rent, but her outlook has shifted dramatically. "I never checked the money, I take responsibility," she said of her financial fall.
"Broke is one thing, broken is another," she added. "I'm a worker bee…I have never stopped working, not for one moment. That’s why my children are so proud." She also explained that although her circumstances haven’t magically changed, her sense of purpose has.
The documentary explores the complicated reality of her fame: how her revolutionary ideas about women’s health were embraced, commodified and sometimes exploited, and how stepping away from the machine left her vulnerable. It also highlights her resilience, from rebuilding her life in the face of financial hardship to rediscovering her creative spark.
Susan also spoke candidly about coping with poverty, explaining that the challenges of the past decade have grounded her and clarified what truly matters. Delivering food, she noted, became a way not just to survive, but to stay connected to the world around her. "You meet people. You see life," she said. "It’s humbling, and it’s real."
"I live in Las Vegas in my same little apartment, my bedstand is a cardboard box. I’m proud of it though… my heart is all there, it’s beautiful." she revealed. "Nothing has changed except… I have hope, real possibility. And I’m proud that I survived."
Now, with a documentary shining a light on her story and a renewed sense of possibility, the ’90s fitness icon is embracing her next chapter, one defined not by celebrity, but by honesty, resilience and hope.