'90s fitness guru loses multimillion-dollar empire, supplies food to Grubhub and Uber Eats amid 'desperation'

Susan Pouter lost her multimillion dollar fitness empire when her finances were mismanaged.

The 90s fitness guru says he's turned to catering for GrubHub and Uber Eats to make ends meet.

“I know the frustration,” Powter told People magazine. “The frustration is walking out of the welfare office. It's the shock of, 'From there, now I'm here? How in God's name?'”

Powter, 66, lives in a low-income senior community and receives two free meals a week, according to the outlet.

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In the 90s, Powter launched his fitness program “Stop the Madness!” For $79.80.

The program included audio cassettes, recipes and other weight loss tips. After selling $50 million in products annually, Powter declared bankruptcy in 1995.

At that time, he still had the money but did not know that the money was being mismanaged.

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“Someone else was handling it. I never checked the balance,” Powter told the outlet. “I should have asked the question. I fully admit it. I made a mistake.

“I knew how much control I had given up,” he added. “I didn't know where the money was paid, but I had no property. No funds were left for my children.

“I never thought there wouldn't be another book or video. I never worked. I never thought I couldn't make a living. But try getting a job as a 60-year-old woman.”

Susan Powter says she has “familiar frustration” with money problems. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

Powter's life became “scary as s—” by 2018. He started driving for Uber Eats and GrubHub, hoping to earn at least $80 a day to pay bills and rent.

“It's so hard. It's horribly traumatic,” she told PEOPLE. “If sorrow can kill you, I will die.”

Despite Powter's financial problems, he kept it from his family. However, he wrote about it in his book, “And Then M Died… Stop the Madness! A Memoir.”

“My sons read my book, and they were like, 'Mom, we didn't know'.”

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Before his financial collapse, Powerer had a syndicated TV show.

The show was “total bullshit,” he said. “They pearled me. They made 'me' out of me. Those parts – I can't even see them now.”

He eventually walked away from the fitness empire.

“I was teaching classes in the basement of an elementary school, photographing underwater home births, driving my little Volkswagen Bug with my baby, just being a mom,” she said. “I'm a very typical hippie kind of girl.”

Powter started driving for Uber Eats and GrubHub in 2018 when he said life became “scary as s—.” (Getty Images / Getty Images)

Powter suffered a health scare in 2023 that led him to apply for Social Security.

“That $1500 check shocked me—” she told PEOPLE “Whoever said money can't buy happiness lied. It wasn't happiness. It was bigger than happiness. I took a deep breath. And it's not just 'before you had millions and now you don't'.” It's a very real thing that many, many women go through.”

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He started saving “emotionally”.

“I don't spend any money. I don't go anywhere. I don't eat out,” she explains. “These are the sweatpants I wear all the time. Seven dollars on Amazon.”