Susan Powter

Susan Powter (born 22 December 1957) is an Australian-born American motivational speaker, nutritionist, personal trainer, and author, who rose to fame in the 1990s with her catchphrase "Stop the Insanity!", the centerpiece of her weight-loss infomercial.

She hosted her own talk show The Susan Powter Show in the 1990s.

Early life
Born in Sydney in 1957 (some sources give her birthdate as 12 December and others as 22 December), Powter immigrated to the United States at age 10. She left school in 9th grade.

Television
In 1994, Powter starred in her own talk-show style television program called The Susan Powter Show, which ran for one season. On the show, she discussed nutrition and fitness as well as other topics with her guests. She was also a special guest on the first episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, titled "Spanish Translation".

It was planned for her to be a regular on the TV sitcom Women of the House in 1995. The series was cancelled before the single episode she appeared in was shown on TV.

Motivational speaker and nutritionist
Advocate of a whole-foods, organic, low-fat diet, and regular cardiovascular and strength-training exercise, Powter also condemned the diet industry.

Her platinum-white close cropped haircut, aggressive speaking manner, and habit of being barefoot while speaking in public became elements of her celebrity. She has since grown out her hair and has multiple tattoos.

Powter was originally based in Dallas, Texas, at the height of her fame. She eventually sold her studio in Dallas and moved to Seattle, Washington. In 2012, she was living in an Earthship in New Mexico. More recently, she lived in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Author and blogger
Powter is an author of several books, three of which became New York Times best-sellers in the 1990s. In 2002, she returned to writing with The Politics of Stupid, a stream-of-consciousness, self-published manifesto encouraging women to take control of their brains and bodies from food manufacturers, corrupt governments, and fitness/diet industries. She puts out The Monthly Flow, a subscription-based multi-media e-zine.

Personal life
On 3 January 1995, Powter filed for personal bankruptcy.

Powter has been married twice. She has two sons from her first marriage, Damien and Kiel. She adopted a third son Gabriel, after her second marriage. She later came out as a lesbian, and in a 2004 interview with Curve magazine, she described herself as a "radical feminist lesbian woman". She dated comedian Jessica Kirson in 2008.

Video cassettes

 * Moving With Susan (1992)
 * Shopping with Susan (1993)
 * Lean, Strong and Healthy with Susan Powter (1993)
 * Building Strength with Susan Powter (1994)
 * Burn Fat & Get Fit with Susan Powter (1994)