Susan Powter

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Susan Powter
Born (1957-12-22) 22 December 1957
Sydney
Occupation Nutritionist, motivational speaker, writer, television personality

Susan Powter (born 22 December 1957)[1] is an Australian-born motivational speaker, nutritionist, personal trainer and author, who rose to fame in the 1990s with her catchphrase "Stop the Insanity!", which was the centerpiece of her weight loss infomercial. Photos of an overweight female served as a backdrop to her stage presentation, and while they appeared to represent Powter in earlier years, they were generally considered somewhat unrecognizable as Powter, leading to accusations of fraud.

She hosted her own talk show The Susan Powter Show in the 1990s. & 2000s

Early life

Powter was born in Sydney in 1957, living there until she moved to the United States at age 10.[2] She left school in 9th grade.[2] Twice married, she described herself to Curve magazine in 2004 as a "radical feminist lesbian woman".[3] She has two sons from her first marriage, Damien and Kiel. She adopted a third son after her second marriage.[4]

Career

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 and guests discussed nutrition and fitness as well as other topics.

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.[5]

Her platinum-white flat-top haircut,aggressive manner of speaking and being barefoot while speaking in public, became an element 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. As of 2012, she was living in a self-described "earth ship" in New Mexico.[6]

Author and blogger

Powter is 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.

Powter's website reported that she would host a radio show beginning in May 2006 and a cooking show entitled Taste My Broth within the year. She also puts out The Monthly Flow, a subscription-based multi-media e-zine.

In November 2007, Powter re-launched her fitness and wellness blog.

Bibliography

  • Stop The Insanity! (1993) ISBN 0-671-79598-8
  • The Pocket Powter (1994) ISBN 0-671-89456-0
  • Food (1995) ISBN 0-671-89225-8
  • C'mon America, Let's Eat (1996)
  • Sober…and Staying That Way: The Missing Link in the Cure for Alcoholism (1997)
  • Hey, Mom! I'm Hungry!: Great-Tasting, Low-Fat, Easy Recipes to Feed Your Family (1997)
  • The Politics Of Stupid (2002)

Television appearances

  • She was also in the first episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast and she was talking about the world with Space Ghost. A clip from this interview was used again on Coast to Coast, in the last episode of the series.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Susan Powter". Infoplease. Retrieved 14 December 2008. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wichel, Alex, "The Powter Principle; Eat More and Lose Weight" The Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia), 30 January 1994. LexisNexis Academic, 17 February 2011
  3. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0694693/bio
  4. ↑ Gemelli, Zoe (1 December 2004). "Infomercial queen Susan Powter comes out to play.". Curve. Retrieved 14 December 2008. 
  5. ↑ Witchel, Alex (31 October 1993). "Susan Powter". The New York Times. 
  6. ↑ http://www.bubblews.com/news/1132775-stop-the-insanity
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Susan Powter". The New York Times. 
  8. ↑ Kusner, Daniel A. (13 June 2008). "More from the workout warrior and infomercial queen". Dallas Voice. Retrieved 14 December 2008. 

External links

Authority control
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