Jon & Sarah talk with Author Susan Powter

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Book Lisp with Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna – Episode Featuring Susan Powder

Release Date: March 31, 2025

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Introduction to The Book Lisp

In this episode of The Book Lisp, hosts Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna warmly welcome listeners to another insightful and engaging installment of their weekly book club podcast. The duo, both married and running the podcast from separate rooms to maintain a dynamic on-air presence, introduce their unique approach to book discussions, alternating monthly between Jon’s romance selections and Sarah’s psychological thrillers.

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Guest Introduction: Susan Powder

The spotlight of this episode shines on Susan Powder, a renowned figure from the 1990s fitness industry. Susan is celebrated not just as a fitness icon but also as a resilient entrepreneur who defied industry norms. Jon and Sarah discuss her influential book, "Stop the Insanity: A Memoir by Susan Powder," which delves into her tumultuous journey through life, fitness, and personal transformation.

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Susan Powder’s Journey and "Stop the Insanity"

Susan Powder recounts her early days in the fitness industry, detailing the inception and meteoric rise of her program, "Stop the Insanity." Originally a method to manage her weight postpartum and cope with personal challenges, her program quickly gained traction, leading to widespread recognition and a strong community following.

Susan Powder [03:25]: "Stop the Insanity was simply me talking to other women, not on a big stage in the grocery store."

Susan emphasizes the authenticity and simplicity of her approach, contrasting it with the often superficial and fad-driven fitness trends that followed.

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Challenges in the Fitness Industry

The conversation delves into the obstacles Susan faced, particularly the resistance from a male-dominated industry that sought to limit her influence. She shares vivid anecdotes about boardroom battles and attempts to sabotage her burgeoning success.

Susan Powder [24:21]: "Everyone listening today already knows it happens tonight with the Arkansas Razorback game."

Susan describes an incident where executives doubted her methods and tried to undermine her credibility. Her unwavering stance and refusal to conform eventually earned her respect and solidified her position in the industry.

Susan Powder [25:18]: "Look at her. Look at her. She's smart, she can write, and she's actually got a personality. We're publishing her."

Her resilience and commitment to her philosophy not only helped her overcome these challenges but also paved the way for a loyal and supportive community of followers.

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Building a Community through Inclusivity and Modification

A significant portion of the discussion highlights Susan’s innovative approach to fitness—emphasizing modifications to make workouts accessible to everyone, regardless of their fitness level. This inclusivity fostered a strong sense of community among her clients.

Susan Powder [34:26]: "If you think it's bad now in any of the fitness classes, boot camp classes, whatever. I'm telling you, the three largest fitness markets in the country, in the world in the 90s, were LA, NY, and Dallas."

Susan explains how her focus on modifications allowed individuals who felt intimidated by traditional fitness classes to participate and thrive, thereby building a diverse and supportive community.

Susan Powder [35:35]: "I taught that every day, seven days a week and cleaned the studio. And actually, that's another thing about women in the 90s especially."

Her dedication to teaching and providing a welcoming environment was instrumental in the success and longevity of her program.

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Navigating Personal and Professional Turmoil

Susan opens up about her personal struggles, including her divorce, raising children as a single mother, and maintaining her mental and physical health amidst chaos. Her memoir serves as a raw and honest account of these experiences, offering inspiration and relatability to readers.

Susan Powder [20:49]: "I went back to Seattle, had a little one-year-old baby, had my adolescent sons, and I started teaching exercise in the basement of a school again."

The hosts commend Susan for her candidness and the motivational aspects of her story, highlighting how her perseverance and dedication to wellness have been pivotal in her life.

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The Enduring Legacy of "Stop the Insanity"

Jon and Sarah reflect on the lasting impact of Susan’s work, noting that many of her principles remain relevant despite the evolution of the fitness industry. Susan underscores the timelessness of her methods, advocating for fundamental wellness practices over gimmicky trends.

Jon Ryan [29:28]: "If you live in a human body, I don't care who you are. I don't care what your eating history is. I don't care if you haven't moved in 50 years. I don't care if your knee is bunk."

Susan passionately reiterates the core message of her memoir, emphasizing that effective health and fitness strategies are accessible to everyone, regardless of their starting point.

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Confronting Industry Sabotage and Maintaining Integrity

A pivotal moment in the episode covers Susan’s confrontation with industry sabotage. She narrates how certain individuals attempted to tarnish her reputation, only for her to stand firm and expose their malicious intent.

Susan Powder [48:34]: "Don't fuck with Susan Powder."

This segment showcases her tenacity and unyielding commitment to her principles, further solidifying her reputation as a formidable and authentic leader in the wellness space.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode draws to a close, Jon and Sarah express their admiration for Susan’s unwavering authenticity and the profound lessons gleaned from her memoir. They encourage listeners to delve into "Stop the Insanity" to fully appreciate Susan’s journey and the valuable insights she imparts.

Sarah Colonna [57:05]: "The book list."

The hosts wrap up by reiterating the importance of Susan’s message and the enduring relevance of her approach to wellness, leaving listeners inspired and motivated to explore their own paths to health and happiness.

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Notable Quotes:

• Sarah Colonna [02:48]: "We're living in the past. We're coming from the Past into the future."

• Susan Powder [16:22]: "Stupid is what."

• John Ryan [29:28]: "There are all these fad diets that are getting even worse than I thought they were during your time when you beat out all these other people."

• Susan Powder [50:34]: "Ridiculous."

• Susan Powder [53:18]: "If you live in a human body, you can change what you put in your mouth."

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Final Remarks:

This episode of The Book Lisp offers a compelling narrative of resilience, authenticity, and the power of community. Susan Powder’s story serves as a testament to overcoming industry barriers and personal hardships, inspiring listeners to embrace their unique journeys towards wellness. By sharing her insights and experiences, Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna provide a platform for meaningful discussions that resonate with a diverse audience.

Listeners are encouraged to purchase "Stop the Insanity: A Memoir by Susan Powder" on Amazon to dive deeper into her transformative story and apply her timeless wellness principles to their own lives.

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Follow Susan Powder:

• Instagram: @SusanPowder
• Book Purchase: Available on Amazon

Transcript

[Sarah Colonna]

Hi, I'm Sarah Colonna.

[John Ryan]

And I'm John Ryan.

[Sarah Colonna]

And you're listening to the Book List. The Book List.

[John Ryan]

The Book Lisp.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, that's right. You're listening to the Book Lisp. Hello and welcome to the Book Lisp with John Ryan and Sarah Colonna. Hi, John.

[John Ryan]

Hello. How are you?

[Sarah Colonna]

I'm good. It's funny. Someone wrote the other day. Actually, it was my friend Roy. Roy Handler. You know Roy. He wrote and was commenting. Chef Roy Handler, Chelsea Handler's brother. He was writing. He. He was looking at one of our video clips on the book list on Instagram, if you follow us there. And he said, I don't understand. I really like the content. But you guys are married and you live in the same house, but you appear to be in.

[John Ryan]

I saw your conversation online there. Yeah. He was very confused by it.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. And I said, well, because we are. We can't be in the same room with our platform that we're recording on. The very first two months we had Alex and Olivia, who edit this podcast and are awesome. They came over and they were filming us. And so. And they could. We will get back to that. But it just became a little hard scheduling wise. So that's why we do it on this platform instead and why we have to be in separate rooms is if we sat next to each other, then I think the audio would be insane and Alex and Olivia would quit.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, I think it would be too complicated, apparently. I don't know, but they just tell me it's not feasible.

[Sarah Colonna]

We don't know how things work. But. So this is the fifth. This is a bonus Monday, if you will. And, you know, if you follow us and follow our. Our reading schedule that we pick a book, we announce it. A lot of you write me and say, what's the book for next month? And I go, well, you're not. Are you not listening to the podcast? Are you fast forwarding? And some people, sometime people are new and so they just haven't listened yet. And they want to know. I want to say that I put it on as a pinned post now on Instagram, what we're reading. And then it will change, obviously, every. As we add stuff and. And then a pin. It's pinned in our Features T Features tab in our Facebook group, the Book List Spinners, which you can go join. And we do always talk about it on the podcast. So, yeah, we announced it like all month for the following month. So as we said all month of March, April's book is. Then she was gone by Lisa Jewel. I cannot wait to talk about it, but since we stick to a schedule, what we do is the fourth week of. Of the month. Fourth Monday is when we break down a book. Every once in a while there's five Mondays. What do you do then, John?

[John Ryan]

Well, then you get a bonus episode. And this week we are interviewing Susan Powder.

[Sarah Colonna]

That's right, Susan Powder. I'm sure if you haven't heard of her, I'm sure you have. Almost everyone has. But if you haven't quit Google, I'll tell you, she was a huge, huge personality. I don't want to say fitness guru by any means, because that's not. She would disagree. Huge personality in the 90s and beyond. And she's amazing.

[John Ryan]

Fitness icon.

[Sarah Colonna]

Icon. I think so.

[John Ryan]

Icon. She was a fitness icon of the 90s.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, it was, it was called Stop the Insanity and she was famous. Is still clearly. But she wrote a book called and then M died. Stop the Insanity, a memoir by Susan Powder. You can get it on Amazon and I, we both have read it. You don't need to really have read it to follow along with her interview that we're about to have. However, I would recommend reading it, if you would.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, I think it's, it's a really good reason. You start off and you're very sad and then you're very angry and then you're happy for a bit that you're angry again and then you're left with some. A lot of hope.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, that's.

[John Ryan]

Does that wrap it up? Does that wrap up the whole thing?

[Sarah Colonna]

It does. It's truly a journey and it's, it's, it's not, I think it's 200 pages. It's not even that long, but it's so packed with so much that happens in her life and it, there's no fluff in there. No. And, and she is who she is and she explains, she basically says, well, this is where I've been. And as she says in our. In, in the interview and in the book. And she. Things changed for her from, from the lifestyle that she was leading. And I don't want to give away a lot because it's out there and. But it's in the book. So I would listen to her interview. I think you'll be fascinated by her. And then. Please, I, I would encourage people to buy a book and support her because I think she's got a great message out there, if you can. John, people are already asking about your May pick. I know you haven't picked it yet. I mean, people are chomping at the bit for the John Ryan picks every fucking month. It's exhausting asking for the book.

[John Ryan]

But ain't no one asking for a dick pic, just a book pick.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, that's because they know better.

[John Ryan]

So I want to get off my normal writers, my normal authors. So I'm reading a book really quickly right now. I'll read it in the next couple of nights to see if it passes the. The JR seal of improvement.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay, what is the seal of.

[John Ryan]

Seal of approval? Approvement.

[Sarah Colonna]

Approval.

[John Ryan]

Approval.

[Sarah Colonna]

What is the JR seal of approval? What's the. What is the. Are there. We've never discussed this before, so this is going to be interesting. Are there bullet points? They have to meet. What makes you pick? This is going to be.

[John Ryan]

Usually, number one, it needs to draw me in pretty quickly.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay.

[John Ryan]

Number two, there has to be some kind of relationship going on. Three, it has to usually end fairly well. And a very important one is I want to feel like I want to be at the place that they are. Like, I love reading books about Nantucket. Not the stage in their life they are, but where they are. Like, a lot of times in, like, beach read, they'll talk about the island or the beach, or they'll talk about Nantucket or, you know, Cape Cod. They talk about these places.

[Sarah Colonna]

What's the bar? The bar that we went to, the.

[John Ryan]

Soggy dollar off St. John's but these places, like, draw you in and you almost, like, go there in your head. And I love that about my beach reads. Oh, that's because, you know, I love the beach.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know you do love the beach, and that's. It's strange for a very sensitive redhead, sensitive to the sun, to love the beach, but he does. I. I don't know. I'm trying to think if I have. I don't know if I have bullet points, but I just know so. Because, like, I'm reading a book right now, so it's. I'm in this weird lull because you haven't told me May yet. I've already read April. I had already finished Susan's book, and so I thought, oh, do I get to just kind of read a book to read a book with? No. And. But then I thought, well, maybe I'll see if it would be good for my next read. So I'm reading one called A Perfect Affair. I'm gonna look it up on Goodreads. Well, and I. I'm. I like it. I don't think it's right for a pick for Me, I don't know really how to explain why, because I don't think that I'm as methodical as you. The Perfect Affair, it's called, by Angela Henry. And I. I really am liking it, but part of. Part of the problem might be that I had started it and then had to read, I think, what Alice forgot. I think I maybe started this a while ago and then was reading what Alice forgot and then went on to. To finish reading, to reread. Then she was gone. And then I've picked it up. So I picked it up and I'm. I remember where it was and what. What has happened. But sometimes I think if I put it down for that long, is it good enough for the book? Lisp. Not for. As a book, but do you know what I mean? I want something that I wouldn't be able to walk away from.

[John Ryan]

When you. When you have a really good one, I can tell because you stay up really late in bed reading. I can tell you really. Someone's really got you hooked into their book.

[Sarah Colonna]

Did I do that last night? No, I don't.

[John Ryan]

No, he didn't.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, no. Because we were watching Chopped in bed instead of reading. But it's true. Well, I get. And we. I do that when we're on vacation in Mexico, too. It's like, I can't. Once I get to a certain point, sometimes I just go, I can't. I have to finish this book.

[John Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sarah Colonna]

I can't put it down. And I actually did that with. Then she was gone. Next April's book.

[John Ryan]

And it's a really good one.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. And I. And then once I got. It's like, once it gets going and then. And once it kind of flips. That's the other night. That's when you saw me stay up late because I. I had read it, but I was rereading it for the podcast, obviously, and I just. I was. I was like, I know what happens, but I can't stop. I don't want to put this down until I reread what happens again. I don't know. It's really. I mean, it's not. It's not an easy topic. Right. Like a child goes missing. So I know that. I know that. I don't always pick the books that make everyone bounce around feeling great, but.

[John Ryan]

I got to reread it before the last of the month. Last of April.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. So when. So we'll start with that on the first week of April, and it'll be, you know, as we do. It'll be random Things that come from the book. Probably not about missing people, but maybe if there's something in the news. And then week four, because there are only four Mondays in April, will be the full discussion. You get no spoilers until the full discussion. That way you can keep up. And that's why we tell you stuff in advance. Also this week, John, we're going. Okay, so this is the 31st. If you're listening to it the day it comes out, we're leaving Wednesday. We're going to Montana. I'm performing. I'm doing shows in Missoula on Thursday the 3rd, and Bozeman on Friday the 4th. One show each night. So go get your tickets. Sarah colona.com John will be with me. Mary Redzinski, my co host on Are you My podcast, will be with me.

[Susan Powder]

Her.

[Sarah Colonna]

Her husband will be with her. It's just a big love fest.

[John Ryan]

Logan.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, is our. Is our friend. Is our best friend Logan coming?

[John Ryan]

He's coming to Bozeman. He's driving down from Saskatchewan.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay, well, let him know I'll have a ticket for him. He doesn't have to.

[John Ryan]

He already bought one.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, that was nice of him.

[John Ryan]

Yep.

[Sarah Colonna]

Just one?

[John Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, I'm just kidding. Is a big week this week because it's opening day. We're recording this a little early before because we got had. Because we got lucky enough to have inter. An interview with Susan, and she was available on Thursday. So we're talking right now while baseball's going on.

[John Ryan]

Well, you've been. You've been working all day, and you're not going to like what happens when you come out of that office, and neither am I. The Mariner still have to play, though, so I have some hope left for today. So Angels got crushed by a really bad team.

[Sarah Colonna]

How crushed was it?

[John Ryan]

12 to 2.

[Sarah Colonna]

12 to 2. See, this is like we usually watch 8 to 1.

[John Ryan]

8 to 1.

[Sarah Colonna]

The Blue Jays lost 8 to 1 is still pretty bad when. Yeah, well, we. Because angels lost 12.

[John Ryan]

2. Jades lost 12 to 2. Angels lost 10, 8 to 1.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, you tried to project your shitty score onto me. Usually we make this a whole thing. We go out for opening day. We just. We had too much to do today. I know that doesn't seem like that's true, but we really did.

[John Ryan]

Everyone listening today already knows it happens tonight with the Arkansas Razorback game. So you and I still don't know. The people listening to, you know, they're living in the future.

[Sarah Colonna]

We're living in the past. We're coming from the Past into the future. And the. In the. My alma mater, the Razorbacks, are playing tonight. And this. It's. What it's not. Well, it's still the sweet 16. It's just not 16.

[John Ryan]

Then they go to the elite eight if they win tonight on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday.

[Sarah Colonna]

But. But by the time this came out, you guys would know whose dreams have been crushed and whose haven't. John, do you have anything else to. To say?

[John Ryan]

No, I'm looking forward to this interview. I have a lot of questions about fitness and about the industry for Susan Powder.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, She's. We're very excited to meet her. I briefly met her at radio a couple weeks ago, and I was just over the moon, and then. And then my friend is doing her pr and he was like, she should come on the book list. But I was like, are you kidding me? She's got a lot of energy. She's hilarious. She. She takes no. And her book is really good. And then M Died by Stop the Insanity, a Memoir by Susan Powder. And without further ado, is that. Do people still say that?

[John Ryan]

They sure do.

[Sarah Colonna]

And welcome Susan Powder. We are so excited to have you on the book list.

[Susan Powder]

Thank you. First of all, I said hello, John, before we started recording. Good to meet you. And, Sarah, I've known your work for a thousand years, and no need to ever introduce yourself to me. I'm like, Sarah Colonis, done.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay, well, thank you. I appreciate that. I know I sent her an email. I'm like, we crossed paths the other day at radio, and I was. Everyone, you know, that was over at Jeff Lewis Live and loved it.

[Susan Powder]

Love Jeff. Love the show. Love seeing you. Like, loved it. Love, love, loved it.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was so fun. And then. And I got to. That was where I picked up your book. Then right away. Right away, right after, like, I know a lot of people did. And then luckily, John Rosati, who is. I've known for years, he said, I'm working with her. She needs to come on your podcast. And I was like, what? Yes, please. So.

[Susan Powder]

Well, you know, I know, but books and selling and all, but I really appreciate, A, you reading it, and B, letting me know, because it's different, you know, it's a letter to my dead dog. Most people don't start their memoir that way, right, John? It's true. Yeah.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. I didn't know where it was going at first, but, yeah, it really came out.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

I mean, it literally is a letter to my dead dog. And long story short, I was jotting down the chronology of a very intense 10 years just because I just wanted to jot it down. And in the middle of it, I was like, this is a memoir. Like, I didn't. But people don't know. Stop the insanity like that. I used to. The beginning of it, how it happened, and it just kind of rolled into a memoir. And I was like, let's go. That's a memoir.

[Sarah Colonna]

I think that's. I love it. So it really didn't start out with the intent of being a memoir.

[Susan Powder]

Oh, no, no.

[Sarah Colonna]

It's like I'm talking to my dead dog.

[Susan Powder]

Absolutely, completely. Never once did. I think it's time for me to write a memoir. No, I was writing the chronology of after Em died because things got a little nuts after that.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, they did. And listen, as I. I, as a person who's had to put down. I had to put down a cat of 16 years and I ended up writing a whole chapter about. About my cat in my last book. I relate very hard to. To the. The way your life changes after putting an animal down or put things in perspective. It really is.

[Susan Powder]

Well, I used to. I mean, when I say make fun, I don't make fun of people. I'm not a horror. But I used to, like, think like, oh, come on, it's a. You know, I have three children. I'm like, it's not your kid. It's an animal. Like, they've all gotta die. We've all gotta die. They have a d. Not anymore. I'm like, every single day. I could still like immediately weep thinking of Em. So I understand all the animal lovers, and I'm sorry that I ever judged you. Sorry.

[Sarah Colonna]

It's okay. We all get to apologize for shit later in life, you know, it's fine.

[Susan Powder]

Yeah, fair enough.

[Sarah Colonna]

I think one of the main things about you that really stuck out for me other than obvious. The obvious, right. Your. Your personality, your bubbling personality, your infectious. You know, everyone wants to listen to you. And I think the big part of your book that really struck me is just how much people tried to dim that in you to get telling you you were too much, you're too much.

[Susan Powder]

Well, it doesn't. You don't. It's not an industry. It's all industries. And you as a woman, I mean, and John, who loves you and is married to you, probably has heard this a million times. The thing that got the attention very quickly became, oh, what Susan means is. And I was like, no, what Susan means is. What Susan means. Like, I'm not. You know, and there's a story in the Book that really, literally. It was a massive shoot. It was massive. And a massive house in la. All of which I always appreciate. I'm a single mother, you know, of three children. I appreciate income, I appreciate having a career. I appreciate all those things. But there was a point where we were standing in the kitchen and, you know, one of the big executives said, well, you know, the rivers are being polluted. And I said, the rivers are not passively being polluted. Corporate America is just. Has destroyed all. Corporate has destroyed water, air. Like we're demineralizing this. Like we're not that stupid anymore. And I could feel my agent go like, I could feel her back up. And I was like, oh, but that's what got. And it's not. I'm not like, I don't need to speak my peace everywhere. The fact of the matter is I could feel them producing me out of me. It was like, no, you should. I mean, for God's sake, Sarah, on the TV show which. They put me in pearls. John, I have never worn a string of pearls in my life. Yeah, John, you know that you have to wear this. And back then it was a leisure suit. Let me just tell you, I've never worn a leisure suit in my. Right, you can't go up against multimedia and say, hey, listen, this is not who I am. So it was big industries, it was years of like, whoa, that's not what I want not to. And I did the best I could do. And finally I was like, I hate this.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, you know, it's, it's, it's hard to walk away from something like that. But I'm, I think it's pretty fucking badass that you just finally. You know, a lot of people wouldn't have the, the wherewithal even, or the, or the awareness to notice that they were being taken out of their, their, their self was being produced out of themselves, you know?

[Susan Powder]

Well, you know, some people, pardon the pun, would call it insanity. And I didn't think I literally had adopt people don't know people and stop the insanity. Grew up with my first two sons and I adopted a baby at 40. And nobody knows that. And I did it quite deliberately. A, did not have a baby daddy involved because I wasn't finished having children and B, to help a mother who needed help, I adopted a child. And more importantly, for the best birth control you could ever have with my then 15 and 16 year old, because they were like, holy shit, this is a lot. And I was like, exactly. And it worked, by the way, that's genius. I mean, and I was like, not done. So I literally adopted a baby. I was in la. I realized I was done over a very deceitful, horrifying, painful. That's why I don't ever want to represent, you know, if you read the book, it's a story, I don't want to represent it as well. I found something out and walked away. I wasn't that arrogant or stupid, but some people would call it insanity because I never thought I wouldn't work. I never thought I wouldn't just do my work. So, you know, I went back to Seattle, had a little one year old baby, had my adolescent sons, and I started teaching exercise in the basement of a school again. I was really well known. I would drive in my little Volkswagen Bug with my sound system and I was teaching organic food lessons and cooking in my kitchen. Like, I just went back to who I was. And that's great. And you know, some say admirable, some say insane. That's up to who's interpreting it. But yeah, it got a little messy after that.

[Sarah Colonna]

Got a little messy after that, you know. Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

I mean, by the way, I apply this all day and all night. My friend made it. It is castor oil, frankincense and cayenne, handmade by a very dear friend. Because I'm in the desert and I apply it to my lips all the time.

[Sarah Colonna]

Just so you know, we need all the tips for dry weather. John. John loves. He's a ginger and he loves the sun and.

[Susan Powder]

So where are you from, John? Where were you born?

[John Ryan]

I'm originally from Canada. Saskatchewan, north of North.

[Susan Powder]

Oh, then. No, no, you don't understand. I'm born and raised in Australia. I came over here when I was 10. Canadians and Australians adore each other.

[John Ryan]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Susan Powder]

I mean, I don't know why we're from polar opposites of the earth, but what's fascinating to me, some of the stories I have of touring in Canada because, you know, polite, reserved, lovely people. Absolutely not. They're wild as hell. We had the best. I was in Winnipeg touring with Stop the Insanity when it was the coldest winter in Winnipeg's history. Which in and of itself is quite a statement, John.

[John Ryan]

Yes, most definitely. I grew up not too far from there and I know when people say minus 40, I've been in minus 40 times.

[Susan Powder]

Oh, and it's love. I mean, Canadians. Hi. Canada. I love Canada. Oh, God. Especially now. Jesus. Okay, well, you must have some opinions, John.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, I have a lot of opinions. I'm not going to Put them on here. But yeah, I have a lot of opinions.

[Sarah Colonna]

We want to make it about you and your book and, and, well, and Canada too. But there, you know, one thing that you said that, that struck me in the book that I loved was and for people, you got to read the book to get all the juice. We're not going to spill it all to you. So go get the then and then died Stop the Insanity by Season powder. So go get it and. But there's a point in your life when you were stripping and you had an original take on it, which I love. You were not doing what everyone else was doing. And later in life when you were stopped, the insanity was going strong and you're having big meetings. Of course, one day you run into a guy who knew you from those days.

[Susan Powder]

Let me just tell you, we were with multimedia. You know, Stop the Insanity went galactic and nobody expected it. So let's not pretend any of them had vision. They didn't. It was the women of America that went, I don't care what the hell she's saying, I don't care how short her hair is. That something is ringing like somebody's. I hear a voice that is actually speaking some truth here. And that's who made Stop the Insanity. Stop the Insanity. But it got big time. Warner Videos, Simon and Schuster Books, Three near death. Who cares? That's great. Multimedia television, you know, you're in the industry. You start signing those contracts, it's big money. So we're in New Orleans launching. We sold 98% of the market at the convention there. Huge. Let's launch the Susan Powder Show. That's correct. We're in a lobby of a five star hotel. Every executive is around me and my agent was to the right of me. I'm standing here and I heard it coming. I heard the clinking of a drink. I heard like ice in a cup, like, clinking. And I heard, hey, Bernadette. That was my name as a stripper. And I knew immediately, turn around. It was Dallas, Texas that I danced in. Mr. Good Looking Texas Boy. Probably a football player. John Big, burly. Good luck. And I knew what was going on.

[John Ryan]

We're not all the same, but.

[Susan Powder]

No, I mean, we're Talking about the 90s, people.

[John Ryan]

Let's not forget.

[Susan Powder]

It wasn't that long ago, but it was eons ago. I live for a woman in business. I literally turned around and on a dime, I put my hand out, I have a good handshake and I said, hi, you must have been one of the men who put thousands of dollars into my G string. I said, I'm in the middle of a meeting right now. Excuse me. And I turned around. There was a palpable respect. But again, I felt an agent go and get scared now. I mean, cardi b. Who doesn't like. But that was not.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was a different time.

[Susan Powder]

Executives. And I was never hiding. As I said in the book. I was never hiding anything. But they were. The more money it made, the more nervous everyone got about me. Like, I haven't changed one iota. Pathetically. But I haven't. Have not.

[Sarah Colonna]

No.

[Susan Powder]

Have not. Like, nodded. And there's no low to this high. This is how I wake up. This is how I wake up. So that energy worked with Stop the insanity. Va voom. But in the boardroom it was like, oh, well, what Susan means is. Oh, no, no, she doesn't really. I'll give you another really good example. We're on the thing, and here's the phone call I heard. No, no, tuna. No, she doesn't believe it because, you know, Japanese tuna nets. No, that's why I said, how much? How much? Okay, let me talk to her. Like, didn't matter what I believed or didn't believe. And you didn't have the same kind of control because there's something that not many people may know about. It's called the Internet.

[Sarah Colonna]

Right.

[Susan Powder]

It's direct now. It's universal now. It's international. There's no boundaries. There's none of that. It's direct for me. You want to know about me? Here I am, kids. Here I am. Oh, that's why I'm so excited about now. Because we didn't have this right?

[Sarah Colonna]

We didn't have it right. And you wouldn't end. So you were. You were almost. You're put into this box. I mean, the thing that was t was was resonating with everyone. Just like when you did the class for the. What was the class call that you did for obese?

[Susan Powder]

Oh, nudafit. I did. New to back in the day. My favorite.

[Sarah Colonna]

All the things. And that was because you used to be overweight. Correct. And you knew that what it felt like to be the person in the background.

[Susan Powder]

Yeah. The story of Stop the Insanity is quite simple. I woke up realizing that my ex husband with two babies a year apart, that he. He was done. He was walking out with his girlfriend. Doesn't feel good. I knew I was financially screwed. I knew, as all single mothers know and knew and everyone knows now. Don't even talk to me about Childcare. I don't even want to hear it. I wasn't going to put my babies in daycare and go and work at the grocery store. It wasn't going to happen. So that I knew all I did was change what I didn't like. Anybody can be anything. I'm not judging. I'm not. I'm not patient. I'm not telling you what you should and shouldn't look like. And I don't crucify you for your looks. I did not like being 200 plus pounds. I didn't like the way I looked. I didn't like the way I felt. I didn't like the lack of energy. I didn't like the lack of strength. I was exhausted and I didn't like the way I didn't like it. So I changed my body and stop. The insanity was simply me talking to other women, not on a big stage in the grocery store. You look so good. Your babies are so glassy. I was like, no, you don't understand modification. You can get fit. I swear to God, I used to be really fat. I'm telling you, you can butterfly. And women would gather in the Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Garland. I'm not making that up, John.

[Sarah Colonna]

It's amazing.

[John Ryan]

No, I believe it. It's amazing.

[Sarah Colonna]

John would stop and listen to anything he'd say in the Piggly Wiggly. I swear.

[Susan Powder]

Well, but the women were, you know, they also had little babies in there. I had two kids in the car. Two little ones. And women are amazing. And mothers know. We know. And back in the night, we didn't have. I love these women showing their postpartum bodies now. I love these breastfeeding moms. I love these women yelling and screaming about menopause. I love it. But back then, Garland, Texas. Do I need to say any more than that? Like two babies a year apart. Does anybody want to hear anything more than that? An idiot who had walked out, the prince who, who was sleeping with everything that moved. I mean, it was like not a good time. I wrote the book. I wrote the book about going through a divorce, raising babies alone and changing my body internally and the power of it. That was what Stop the insanity was.

[John Ryan]

Stop the insanity was so amazing. And now you see everything that's gone on in the industry in the last 30 years of fitness industry. And I think it's like right now is the most dangerous time in the fitness industry, you know, in the fitness world because you have all these bro dudes on Instagram. People are listening to all Them are you going to bring back. Stop the insanity. Because it was so good. And there's still things that from. Stop the insanity that I still use to this day, like grams of fat times nine divided by the calories. I still use that today. And it just seems like such like a simple and effective plan that you could use for such a long time. You use it forever.

[Susan Powder]

And.

[John Ryan]

And now you have all these fad diets that are getting even worse than I thought they were during your time when you beat out all these other people. So will you be bringing back the inside of the.

[Susan Powder]

You're an athlete. You're an athlete, Sean. Okay? You are an athlete. So you understand what I was saying back in the day has not changed one iota. Here's what I say, what I will be saying literally. If you live in a human body, I don't care who you are. I don't care what your eating history is. I don't care if you haven't moved in 50 years. I don't care if your knee is bunk. If you live in a human body. That's all I talk about because I don't have. I'm not talking about physics. I don't have a degree. I don't need a degree to say this. Your body can burn fat. The human body can burn fat. If you live in a human body, you can build lean muscle mass, which is metabolically the most active tissue in the human body, which means you can internally have active. Which means you're just more active sitting there. If you live in a human body, you can increase cardio endurance and heart, lungs, strength and energy. If you live in a human body, you can change what you put in your mouth. So I'm not talking to the people who are debating that on any level. And I never did. Now, I never called myself a fitness guru. The media of the 90s dubbed me that because they didn't know what the hell to do with me. I've been talking about environmental stuff for years. I have been raised. My babies. You don't even know eating. Like I've lived this way. The good news and the answer to your question is what I said and stop. The insanity applies no matter what and forever. How you do it. I can explain motivation because motivation is in the process of doing so. No, you're not going to feel like doing it. I didn't feel like getting up at £260 and walking back and forth for a half an hour with two babies and no babysitter, but I did it. And when I did it. I realized, oh, shit, this stuff. Like, I'm feeling a little better. Did I drop £50 in a week? No, that's not how. That's why I say in the book. So in answer to your question, yes, I will always talk about wellness, but I have always talked about much more than that. And this is why I'm excited to. I just said it the other day. I said, this makes stop the insanity look like dress rehearsal. What's about to happen.

[John Ryan]

I love that I could not, because.

[Susan Powder]

Look, I mean, yeah, a million dollars a week they paid for infomercial time, which mean I generated $10 million a week. You had to buy immediate. Hey, guess where the infomercial is now. Hi. I can look right at you and say, if you're lacking here, I am.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

Thrilled.

[John Ryan]

It's. I watched your infomercial back for the first time in over 30 years. I think it was from 1993. I watched it back yesterday, and every single thing you said, I was like, yes, yes, yes. Like, everything was so spot on. Even 30 years later, it still applies. And that's what I mean. Like, people are listening to all these Dude Bros on TikTok now, and they think they should only eat raw meat or they should only eat bacon on their butter.

[Susan Powder]

I think in the 90s, that was called Atkins, wasn't it?

[John Ryan]

Yeah, right. Exactly.

[Susan Powder]

She can hear that stuff, too.

[John Ryan]

Basically, the world needs you right now very badly. Susan.

[Susan Powder]

Thank you. Thank you. And there's a. In the book I also talk about, which is what you're saying, that when you get the bottom line understanding of it, I hadn't watched the end. What's happened in the last couple of months is like, sent from the universe. I did not plan what is happening from the book to the movie, to all the things that are happening that I'm very, very grateful for. I didn't plan that. But I had a chance to do an interview and I happened to say yes. And I wrote in the book before I did the interview, I didn't know if I could. I haven't been in front. Like, I have done nothing. Not. This is not. This is dish soap washing your face. Nothing.

[John Ryan]

You said, what would Joan Rivers do? I love that.

[Susan Powder]

Yeah. And I watched my first infomercial. I pulled into a parking lot and I thought I would be embarrassed. John. I thought, why have I left? Sarah Complete. John and I are talking. Sarah.

[Sarah Colonna]

It'S okay. It happens.

[Susan Powder]

I'm like, john, John. Anyway, my point is, I watched the infomercial thinking I would be Embarrassed. And I was so proud. And you don't know what I was up against. No, but what I loved the most is when I did the Bambi Story, because that's exactly what happened to me. When I walked into an aerobic studio, I attempted to do it, you know, with the fitness industry. It was a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader who didn't make the squad. I'm not exaggerating that. She really was. And she was jumping and hooping and hollering, and I'm in the back like, what are you out of your mind? That's when I learned and taught myself modification. I can do it properly three times using form, resistance, control and extension, and get 10 times out of the movement as if I'm doing this. You're not doing anything, kids, and you're killing your joints, let's face it.

[John Ryan]

I think that's such an important thing right now for the whole fitness industry, because you see how people are so intimidated. If someone walked into a soul cycle class, they need to lose £100 or whatever. They look at these people and they're like. They just walk out. They can't do it. They don't realize if they modify the movement, they get even more out of it. And all these people are going crazy on their bikes. And I think, well, if you think it was.

[Susan Powder]

If you think it's bad now in any of the fitness classes, boot camp classes, whatever. I'm telling you, the three largest fitness markets in the country, in the world in the 90s, were LA, NY and Dallas. Because there were all the rich housewives who had nothing else to do. Just coming off the cocaine of the 80s, they were like, okay, I got to do something other than this. And when you. I opened the studio with nothing. I had nothing. I talked my way into this lease. Literally, once you be. Once the word got around and it was telephones then with chords, people like, literally, it was like, I got this teacher. You got to come. And it just got. It just. It was in my classes were insane. They still are, by the way. They're terrific classes. I mean, if I chose to teach one right now. They're not calm yoga, anything. We're not. John, you would really like my classes? You would.

[Sarah Colonna]

I think you would. I think you would.

[Susan Powder]

No, I can. I can beat hell out of anyone, and that's. And I can modify any fitness level at all. I don't care. And new to fit. Thank you, Sarah, for bringing it up. It was considered, like, crazy. They were like, why are you teaching morbidly obese people. And I was like, because they're the people that need it. And I hate you. You suck. Like, yeah.

[Sarah Colonna]

And you're giving them a place. You're giving them a place to walk in and know that you are not shaming them. You're helping. You're saying, hey, let's all feel good together. And every. And. And that's like. You were the first person to do that as far as I know.

[Susan Powder]

And Time Warner thought I was insane when I would say, nope, I need a modifier right there. The first video I ever did, not with Time Warner, it was like, you know, home produced, whatever about the studio. Literally, I had two modifications. I had two women modifying every move. But it gets a little as a. If you really do teach fitness, then your goal should be to teach anyone who's new to it, because that's when you've accomplished something. I got a little abusive with the super fit people, though, because when the super fit people would walk in with an attitude, I would just, like, you know, they'd be like, vomiting blood. It was like, okay, did you get enough? Great.

[Sarah Colonna]

You're like, well, you're the one that acted like you were gonna be fine. So let me show you.

[Susan Powder]

You're gonna be snotty in this studio. You're not gonna last long. Yeah, yeah.

[John Ryan]

So you built this, like, this workout brand, and you also built a community. I think a lot of people can do either, but almost no one, no one that I know of has ever been able to combine both of those things and build a community within fitness. I know one big brand out SoulCycle, maybe Barry's Boot Camp, but they're multi. They're multibillion dollar companies. You did it. Just one person. Like, how did you do that?

[Susan Powder]

Thank you for asking that. Not only one person. If it was just one person with a degree in physiology or a dietary degree, a dietitian, like, it was the 90s. They were just like, well, what I'm proud of is that of the women and the community and the men and the lovely, everybody that still acknowledged something insanity and didn't even know, I mean, the extent of it. I did it as what is considered like, okay, nobody's going to listen to her. It's not going to happen. I have been in meetings like, well, do you want to hear something? I mean, can I say? Can I say?

[Sarah Colonna]

Sure can. Yes. Can we encourage it?

[Susan Powder]

This is an example. First of all, I don't ever remember being in a meeting in a boardroom signing big contracts with any woman, not once. I don't ever remember a woman. It was all men, and they used to wear, you know, the white collared, like, you know, marketing horrifying shirts with the. Anyway, I was in a meeting and one of the guys, I heard them, like, talking down at the table, and I. One of the guys said, listen, I'd be afraid to fuck her. I'd be afraid I'd wake up with limbs missing. And I leaned forward, I said, excuse me, you absolutely would. Now back to what I would say. And here's what I was told when somebody would say, well, what, you know, I just made a million dollars for them. And they were like, okay, what do you want to do next? And I talk like I'm talking to you. Here's what I got all the time. Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. Little Philly, Verbatim. Little Philly. Oh, boy.

[Sarah Colonna]

Little Philly.

[Susan Powder]

No, no, it happened in qvc, where we. I broke. I said to the guy, qvc, I said, what's the record? He said, well, it's a $50 product. Yours is an 80. So. So, you know, there's no chance you're going to break the record. I said, I didn't ask you that. I asked you what the record is. Okay? So I went on, and in what, the first segment, we smashed the record. I'm standing in the green room and, you know, I'm watching the screen like, oh, God, that's A lot of people love the QVC people. I mean, the customers that called in. And two guys walked in the door and I said out loud, either Jesus is about to walk in the door or Barry Diller is coming down here from the boom. And here's what I got. Well, who are you? What are you doing? I said, listen, my name is Susan Powder. What I do is I teach modification. And he went, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. And I said, no, no, no, no, you speed up unless you want to pay my bills. And I walked to the coffee, and he came up and said, my apologies. I said, it's okay, let's talk.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, I love it. I love the way that.

[Susan Powder]

You know. From Sarah Colon.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

Did I say your last name?

[Sarah Colonna]

You sure did. Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Sarah Colonna]

No, the fact that you just know how to not fear being yourself, I think is such an important thing in this book and just in your complete journey. And I know that you've gone through very difficult times and. And change, and you share that very, very boldly in your book.

[Susan Powder]

Thank you.

[Sarah Colonna]

And. And I appreciate that. I think anyone that reads it will. But I think the fact that you have never shied away from who you are and never lost sight of who you are and always stood up for who you are. When I would, you know, I consider myself a strong woman, but I don't know that if. If I was in that situation, I. And I. I was told to slow down. I don't know, would I. Would I say keep up or would I slow down? Or would I be like on, you know, on the news later because I attacked somebody. Right. Like, I don't know. Which. I don't know.

[Susan Powder]

In this day and age, you wouldn't have to wait for the news because that's dead in the water. You'd be on tik tok in 45 seconds, kid.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

Attack someone in green room with QVC.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes. And it would be. They'd be like, oh, see, she was too manic. She couldn't handle herself and she lost. Oh.

[Susan Powder]

The first thing is always like, whoa, how much caffeine have you had? For me, that's always been good. It hasn't worked. One of the things that I very much appreciate about Jamie Lee Curtis, who's the executive producer of the movie, is that she acknowledged to me most wonderful person. Don't even. I can't. But what she made clear to me is I understand what you say about your energy not working in the way world. It didn't work. I mean, I was raised in a Dominican Catholic convent in Sydney, Australia. Didn't work well. There always been that energy didn't work well in a lot of situations. I'm not an offensive person, but my, you know, I can walk into places and it's like, you know, and it was the thing that almost killed me when in this last couple of years, because there was nowhere for my energy to go. And I literally. It's like the Kama Sutra of energy. It's not sexual, it's not Hindu, it's not anything. You know, when you. When reserve the orgasm and you use that energy, which is the concept. I'm not talking about Kama Sutra, my energy. And just for people who don't know, I can, you know, spoiler on the book. I've been delivering Uber Eats for nine years and my energy on days when there's nowhere for it to go. And that is the thing that was crushing as well as a couple of other things, but crushing to me. And I mourned. I did. I mourned the death of this healthy body. I literally would sob days and think, like, how could this energy not go somewhere like I don't care what anyone else is saying. This is some important information I have. And I mourned. And I thought, how can I have so much? And at 67. Never been better, Sister Sledge. Never been better. Better. Like this wrong stuff. This is like. This is. I'll claw your eyes out of you. You're not like, no, you will not.

[Sarah Colonna]

Is that when you're. What you're referring to? And again, I want people to read. And then M died. Stop the insanity. A memoir by Susan Powder. To get all the details of this book, but a teaser in there about. There's a moment that you are in this space and you say, there's the. There's the first time that you felt that you're not going to be able to work yourself out of this situation.

[Susan Powder]

It was. It was the summer before I got a phone call to do an interview and then got another phone call from a very talented filmmaker saying, hey, been looking for you. And I'm like, what in God's name turned out to be Zebra Newman? Who's. Who is the director of the movie out of.

[Sarah Colonna]

And when you say the movie. This is a documentary. Correct. That's being made.

[Susan Powder]

It's a documentary. Yeah. That people. You're going to hear. You know this. Things are going on. You know, everybody will hear when they hear it. But it's. I'm very, very proud of it. And it's not a little biopic of an exercise teacher. Not what it is. It's. It's. It's what you read in the book. The visual.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

Bigger.

[Sarah Colonna]

Bigger.

[John Ryan]

Like, by the end of the book. By the end of the book, I was like, I cannot wait to see what comes next. I can't wait to see what you do next. I'm. I'm excited for that, for sure.

[Susan Powder]

Thank you very much. I'm going to literally pick up with everything I'm doing. Number one, I will. Like, it's the only book out of seven that I've ever owned. That is every word I wrote, and not one was. Nobody said, oh, you can't do that, and we need a letter in front of it, blah, blah, blah. And we need this done. I just did it. And it's crazy as I'm not giving anything away by saying there's two chapters. Did you notice that, John? The second chapter has four lines. That's where I'm going after that. You'll see me in the rv. You'll see me out in the world hooked up. Like, if I could put a chip in my Head right now and go live every minute. I would, I would, I would. You could do this brain surgery on me. It's gonna be me doing this directly to whoever wants to look, listen. And if you learn something, you do. If you don't, you don't. Up to you.

[Sarah Colonna]

I think it would be impo. Yeah, I think if you don't learn something from you and from your story, then you don't got a lot of. A lot of luck. A lot going on. I don't know. I don't know how to say it, but get your together people.

[Susan Powder]

Stupid is what.

[Sarah Colonna]

That's what I'm trying to say.

[Susan Powder]

Damn stupid.

[Sarah Colonna]

Thank you. That's it. But it's it. I do want to ask one thing that. Is there gonna be. Is there any more about the husband of the aerobics teacher that they tried to. They've tried. They tried to sabotage you a couple times and I feel like we had a little taste of it.

[Susan Powder]

Her husband. Husband. It was a. An aerobics teacher with a quote unquote, competitive studio. Competitive studio. Like, which I wasn't. Like. I'm not even saying I wasn't. I mean, I was just teaching my crazy ass classes and teaching 26 classes a week. I didn't have a staff. I didn't have anything. I didn't have anything. I was cleaning.

[Sarah Colonna]

26 classes.

[Susan Powder]

26 classes a week. I taught. I can give you the schedule right now. Six to seven, eight. I can give you the standards. John, you're an athlete. You know, a studio schedule. You have morning classes. You can have maybe a noon classes. If you can get the lunchtime crowd. Then you have to do a 4:30 for the. Before the thing. 5:30, 6:30, that's it, you're done. That's. I taught that every day, seven days a week and cleaned the studio. And actually that's another thing about women in the 90s especially. Like I was actually going home commuting weekly to be at the baseball games for my sons. They were both very, very good baseball players. Like I was there at the baseball game too. I actually cook dinners. I actually did now later on, I hired other women to help with things when I was gone for a week or whatever. But, you know, none of the executives I was up against were. I mean, they. They weren't raising their children, I can promise you that.

[Sarah Colonna]

Right?

[Susan Powder]

I mean, I can promise you that. So it was just a different energy. And I'm really grateful because. Stop the insanity was the most fun I've ever had in my life. For the first two years. And I was busy like a racehorse. I was just going and with my kids and doing the stuff. I didn't realize the impact. I didn't. I knew the mess. I knew what I was saying. And I knew. I knew when women showed up at the book, you know, readings and signings, they had, like, three and four books in their hands. And I never, like. Down the line, nobody ever didn't get an absolute thank you for coming. And I knew their passion, and I knew that they, like, you know, they laugh. They would be like, oh, my God, I cannot believe she called him the Prince. I hate mine, too. Then she'd be like, oh, my God, the girl. Because I got stuck behind a chair when he brought his girlfriend. I wrote it in Southeast Andy. He brought his girlfriend. He never came for the visit. He never came every weekend because he was busy. And I said to my family, what do you think I'm doing sitting around with my thumb up my asshole? Like, what? Why is he busy and I'm not? Like, because, you know, he's got a business to run. I was like, well, I got a family to. Yeah, I mean, honestly. But the two people that they didn't just sabotage, they wrote a letter to Simon Schuster. So here I am with. I got a $2 million advance without a word on paper. I'd never written a term paper. It was not at the elevator. We got the offer, okay? And I go to the big meeting. There's a big table. There's every executive under the sun there. I dealt with Carolyn Reid, whom I still adore. She has passed. And Bob Asahina, the editor, who was the editor on this book, too, called him 35 years later. That's great. Okay, that's fine.

[Sarah Colonna]

That's amazing.

[Susan Powder]

It is amazing. You don't know how. Sarah, there's so much we need to talk about. It's amazing. Okay? I'm at the boardroom alone. No agent or anybody's there with me when I'm sitting there. Carolyn Reedy, literally, who was smoking at the boardroom table, which I adored. I was like, anybody with the audacity. She ran Simon Schuster for a thousand years. You did not mess with her. She got me immediately. She understood me. So she said, we got a letter, and everybody was frozen. I said, we get a letter, and basically it said, we are the aerobic community, and we. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And if you sign Susan Powder, we will boycott stuff. She's not qualified. She's not dead. And Carolyn Reedy, Everybody was frozen. And Carolyn Reedy was smoking her cigarette, and she looked around to everyone who's scared to death of her, and she said, look at her. Look at her. She's smart, she can write, and she's actually got a personality. We're publishing her. Then I said to Carolyn Reedy, I said, could I have the letter, please, Carolyn? She said, absolutely. Gives it to me. Guess what the fools did. Do you remember back in the day when you had to run your machine, your envelope through a stamp machine, a corporate stamp machine? Well, guess who hired a detective and had the stamp trace.

[Sarah Colonna]

Don't fuck with Susan Powder.

[Susan Powder]

I found out exactly who did it. And then we don't need to talk about how. I made it clear to them that they shouldn't.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay, but you did. You did let them know that you knew.

[Susan Powder]

Oh, very clearly, yes. Very clearly. The fear of God. Yes.

[John Ryan]

That's.

[Sarah Colonna]

That's amazing because that's the one thing I. I said, I got kids.

[Susan Powder]

You're trying to sabotage a career that. Because I'm better than you. But again, we didn't have the Internet. You can't do that in this day and age.

[Sarah Colonna]

You can't.

[Susan Powder]

I could just go on and go, look at the letter I just got. This is obscene. Like, I wouldn't even engage in a. Like that. Like, I wouldn't even. But then I found out who did it. Believe me, I take things to the grave.

[Sarah Colonna]

To the grave.

[Susan Powder]

Not to worry. Because guess what? Here I am again, kid, telling that story. Right?

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

[Susan Powder]

Ridiculous.

[Sarah Colonna]

I. I mean, it is insane how they. Insanity, how they people were so. It's just jealousy, right? Because you. You know, with the mod. Things like bringing the modifications. I mean, that's the thing that gives. Modifications are what make people feel like they can do something that they didn't think they can do. And you're the only person. I mean, making it normal. I mean that. That's what allows everyone to walk into a class and feel like they. They don't have to be, like Johnson said earlier, intimidated and walk right out. Like you were welcoming everyone in that. The fact that they would try to squeeze that out of you is just insane.

[Susan Powder]

I think that. I mean, I don't think anything. I know that nobody expected Stop the Insanity to generate what it did. I mean, every step they were like, can you write a book? And I was like, I don't know. I'll give it a try. Nobody expected it. New York Times bestseller, let alone three of them. And I didn't either. But many times during the height of that Success. Like the ones who did get jealous and stupid and, you know, well, she's not that much better than I am. They. Many people came to me and said, what? What? What, What? How did you do this? And I, my, my answer was the same every time. Did you ever think about just telling the damn truth? Like, did you ever think about not trying to be an expert? I've never called myself a fitness expert. I called myself exactly these words. I'm just a housewife who figured it out. You're getting screwed by the diet industry, you're getting screwed by the fitness industry, you're getting screwed by the ama, and they're lying through their teeth because it's simple as shit. If you live in a human body, you can activate your metabolic rate. I know the two things that destroy it. And I know the tooth. You can, if you live in a human, if you can put one foot in front of the other, you can if you want. And, yeah, it's hard when you're fat. It's hard when you're really unfit. It's hard when you're disconnected. No, you're not going to be immediately inspired. And they all would say to me, we need it more formulaic. You talk too much. And then I would get questions like this, what can you do behind your desk for five minutes? And I said, absolutely nothing. You can do absolutely nothing. If you have £100, you have to lose or 10. It's all the same process. John the athlete. It's all. It doesn't matter if you have 10 pounds of fat or 100. It just takes longer with 100. I would say, no. I would say in the Today Show, a Good morning, everybody. Every damn show. I would say, there's nothing you could do. And they were like, if only she could give us five tips. I was like, there's no tip. There's no tip.

[Sarah Colonna]

Everyone's looking for the shortcut. And you're like, there's not a shortcut we're doing.

[Susan Powder]

The media would only allow that. I got fired by the biggest. I'm telling you, before I started my studio, I got fired by the Big at the Premier Club. Oh, they thought they were so something. And my classes were packed. There were 80 people in the class. My music was clinically insane. It was terrific. And I brought my two babies with me and sat them in the corner because Mommy has to work. And you behave while I'm working for one hour teaching a class. That was the way my family was. Okay? I got fired. Bad fired. They said, well, you're just way too much for our club. Like, you just. She said you talked. You explained too much.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, I wrote that. I wrote that note. I wrote that down because as one of I was. That I was going to bring up to you because my mind was blown that somebody would say you explained too much. I mean, oh, I'm sorry that I just don't want people to get injured. I'm sorry that I want people to feel motivated. I'm sorry. Sorry that I want people to understand what they're doing to their bodies or what they can do to their bodies instead of just jumping around and expecting people to keep up. I mean, it's, it's.

[Susan Powder]

And the hooping and the hollering. Like, my class was packed. So apparently your clients like that. But it was for the establishment. Just every single place I got fired from. That's why people always say, why don't you just go back to the fit. The fitness industry has never been thrilled with me and I have never been thrilled with them. So we don't need to be buddies. It's fine. I'm talking to anybody who lives in a human body and now I can speak directly to them. And yes, wellness is. Hello, wellness is important to me. I live it. Otherwise I would be dead. I would not be here right now after the last couple of damn years if I didn't have a foundation of wellness that is strong as hell. That's what makes me 67 and not disconnected completely and absolutely from my body. So I'm really grateful for the work I put in because. Jesus, is it paying off?

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[Susan Powder]

And I live this way. I don't. I live this way. So now you can come into where I am and you can just live with me. I want everyone to move in with me. That's where I'm going with social media and stop the insanity and eat, breathe, move and think and lean strong. And that's where I'm going. You just come move in with me.

[Sarah Colonna]

Careful what you wish for. We're on our way.

[Susan Powder]

Not Sarah, John. You're both welcome.

[Sarah Colonna]

You're both welcome.

[Susan Powder]

No, I'm not kidding.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, that. It was so. This is so cool. This is so cool. I could talk to you all day, but I want to respect. Yeah. Your time. But I, I thank you so much for taking this time and bringing. You know, and you.

[Susan Powder]

I really want to, like, I mean, I don't have. But I want to let people know I super enjoyed this. You know, like, I want to send me links or whatever the hell I'm supposed to do. You know. And I'll do all that, but. Lovely John meeting you.

[John Ryan]

Nice to meet you.

[Susan Powder]

I will tell you a little. A little. Because John and I have the same taste. I will absolutely tell you when I used to crush. I'm not. I'm 67. I'm way beyond all that crap now, But I actually had a little crush on you, Sarah. I really did.

[Sarah Colonna]

I thought you were.

[Susan Powder]

No, I did. I. Way back in the day, I was like, oh, she's got something going on.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, look at that. All right. Sorry. Too.

[John Ryan]

Susan.

[Susan Powder]

No, no, John. You got good taste, kid. But anyway, so. A pleasure. A pleasure. And tell me where and I'll link everything and do whatever.

[Sarah Colonna]

Okay. And. And. And then M died. Stop the Insanity. A memoir by Susan Powder. And they can follow you on Instagram at Susan Powder. And.

[Susan Powder]

Yeah, I don't know why. You can find me wherever the hell.

[Sarah Colonna]

It is you find her. Okay.

[Susan Powder]

But thank you both. Thank you. And a pleasure. Thank you.

[Sarah Colonna]

Thank you so much. Susan. The book list.

[John Ryan]

The book lisp.

[Sarah Colonna]

The book list.

[John Ryan]

The book lisp.

[Sarah Colonna]

The book lisp.