The last the world saw of Elizabeth Holmes, the once high-flying Theranos CEO was smiling and “laughing with guards” as she walked into the federal minimum-security prison in Bryan, Texas, Tuesday to begin her 11-year sentence for defrauding investors of her failed blood-testing startup.
If Holmes’ smiling face dropped into uncertainty and anguish once she traded in her casually stylish sweater and frayed jeans for a prison uniform, she could look to another celebrity prisoner for ideas on how to cope with the harsh reality of her new circumstances.
Jen Shah, the former star of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” who preceded Holmes into the Bryan prison camp, has done all she can to stay busy, her friends have told media outlets over the past few months. This week, the reality star’s assistant disclosed that Shah has begun leading a fitness class for herself and other prisoners. She calls it her “Shah-Mazing Abs” class, and it’s become “wildly popular,” the assistant, Murilo Bueno, told Us Weekly Wednesday.
“She holds the classes on Thursdays and Fridays,” Bueno said. “Some people literally just watch from the sidelines. But she’s been having between 60 to 80 women in each class.” In another interview last month, the assistant revealed that Shah has earned the nickname, “Jen Fonda,” for teaching the classes.
Shah, 49, organized the classes with the permission and help of prison staff. “She’s really trying to stay busy,” Bueno explained. “And I think that this not only (worked) because it sounded great for her, but it also sounded good for them in there to help people stay active.”
Perhaps Holmes could one day find her way to Shah’s class. In her first week, it’s likely that the 39-year-old Stanford University drop-out is grieving the end of her old life and her separation from her partner, Billy Evans, and two small children. She also has to find her way around her new home — which includes living in cell with up to three other women, buying basic toiletries and clothing items from the commissary and following regimented times for waking, eating and being present for the “count.”
Up until Tuesday, Holmes had been free on bail since federal authorities hit her with fraud charges in 2018. Her imprisonment capped a five-year legal odyssey for the fallen entrepreneur whose company was once valued at $9 billion. She battled in court first to avoid a conviction and prison sentence, then to delay her incarceration. This final battle ended last month when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied her bid to remain free while she appeals her conviction.
Former federal prisoners have told this news organization that it’s important for inmates to stay busy — whether that’s reading, studying, exercising or working around the prison in jobs that could earn from 12 cents to $1.15 per hour. Shah’s assistant said the reality TV star wanted to start her exercise class, knowing it’s an important way to stay physically fit, with exercise also helping to boost morale.
According to Bueno, Shah’s hour-long class was inspired by workouts the pair did together last summer with a trainer. Those private workouts included weightlifting, cardio and high-intensity interval training. Bueno doesn’t say what facilities or equipment are available to prisoners at the Texas facility but it sounds as though Shah leads her students in moves that only need the power of their own bodies and the resistance of their own body weight.
Shah typically starts with a light-cardio warmup for five to 10 minutes, Bueno said, in describing the rundown of the class. She then gets the women to do three sets of push-ups with 10 to 15 reps each, often mixing in lunges and mountain climbers to work the leg muscles. Shah has the women transition to several sets of 30- to 60-second planks — which help work the “core” muscles in the abdomen and back — and then has them work more directly on their abs with bicycle crunches and Russian twists. The class ends with a series of stretches.
“She obviously learned that exercise helps with mental, physical, all around (health), so I think it’s also something she’s grasping to, to help others but also for herself,” Bueno told Us Weekly.
Shah, once known for her lavish lifestyle and over-the-top fashion, reported to the Bryan facility in February. She pleaded guilty in 2022 to defrauding thousands of people in a telemarketing scheme and is serving a 5½-year sentence.
Jen Shah spotted in prison uniform in first photos since incarceration https://t.co/eLbQ8Yxt6D pic.twitter.com/5IOONEnwCJ
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 9, 2023
The other ways Shah has reportedly kept busy during her incarceration is by working in the prison’s educational department and library, her manager, Chris Giovanni, told TMZ. She also began working on a play with the other prisoners — aptly titled “The Real Housewives of Bryan.” The production, though, was still in early development because Shah is teaching some of her crew how to read and write, Giovanni said.
Shah also is dealing with the fall-out of surreptitious photos being taken of her. Last months, photos of her walking in the prison yard ended up in the gossip column Page Six. Shah and others believe that a member of the prison staff, or a fellow prisoner, in possession of a contraband cell phone, secretly photographed her and got those images leaked to the media. Shah has reportedly written letters, asking prison officials for an investigation.
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