BACHELORETTE star and well-being entrepreneur Ali Oetjen says there is real power in women lifting up other women.
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Ms Oetjen looks forward to the chance to share a stage with four other strong women for Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute's annual International Women's Day dinner on Thursday. For Ms Oetjen, this is a chance for people to get to really know the former reality television star in her new home town.
"I love it because I can just be myself, really genuine, and people can meet me," Ms Oetjen said. "As soon as people get to know me, they will realise I'm just a down-to-earth normal person."
The FECRI panel, delivered as a relaxed lounge room-style chat, will also feature First Nations Assembly elected representative Sissy Austin, ABC Ballarat and South West Victoria chief of staff Prue Bentley, Geelong Football Club diversity and inclusion manager Cassie Lindsey and decorated cancer researcher Aparna Jayachandran who leads the liver cancer unit at Gallipoli Medical Research Institute in Brisbane.
Ms Oetjen moved to Ballarat two weeks ago with boyfriend Taite Radley, who she met on The Bachelorette two years ago.
The 34-year-old said Ballarat was a great lifestyle fit for her health and well-being ventures and has wasted no time in finding ways to best showcase the region.
The couple are set to open up their dream boutique, Sweaty AF, at Ballarat Train Station and Ms Oetjen has been working to source new locations for her wellness retreats, which have sold out in Victoria.
"I'm a country girl at heart and have been so excited at the thought of moving here," Ms Oetjen said. "It's absolutely the perfect place to organise wellness retreats. I feel I'm in the right environment to do that and think Ballarat and the region (outside Daylesford) hasn't quite realised this yet."
Ms Oetjen said a healthy lifestyle was about having the best mindset, which also required a relaxed approach to achieving balance with food, meditation, yoga, writing and being active every day.
While Ms Oetjen said her Bachelorette tag was something of the past, it was this experience that helped her grow and put her on the path to the happy place she was in now. Mr Radley introduced her to his hometown Ballarat during home-stay week and producers remind her this was when she first mentioned seeing herself starting a family here.
Meanwhile, Ms Oetjen is also set to release her first music single this month. Ms Oetjen said dabbling in music makes her happy.
"It's more the messages I like hearing in songs," Ms Oetjen said. "I get inspiration from every day things and I hope to help others feel inspired."
FECRI's International Women's Day theme is Each for Equal - an equal world is an enabled world.
The event is at The Grand Majestic on Dana Street, Thursday from 6.30pm. Details: fecri.org.au.
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