Ali Oetjen was a household name 13 years ago, now she’s emerged in an unlikely place

Exclusive: It’s been more than a decade since Ali Oetjen first rose to fame on Tim Robards′ inaugural season of The Bachelor Australia in 2013.

Even now, Queensland-based Oetjen, 40, said show fans still approach her on the streets; proving she’s still one of Australia’s most recognisable reality TV stars.

“I guess people often assume they know me because they’ve seen me on television. But that’s only a tiny snapshot,” Oetjen told nine.com.au

“But I love how people do come up to me still and smile and say, ‘oh my gosh, hello.’ I love that.

“Because it still feels like I’m closely connected with everyone.”

After failing to find love with Robards, Oetjen went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise Australia, and then became The Bachelorette in 2018, where she chose now ex Taite Radley over Todd King as her winner.

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More recently, she competed on SAS Australia.

Speaking about her time on the first season of The Bachelor Australia, Oetjen acknowledged the experience “opened so many doors”.

“It feels like a long time ago for me, like another lifetime ago really,” she said with a laugh.

“But at the same time, it was an incredible adventure and one that I’ll always be grateful for because it opened so many doors and introduced me to new experiences.”

Her time on television ultimately helped her find her new path, with Oetjen finding her passion in helping others with wellness, meditation, breath work and holistic coaching.

She has an online community of more than 200,000, many of whom she connects with at retreats she runs.

Some fans may not realise what Oetjen does now.

“But I also see it as the beginning of a much bigger journey for me and looking back, I wasn’t really looking for someone else, I guess because it was all dating.

“I wasn’t looking for that person. I was beginning the journey of finding me,” she said assertively.

“Most people know me from television, but for the last 13 years, I guess my life’s been all about wellness,” she said.

“I’m really passionate about helping people move from their surviving, into thriving and getting the most out of life.”

“I’m deeply curious about human behaviour, personal growth and development and helping people create more peace in their lives. So that’s my sort of my purpose.

“My greatest fulfilment isn’t being recognised. It’s hearing that something I’ve shared genuinely helps someone, then I’m here for a reason.”

Oetjen just turned 40 and going into this new decade, she’s the in the best place she’s ever been in life.

“Turning 40 is exciting,” she said.

 “I feel grounded. I feel happy. I feel more myself than I ever did in my 20s or 30s,” she adds.

So would Oetjen ever do TV again? Yes, but there’s a twist.

“I’d never say never,” she mused.

“If it aligned with who I am today and there was genuine value in it, absolutely.

“But I’m no longer interested like in just doing TV for the sake of doing TV. There’s got to be a purpose. Purpose is definitely more important than publicity.”