‘I hate showing off wealth’: Why Jackie O isn’t ‘embarrassed’ by financial success

Radio star Jackie O and fitness mogul Michelle Bridges open up about the secrets to their huge success – and how they have dealt with it – in a new episode of Something To Talk About’s summer series.

Even at a time when more taboos are being broken than ever before, the topic of money is still not considered to be polite dinner-table conversation.

While gloating about wealth or prying into the salary of a relative or friend is one thing, a wider discussion around financial security and literacy is something more of us are growing comfortable with – particularly women.

When Jackie O sat down in conversation with Stellar’s podcast, Something To Talk About, last year, she was asked about her decision to show up in person at an auction to buy her multimillion-dollar new home.

Jackie O opened up about her financial success on Stellar's podcast, Something To Talk About. The interview is revisited in this week’s summer series. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar

“I hate showing off wealth,” she explained, “but at the same time, I shouldn’t be embarrassed by it.”

It was an exchange that ignited countless headlines and prompted many follow-up conversations about how Jackie O has become an example of a woman feeling comfortable about her earning power.

Listen to the full episode on Something To Talk About below or wherever you get your podcasts:

Michelle Bridges later told Something To Talk About how Jackie O had inspired her to also be more upfront and proud of the empire she has built.

And as somebody who works with women’s community shelters, Michelle is also mindful of the importance of women taking control of their finances, particularly given women over 55 are the fastest-growing demographic of homeless people in Australia.

Sally Obermeder, meanwhile, was also very open about the highs and lows of her path to launching a successful business, including the hard-won lessons she and her co-founder sister learnt along the way.

Despite starting her career as a finance reporter, Sally was also very honest about the steep learning curve she embarked on to attain financial literacy.

And given we are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, self-described finance nerd David Koch shared the advice he would give to those who want to build a secure future in challenging times.

And then there was Sarah Wilson, who also generated headlines across the country when she explained how and why she has stopped buying things, and issued a friendly challenge to her fellow Australians to discover the stress-free joys in curbing our consumption.

Listen to the full episode of Something To Talk About below or wherever you get your podcasts. Something To Talk About will return with brand new episodes soon.

Originally published as ‘I hate showing off wealth’: Why Jackie O isn’t ‘embarrassed’ by financial success