Roxy Jacenko is one of Australia’s most recognisable entrepreneurs. Her 231,000 Instagram followers pore over her near-daily updates, from snapshots of her family life to the events she attends and curates for her business, Sweaty Betty PR. Hundreds hand over cash for seminars, where she shares her tips and tricks. And news outlets eat up her ‘open-book’ approach to her personal crises, in particular her husband Oliver Curtis’ conviction for insider trading.

But Roxy doesn’t do any of it for the attention.

As the Sweaty Betty PR founder told Mamamia‘s No Filter podcast, she’s driven instead by money, by opportunity, and the desire to be able to give her two children, Pixie, 6, and Hunter, 4, the lifestyle her family afforded her.

“I always say I’d rather be rich than famous, but I know in this country what I need to do to get to that,” she told host Mia Freedman.

Listen to Roxy’s full chat with Mia. (Post continues below.)

Though she’d founded her publicity business in 2004 at the age of 24, Roxy first became widely known outside industry/Sydney circles after her appearance on Celebrity Apprentice 2013. Sweaty Betty is now considered among the country’s leading PR firms and her empire (including influencer business The Ministry of Talent and children’s accessories line Pixie’s Bows) reportedly has a turnover of $10-13 million.

“[Money is] not important – it allows opportunity. For instance, why have I’ve got five companies now? Because I’ve had the money to go out and start them on my own, and not have to get in investors and someone else to help me do it.

“Also, you know what? I want to give my children what my parents gave me. And that was the opportunity to travel and have… I mean, for instance, Pixie at the moment has additional tutoring for English and maths. I want to be able to give that to her.”

Roxy is married to former investment banker Oliver Curtis, who was released from his year-long prison sentence in June 2017. Yet when she talks about finances, you won’t hear her using words like ‘ours’. Her wealth is her own, for the sake of their relationship.

 

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5th attempt at a family photo @ritzparis #lhwtraveler @leadinghotelsoftheworld

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“I’ve never had a joint bank account,” she said. “Oli can have anything that I have, and I’ve always said that. And he’s the same toward me, if I needed money he would give it to me. But you know something, I think that money can really cause issues. I don’t want to be in a position where I buy something and my husband says to me ‘Well why did you do that?’ My money is my money, and his money is his money.

“I’ve watched my parents go through a divorce and fight over everything from f***ing cutlery to properties worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t want to be in that position.”

Still, a prenup was always out of the question when she married in 2015.

“And you know that’s one thing about me, I am generous,” she said. “If I owe it to you I will give it to you. So if something goes sideways, whatever I have Oli has as well. He is the father of the children.

“You know what I always say: I can make [the money] again. It’s true. It’s not that important to me that I can’t make it again.”