Episode 94: When You Find A Stack Of Cash In The Bathroom

You’re on a road trip, you duck into a grocery store restroom, and there it is: a large stack of cash sitting out in the open. No owner. No explanation. Just a split second where your brain spins up a thousand stories and your body chooses before your logic catches up. We walk you through the exact moment it happened to us and why it turned into one of the most revealing conversations we’ve had about integrity, values, and healing in real life.

We don’t treat this like a morality play or a “what you should do” lecture. We get honest about how easy it is to form opinions from a distance, how quickly fear and scarcity show up, and why people reach for spiritual bypassing like “the universe sent you money” to justify a decision. We also explore the practical side: consequences, cameras, and what changes when the amount is clearly significant. Then we zoom out to the bigger takeaway: sometimes the real gift isn’t the money, it’s the moment that shows you who you are when no one is watching.

From there, we connect the dots to abundance mindset, money stories, and nervous system regulation. When you feel safe in your body, you can respond instead of react and make choices aligned with love over fear. We close with a simple values-based mantra, a calming 4-7-8 breathing practice, and a prompt for you to join the conversation and share what you think happened and what you would do.

If this sparked something in you, subscribe, share this with a friend who loves a good ethical dilemma, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Then message us on Instagram and tell us your call: keep it, report it, or walk away?

Transcript

Welcome And The Healing Lens

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to the Heal Yourself podcast, where we dive deep into all things healing. I'm Denise, a speech language pathologist and a self-love coach for adults and teens.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

And I'm Kira, a traditional naturopath and functional nutritionist, and we're here to guide you through the transformative process of healing your body, mind, and soul.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

From the latest in functional medicine to nurturing your relationship with yourself, healing trauma, and even transforming your money story. We're here to empower you with the knowledge and tools to create lasting change.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

So whether you're looking to heal physically, emotionally, or spiritually, join us as we explore the many paths to wholeness and wellness.

Finding A Stack Of Cash

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Heal Yourself Podcast. Today you got Kira and Denise, and we're talking about a crazy story.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

You better tell the story first.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Okay, so I you know, the funny thing is, is initially I was like, how are we gonna make this a podcast episode? But I actually think it's gonna be perfect. So some of you guys know we were traveling. Um, my family and I went to the East Coast with some neighbors. Um, and we were traveling from Boston to New York, and we stopped off in some small town, you know, between Boston and Providence, and we went to a grocery store. I'm like, hey, let me run in and use the restroom. So going pee, guys. And to my right is, you know, where there's the two toilet paper rolls, but there's a teeny tiny little shelf on top. And like people always set their cell phones. I don't put anything up there, but like there's that little shelf that's out in the open just on top. And I'm like, there's a stack of cash here. And when I'm looking at it, I'm peeing and I'm looking around, like, am I being filmed? Like, am I like, is this an episode of Punked or something? Because all I could see were $20 bills. And I saw three stacks. They were not rolled up, they were just, you know, laid flat, but I could see three rubber bands. I did not touch it, I did not pick it up. All I saw were 20s. Now, whether it was 20s throughout, then we'd be talking about over $3,000 because I would assume they were a thousand dollar stacks, or for all I know, it was a few hundred dollars, like there were a bunch of ones and fives because I didn't pick it up. Either way, it was a stack of cash. In that moment, you have I don't know, just a moment to respond, right? And my knee-jerk reaction was not to take the money. And this can be a conversation, you know, that we have, but for me, one of my top values has always been integrity. It just is like I don't like being lied to. I don't care how small it is, like, integrity is such a value for me. So my knee-jerk reaction was let me tell somebody this is in here. Now, did I have time to sit through of like, why would an employee come in here without a till or a bag? Or like those thoughts came in after. But in the moment, I walked out of the bathroom, I looked around, I don't see anyone, and then I see my husband walking towards me because he was going to use the restroom. And I'm like, I need you to get a manager. And he's like, Why is the bathroom really dirty? I'm like, no, irrelevant. I'll tell you after. And so he goes to get a manager. I turn around and like an office door opens, and two workers come out. And I was like, hey, I just found a large stack of cash in the restroom. And so worker went in there. She picks it up. She looks a little confused. I don't even know if anything was said to me because then the manager came with my husband. I don't even think there was a thank you. I don't think there was anything. It was just like, okay, that's it. And on we went.

The Split Second Integrity Choice

SPEAKER_02 4:03

And so, of course, as time went on, I'm like, what the hell just happened? Like, what was this? So I'm gonna let you respond first because this was a lot for me.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

No, I mean, thank you for telling us the story. But the thing is, my reaction was at the beginning, I was like, oh, I mean, you just take it. However, as I was leaving you the voice message, I realized, like, wait a minute, I wouldn't know what I would do unless I'm in that situation. I think when you are away from the situation, you can throw so many opinions. But then when you're in the situation, you're like, oh my goodness. But what makes me kind of like makes this a little sus is that they like the employees then say, Oh my goodness, but they're not gonna, and that's the thing, they're not gonna take accountability, like an employee left it in there, so they're just gonna pretend that that didn't happen. So maybe that's why like it was truly an employee, and they're just gonna be like, Oh, somebody lost their job that day, right? It wasn't really us, but again, like, why is an employee taking money or a manager? We're not gonna say an employee, it has to be a manager, obviously. So, why is a manager taking a large amount of money without a bag? Right. And um, or I mean, I don't know what kind of a store it is or what kind of town. That's the thing. It's like I think people can just throw opinions and they don't know what they would do because, like, what if it's truly the you know, somebody who just took took it out of their they were gonna go deposit them, but then why would you roll money? Like, I I don't know. I just I wouldn't know what to do unless I'm in that situation because there's so many scenarios, and you're not just gonna put a bunch of wrapped-up cash in your purse.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

I didn't even have my purse with me. I would have had to like shove it in my bra, like legit.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Oh, you did exactly. I mean, if you had your big purse, it would have been easy to just like dump it.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

But I had nothing with me, nothing, not even a cell phone.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Oh my. Oh, yeah, that's why you had to like open the door and call. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Well, okay, so and here's the thing: thinking on it now, like if someone told me that, I would have been like, oh my gosh, take the money. But in the situation, I didn't. It just didn't feel right. And again, I think it goes back to integrity. And the funny thing is, as I posted on Facebook, I was like, this is a crazy

Theories And Worst Case Scenarios

SPEAKER_02 6:30

story. Like, people have to chime in here. And I didn't get as many comments as I thought I would, but I had some interesting theories. And you and I talk about stories all the time, right? These are all stories because we have no idea what went down in that bathroom that day, and we never will. But I had people ranging from no, you did the right thing because if somebody came back for the money and you know, there's cameras, it's a grocery store. I was the last one in the restroom, you know. So, like, okay, yeah, I don't want to go to I don't want to deal with any of the consequences legally. Um, because that was a possibility. Um, someone else was like, oh my gosh, it was drug money. It was, it probably had stuff on it or a tracker. I'm like, okay, I feel like if if you were dealing with drugs, like you're an idiot. You shouldn't have put it there. You you're not smart enough to have a tracker. Um, and then a couple people are like, oh my gosh, the universe sent you money and you rejected it. I actually don't view it as that. Like initially I was like, oh my gosh, did I reject it? I'm like, but that could have been somebody's rent money. That could have been someone's job, which in my opinion, they would have lost their job that day, regardless. Um it could be so many things. And maybe it didn't get back to the owner. For all I know, the employees at the store were like, this is not ours. Let's split it. Great. Three people, three grand. You guys each just walked out with a grand because I handed it over. You know what? If it was a gift to me, then I passed that gift on to the next person. I felt blessed enough financially to not feel desperate enough to take the money because money is just energy. And for me, it was like, it's no big deal. So what if it's a few hundred, a few grand? And in the moment, I didn't know. I just assumed maybe it was a few hundred. It wasn't until I got in the car and told the story. And my neighbor was like, usually the 20s are in a thousand. And I'm like, seriously? That's like three, three grand plus.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

But especially because it was rolled up.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

Well, it wasn't rolled. That's the thing. They were not rolled, you know, like oh, and that's the other theory. Some people are like, no, people on TikTok and Instagram, they'll roll it nicely. And I'm like, this was not rolled nicely, this was like open stacks, you know what I mean? Like, if I were to just lay $20 bills down or any type of you know, five dollar bills and just put a little rubber band over it, they were not rolled.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

They were flat. Oh, so that's that's the that's the manager. That there's no way that's the manager. I thought they were rolled up, they were not rolled up, rolled. Okay. Nope. No, that's because this is what um they were in the cash register. So you you put the rubber band so you can go and deposit them in the bank. But then what they probably did is they didn't put it in a bag. I I'm assuming right now, still. But I mean, let's go back to like, yes, if you found like something on the floor, like a hundred dollar bill or 20 or whatever, and and you took it, that's I feel sometimes that's you know, like, yes, that is something that is a present, that's the energy, but a large amount like that that you know doesn't belong to you, and your top value is the integrity. And I love what you said about I am not desperate enough to want to take someone else's money or someone's fault. And if it is a gift, then I passed it on because at this moment I don't need it, someone else may need it, right? So I think that people saying that it's a gift sometimes, yeah, sure, but you'll be walking on the road, you'll be taking a while, and it happened to me like you see a $20 bill. You're not gonna go and turn it into the pocket, you know. One time I was with my daughter and I gave her a $50 bill, and about like an hour later, she was like, Uh-oh, I was taking my phone out of my pocket and it must have fallen out, so she couldn't find it anymore. I was like, it's okay, the person who took it deserves it, right? So you pass on something that you lost, right? But when it's something like this, you know that let me and again, like you said, there are cameras, so like what if they looked back and they said, I mean, they may not be able to track you, I don't know, but they may, and you don't want to deal with that.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

I don't, and that's the thing, like we can get into the spiritual conversation, and I don't want to call anyone out because I don't know anyone's situation on Facebook that commented, but I feel like sometimes people will use the universe sent you money as a justification, right? So someone else's loss is my cosmic gain, right? Like, what about the person whose money it was? Again, I'm not talking about like finding a $20 bill or finding two $20 bills or a hundred dollar bill in a random place. Okay, no one's around.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Like that was a gift, but why can't we view it as you were sent a life experience to

Abundance Mindset Versus Scarcity

SPEAKER_01 11:20

see what decision you'll make if you are going to align with your values or not? Yeah. So that could have been what the universe or God sent you, right? It sent you a life experience in that moment and you made a decision subconsciously, basically, first to surrender it and say no. So basically, you aligned with your values, you didn't go against them. So I think that is the gift.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

And that's like, what if the test was never about taking the money, but about who you are when no one's watching? Right? Like no one knew. I don't maybe there weren't cameras, maybe there were, who knows? But how would they have known, right? I'm alone in the bathroom. There's no cameras in the bathroom. Um, but I didn't even touch it. Now I'm not saying, oh my gosh, I'm high and mighty, I'm better than anyone. That is not what this conversation is about at all. Because again, it was like a knee-jerk reaction. Like I just had seconds because I'm like, we're trying to get out of this area. My neighbors are waiting. You know what I mean? So for me, it's just digging into what are the stories that go through our mind? What's our knee-jerk reaction? What are our values? And then also you and I have talked about this a lot, the values again, like values versus scarcity, but also love versus fear. If I had taken that money, I don't know that I would have taken it out of love. It would have been fear of what if somebody's watching, what if this was someone else's money, but also fear of I need this money. I should totally take this money because this could pay for my trip right now, versus love of like, I'm just allowing this to be. I witnessed such a funny thing, and it's okay. I don't need to take it.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

I I agree with you. I think that definitely like you did act out of love, not out of fear. And also you made a decision from your that's aligned with your values versus something that goes against it because let's say you did and it doesn't align with your values, you were not gonna feel good afterwards.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

No, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

But right now you feel good because you made a decision that is aligned with your values, and it goes back to also the I think we've had an episode about attachment, right? Or we did it. Yeah, maybe I don't know. Um so it feels you're not attached to that, you're not attached to the paper. You understand that it is energy, and that energy didn't belong to you, and you passed it on, and you it wasn't it, it wasn't a gift. The life experience was and what you did with it was.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

I I agree, and that's the thing. I don't want people to listen to this and be like, oh, Kira's on her high horse. That's not what it's about. I want to share with you guys just the evolution because I don't know that that's always the decision I would have made, right? Like I am not rolling in the dough.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

My business is not like I don't want to say it's not you need to justify that. I think you're I think it, I don't you're not on your high horse. It's you could be, you know, because remember what what people make and how much money they have, it's just it's also a perspective. And some people may be fine with like making 10,000 a year, and some people may be fine making you know two million, you know what I mean? Like we can't compare because we all have different life experiences, different upbringing, different everything. But I just feel that you um like you you understood the assignment, and that was the assignment, you know what I mean? Like I think with that with the work that we've done.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

That's my point in this. It's it's I want to share because in the past I might have taken the money, but I didn't now. And what I'm saying is, I'm not making more money now than I was 10 years ago. So I think for me, it's oh my gosh, I've done so much healing work that I didn't even feel the need to take it. Yeah. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_01 15:28

It's it's just it's a lot about the the neediness and the attachment, and some people just and abundance mindset.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Lou talked about it on a recent episode. Like some of those money stories I had have obviously gone away a little bit for me to be like, I feel so abundant, I don't need to take this money.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

And the thing is though, too, it's whoever's listening or read your con your post, no one will know what they do. They can just make an opinion unless they're put in that situation. Like, even with me, like I can give you the opinion or what I would do. But oh shoot, I just realized I don't have my mic. I hope my audio is you hear you sound fine. Okay, so you know what I mean. Like, I don't think anyone would know what they would do in that situation unless they are put in that situation because it was it was quick seconds. It was, and what showed up is the person you are becoming and the person you aim to be versus the old version of you, yeah. That desperate that neediness, like, oh my goodness, it could, oh I could save some money and it could pay for the trip. You didn't you didn't do all this because you have, and that's that's what it is when we tell you the work and the uh the healing is not grandiose, it is subtle moments like this where you are making a different decision of when you would actually uh have made it. Yeah, you respond differently to life experience, you don't react, for example, and that is healing, you know. Like, for example, I notice a lot with myself, um, maybe not around money, but around like what people say, where their words used to affect me, and I'm like, oh my goodness, I need to like fix it, or so now I I don't I respond differently. Like if I get an email that is, you know, however it is, I'm not taking their words that as if personally that they're attacking me, for example, or whatever. I'm just responding as professional or whatever I'm dealing with the with the situation. But that is it. The healing is not grandiose, it's little moments and different reacts, different responses. I don't like to call them reactions because in the past it used to be reactions, but now it's more responses.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

Yeah. And I think it goes back to the nervous system and abundance and love over fear, right? Those three things are the things for you guys to take away from this of you know, I did have that abundance mindset. And if you're in a lack mindset, you're gonna take it. But what's gonna happen, right? This is exactly what Lou talked about. And we've we've had a couple episodes on money. So if you guys are wanting to hear more about money, we've we've got some episodes in there with guests. But I truly believe if I had operated from a lack mindset and been like, oh my gosh, I need to take this money and like shoved it in my bra and my pockets or wherever else I would have put it, that money would have disappeared. Right. Like Lou told the story about a client that like would earn money and as soon as it hit her bank account, it was gone. So there's that aspect of let's operate from abundance. And then also when we're in that scarcity piece, that's the nervous system, right? It says a lot about someone's nervous system on how you're reacting. And I felt safe enough in that moment. And so that's what I'm sharing is that win.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Like it, it wasn't about the money, it was about, like you said, the test, or not even the test, the situation, the scenario, whatever the life experience, the whatever you're presented with, the scenario you're presented with. Yeah. Um, but yeah, the nervous system is absolutely it because when you when you feel safe and you're not fighting when you're not, you know, surviving or running for your life, you respond differently. So you felt safe enough to, but again, we don't know what others can do in any situation. Yeah, because we all have different healing journeys, different whatever, but that's what you did. And I respect that, and I love it, and I applaud you. And I don't think the the stack itself were the gift, it was the life experience that was presented to you because you showed up as the person that you have been working to be, that you have been aiming to be. So that's your that's your it showed me.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

It showed me a lot. I was like, oh my gosh, I've done so much work. Like it's showing up this way. Yeah. Um, because it was such a knee-jerk reaction. It wasn't something I sat in there and pondered. And in fact, when I was talking about this this weekend with my husband and our neighbors, they were like, Why wasn't there a group poll? You should have called a poll. Like, we should have gotten all together and decided on this.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

No, because let's all go in the bathroom and let's everybody come in.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

No, it's a joke. It's like anytime we're on vacation together and someone has to go to the bathroom, we're all going together. Um, so it's a group decision because the group would not have been in agreement. A couple people were like, No, I totally think you should have taken it. And you know what I mean? So there's no right or wrong. That was just no, that was my experience.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Yeah, no, I mean, I agree with yours. And again, I told you very honestly, I don't know what I would have done. I really don't know.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

I would I can say hearing hearing it from someone, I'm like, yeah, take it. But then in the moment, I did it.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

So especially that you didn't have a purse, like that was gonna be obvious.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Yeah, you're gonna walk in with flat boots, you're gonna get out. Oh, the double day.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

Put it in the butt area, like a lumpy butt, as I'm walking out, and dollar bills are falling out of my shorts.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

I know, and your husband would be like, What in the world did you do in there?

SPEAKER_02 21:21

Just found some cash, guys. Just found some cash.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Ay, yeah, yeah. I don't think we have um a takeaway from this.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

I think our takeaways were there. I think it's things to ponder. I think again, everything in your life is a lesson. What is that lesson? What is it? You know what I mean? Like, what is the lesson? The lesson for me wasn't, damn it, I should have taken the money. The lesson for me was what were my am I acting in my values? Am I aligned with my values? Do I have an abundance mindset? That was the lesson for me. But just looking always, what are your lessons? Are you acting out of love or fear? And then if we're talking about money, and it doesn't even have to be about money, you can have an abundance mindset towards anything. Like it can be relationships, you know. But I think those are three things to keep working on because they are always going to show up in your life.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

But I'm curious to see whatever's listening, what they would do in the situation.

Share Your Take And Next Steps

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Message us on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Yes, yes. I mean, you may not know what to do, but you may know what you think you would do.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

Or even what you think happened. Like there's so many theories. Cause I'm like, what manager? Like, I I was a manager of a blockbuster way back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

But like the small town, like what if the manager was like drinking that day?

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Well, and that's the thing. Like, I'm like, okay, maybe there's a difference between small towns versus you know bigger, but still, like, usually you don't walk with a stash of cash, you know, unless they were like, Oh, it's a slow day. I didn't need to put it in a bag or in the the till or the register. Who knows? But we would we would love to hear any and all theories and what you think you would do. So please message us on Instagram because this is it's a fun convo. Like, I would love to hear everyone's ideas because there's so much speculation.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

That'll be so fun to like receive everybody's, you know, thoughts and opinions, and then like we'll post them on Instagram. But anyway, I also want to remind you everything that we've been doing, you know, all of the work that Kira and I have done, we have all put it in our um mini audio course, which is the beginning, that one percent shift. And this it's literally basically what you and I did in order to get to where we are, what we have become and who are we becoming even more because it's a journey, it never ends. So um just make sure you check it out. It's in the show notes. It is it's $11. It's come on, guys. It's a no-brainer, not even coffee, okay, at this point, because when you go to get a coffee and a food, a pastry or bangle, it's more than $11. Okay. So um, yeah, check it out. And it's really just helping you with that percent shift to act from love instead of fear to become the person that you want to become and to calm your darn nervous system so you are acting from love instead of fear.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Amen to that. That is that is the key right there.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Yeah, I think you just exactly like your nervous system, you calm it down and you regulate it, and this is when you act uh out of love. I mean, I use that with my students. When my students are dysregulated, there's no learning happening, so we gotta regulate in order to to learn and in order to to to play or to whatever we do. But yeah.

Mantra And 4 7 8 Breathing

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Do you have a mantra for us?

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Hmm. I mean, the one that came to me was the universe always has my back, but I don't know if I love that one.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

I just think it's the one that you're or maybe it's something about integrity or like or my values.

SPEAKER_02 25:05

I consistently because I love that's aligned with my values.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yes, I consistently I consistently take actions that align with my values, absolutely. Because you know, their your values can be different than mine can be different than they're they are all of our values.

SPEAKER_02 25:20

My values are different from my husband's, like yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Alrighty, again, four seven eight. That's my favorite breathing I use with my students, and I'm gonna use with you as well. Uh so make sure if you're driving that you do not close your eyes. But if you are not driving, at least close your eyes and hand on your heart. We're inhaling for four, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. I consistently take actions that are aligned with my values. All right, let's go. Inhale for one, two, three, four, hold for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, exhale for eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. I consistently take actions that are aligned with my values. One more time. Inhaling for one, two, three, four, hold for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and exhale for eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. I consistently take actions that are aligned with my values.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Alright, guys. Message us on Instagram and tell us if you've had any crazy stories, and then I will see you on the next episode.