Money Is the Root of All Evil (And That's Exactly Why I Refuse to Be Without It)

Money is the root of all evil. Yes, I actually believe it very strongly. Because evil loves a broke pocket. If you have no money, evil finds you easily. It limits your choices and forces you into decisions you wouldn't otherwise make. People say money's the root of all evil because people with a lot of money do a lot of harm. But in my view, yes, it opens up a lot of options for you, but the doing of the harm becomes a conscious decision. A serious one. Because you're no longer acting from desperation. You are actively choosing to do the harm. So money is the root of all evil in both directions. Having none and having a lot. Both sides of the coin. And I don't think we should separate the two. Once I flipped it that way and explained it to Faye, she totally got where I was coming from. It was an aha moment for both of us. And that's how I stopped being afraid to say: I want more money. I want more money because money equals options. Money equals time. Money equals autonomy. And going into later life, let's just be honest: social care is underfunded, pensions are really shaky right now, the NHS is stretched beyond belief, councils are scrambling to cover care costs right now, and we are living longer. That means we have a longer life to fund.So yes, I want more money and I want lots of it. Not because I worship it, but because I understand the reality. I work with a lot of public organizations advising them on major projects, and one of the major projects right now is adult social care and funding care homes and later-years neighborhoods that you and I can live in when we get older.There's a lot of transformation programs around that—millions, billions being put towards funding this—and it is still not enough because we're living longer. So in my view, having money doesn't make you evil. It just removes the excuses. That's it. Having no money? That's when evil shows up uninvited. When you have money, you are inviting the evil, because now you are actively making the decision to go and do evil. You don't need to do evil. You've got the money. You don't need to undercut the work. You don't need to force people to do things they don't want to do. You can go out there and pay people properly to do honorable work. So I agree fully: money is the root of all evil. And that's exactly why I freely refuse to be without it. I refuse to be without it because I want to be able to consciously decide what I want to do. I don't want to be forced to do anything I don't want to do. And that is only possible with the currency we have developed to buy goods and services with. So I'm all on that bandwagon. I am on the money train. And we should all be, because we are living longer, we need more money, and we need choices. We need to make good choices. And we really can do that when we have more resources.This one's for you if:1. You were raised to believe wanting money makes you greedy or evil2. You're in your 40s and realizing the systems won't save you in later life3. You want permission to unapologetically want more money4. You understand that financial autonomy = the ability to make conscious choicesMoney isn't evil. Lack of options is.This podcast is for women who are done performing. If you want more of this energy—the kind of conversation that reminds you who you actually are—visit wwdaglobal.com and step into the room.You'll get insights, frameworks I don't share anywhere else, and a community of women who've stopped asking for permission.About Women Who Don't Apologise:Over 150 episodes exploring power, boundaries, capacity, and what it means to live on your own terms. Hosted by Patricia Haywood—lawyer, The Queen of Construction Contracts, Top 100 Woman in Construction, GC, and chief unapologetic mistress. For women 40+ who are exhausted from following everyone else's blueprint.