Candace Has Cancer?! | 6

Summary

Unicorn Girl – Episode 6: "Candace Has Cancer?!"

Podcast: Unicorn Girl
Host: Charlie Webster
Date: September 15, 2025
Production: Apple TV+, Seven Hills
Theme: The rise and unraveling of Candace Rivera—a glamorous entrepreneur and nonprofit founder—examined through her latest high-profile activities, relationship-building tactics, and a shocking cancer announcement.

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Episode Overview

This episode delves deeper into Candace Rivera’s ever-expanding public persona, her empowerment schemes targeting vulnerable women, and the behind-the-scenes manipulations revealed by her close circle. The narrative builds toward two focal revelations: Candace’s announcement of a terminal cancer diagnosis (casting doubt and sympathy alike), and growing concerns about her authenticity, credentials, and ethical lapses. We hear firsthand stories from those swept into her orbit, uncovering both the emotional impact and increasingly visible red flags.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Candace’s Expanding Empire and Image

• Candace continues her whirlwind travel, visiting global hotspots and cultivating a brand as an “inspiring female leader” (01:18).
• At a Disneyland widows’ conference, her impressive résumé is read out: UN seats, Fortune 500 consulting, and several multimillion-dollar enterprises (02:57).
• Candace’s relatability to the audience is questioned—she’s not a widow, but recounts personal loss (twins lost in a car accident) to connect emotionally (04:51).

2. The Mechanisms of Empowerment—and Manipulation

• Candace runs powerful emotional exercises, like the “Burn It Down” session targeting negative self-talk (06:08).
• She pitches entrepreneurship courses to vulnerable women (07:03), asking for detailed personal financials—“if it’s your husband’s income, put down his income” (07:53).
• Charlene, a recent widow, becomes Candace’s only paying client, charged $8,400 in total for “empowering” services and book marketing (08:16, 09:48).

3. The Appearance of Success

• Candace orchestrates her classes and projects to appear bustling, comping spots for others so her only paying client feels included (08:16).
• Kim, a digital marketer, is hired and quickly becomes Candace’s “newest bestie,” noting Candace’s tendency to collect and then pit close confidantes against each other (11:21).

4. Found Her: The Launch of a New Initiative

• Found Her is conceived as a women’s empowerment collective, with a flashy launch party at Kim’s parents' mansion—though Candace falsely claims ownership of the home (19:27, 20:36).
• On launch night, Candace takes full credit, ignoring her team’s unpaid labor:

  “Candace got up and then pretty much single handedly took credit for everything... I actually was like holding back tears by the end of that. It felt like I had just been used.” – Kim (22:56)

• Candace attempts to soothe Kim with titles and praise instead of tangible compensation or contracts (23:59).

5. Manipulation, Boundary-Pushing, and Questionable Behavior

• Candace turns conversations sexual and pressures her circle into uncomfortable situations, such as a coerced photo shoot with Kim (16:11, 37:05).

  “You don’t recognize it as going and crossing boundaries.” – Kim (38:15)

• Multiple others have reported similar manipulative experiences.

6. The Shocking Cancer Announcement

• As tensions mount over unpaid work, Candace announces a “potentially terminal” stomach cancer diagnosis, stalling team members’ demands and deepening their empathy (25:59).

  “That was a big blow... I can't bring this up today. Like, not the time, not the place.” – Kim (26:06)

• Questions arise about her history of cancer claims (ovarian and now stomach), with only vague proof and private calendar entries as evidence (26:38).

7. High-Profile Events, Scrambling, and Fallout

• The Exodus charity gala moves ahead despite Candace’s apparent hospitalization; Aura does all the work while Candace claims the glory (28:54).
• The live auction flounders until survivor Felicia’s speech turns the event around, leading to tangible support for survivors (31:48, 34:33).
• Candace sets up photo ops and “gift” moments for social media, further blurring authenticity (34:33).

8. Escalating Doubts and Investigations

• Scrutiny grows about Candace’s nursing credentials and legal access to controlled medical substances in her nonprofit’s work.

  “The issue was, where did it come from and how is Candice getting this? … I exhausted every possible resource that I could think of to try to determine that Candice was a registered nurse.” – Danny Remington (41:17)

• Danny, uneasy and preparing to resign, is drawn back in when Candace claims to be partnering with Homeland Security (42:19).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Candace on Her Work’s Purpose

  “I will do this work until the day I die.” (00:49)

• Candace on Value:

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you for waiting for me, and I promise you I’m worth your wait. I never apologize for being late because I’m worth the wait.” – (03:44)

• Kim on Candace's Social Manipulation

  “Candace came to me that week telling me that I could do something with purpose... it almost gave purpose to having to go to 50% custody.” (14:15)

• Kim on Not Being Acknowledged at Found Her Launch

  “I worked my butt off. And for $0, mind you, $0. It's like I would appreciate some sort of acknowledgement... It felt like I had just been used.” (22:56)

• Announcement of Cancer

  "Candace announces that she has stomach cancer and that it's potentially terminal. That was a big blow." – Kim (25:59)

• Felicia’s Turning Point Auction Speech

  “I’m not just your photographer for the evening. I’m also one of the survivors... every bid that you make today, everything that you’re bidding on, goes to help people like me.” (31:48)

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 00:00 | Opening: Candace recounts hardship in Ukraine and Salt Lake City.
• 02:19 | Introduction to Charlene and the Widow’s Conference.
• 04:51 | Candace’s story of child loss and building emotional connection.
• 07:53 | Charlene fills in Candace’s financial “worksheet” for the course.
• 09:48 | Book marketing upsell: “Friends and Family” discount at $8,000.
• 11:21 | Kim’s entrance as new bestie/employee.
• 13:51 | The creation and launch of Found Her.
• 19:27 | The Found Her launch party—Candace claims Kim’s parents’ house.
• 22:56 | Kim’s emotional response to not being acknowledged.
• 25:59 | Candace’s cancer announcement stalls contractual confrontation.
• 28:54 | Aura on handling Exodus gala under duress.
• 31:48 | Felicia’s empowering speech at the auction.
• 37:05 | Candace pressures Kim into a lingerie photoshoot.
• 41:17 | Danny investigates Candace’s nursing credentials.
• 42:19 | Danny is lured back by a supposed Homeland Security partnership.

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Thematic Takeaways

• Candace as Chameleon: Candace morphs seamlessly from leader to survivor to philanthropist, always tailoring her persona and sales pitch to her audience’s needs and vulnerabilities.
• Blurring of Truth and Illusion: Testimonials and evidence mount suggesting that Candace’s carefully crafted bio and exploits may hide significant exaggerations—or outright deceptions.
• Power Dynamics and Boundary Issues: The episode shows Candace’s recurring pattern of seeking emotionally vulnerable women, drawing them close, demanding loyalty, and crossing personal and professional lines.
• Escalating Scrutiny: As inconsistencies and legal concerns pile up, several confidantes begin to question Candace’s legitimacy and fear the repercussions for themselves and others.

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Conclusion

This episode illuminates both Candace Rivera’s allure and the increasingly visible cracks in her empire. Through personal accounts, listeners witness her emotional and manipulative tactics—culminating in a dramatic cancer announcement that buys her time and engenders sympathy, even as doubts about her credentials and honesty continue to simmer. The tension between empowerment and exploitation, inspiration and illusion, will carry over to the next installment—where investigative questions only deepen.

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For those seeking a riveting, cautionary tale about modern charisma and the thin line between leadership and manipulation, this episode is essential listening.

Transcript

[Candace Rivera]

My last trip to Ukraine was really hard. I was shot at, I was hungry, I didn't sleep. Bomb sirens went off all night long. People mistook us for other people. We didn't get what we wanted. Man, there was a country with no hope. And last Tuesday, I was on the streets in Salt Lake City. You get shot at in Salt Lake City, did you know that? It was just as tough. And there are people who felt no hope too. And I'm so glad that we are the last choice. We're the last stop and we offer a lot of hope. And I can't thank you enough for being here to help us provide so much more hope this year. And I will do this work until the day I die. So thank you for helping me do it.

[Charlie Webster]

This is Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast produced by Seven Hills, hosted and executive produced by me, Charlie Webster. As you are starting to get to know, Candice lives life fast and she certainly doesn't do things by halves. Let me update you on where she's at. Candace and her team are now back from Ukraine. The two orphans they rescued made it to America and are doing well with their adoptive families. In just 12 months, Candice had been to Dubai, although everyone still thought she'd been in Afghanistan to Ukraine multiple times. And she jetted off to Paris, Amsterdam, Iraq, Uganda and Lebanon. She even took her 9 and 14 year old boys there for a weekend and flew business. Candice's schedule was packed and her notoriety was growing as an inspiring female leader. Candice was making a name for herself on the speaking circuit and that's how she ended up at a widows conference at Disneyland of all places.

[Charlene]

I was widowed at 28 and I was left with a three year old son and a one year old baby.

[Charlie Webster]

That's Charlene. Widowed in her 20s, now 67, Charlene was helping her friend put together a conference for widows when Candace was recommended to them as a speaker.

[Charlene]

Candace sent her bio to us and wow, I remember saying who are we that we would know somebody like this, you know, sits on a UN Council, is an international health advocate and she wanted to help us. We felt very privileged.

[Charlie Webster]

The bio Candice sent over was extremely impressive. I've got it here. It's super long, but it starts humble single mom of two boys living in Utah. Then it goes on to say she holds a seat on a UN task force, works with Fortune 500 companies, is the CEO and founder of three multimillion dollar companies, a New York Times best selling launch team member, and it finishes with CEO and founder of Exetus, which she says has a multimillion dollar foundation. The conference was intimate but powerful. Some of the women who attended had only lost their husbands just weeks before. Everyone assembled at Disneyland, though, Candice turned up late.

[Charlene]

When Candace finally showed up and came in and let us know that, thank you, thank you, thank you for waiting for me, and I promise you I'm worth your wait. I never apologize for being late because I'm worth the wait. She gave some powerful talks to our widows. Part of the advice was that there are people that will lie to you. They'll lie to your face, they'll lie on social media. There are people that go after the vulnerable.

[Charlie Webster]

Interesting topic for a keynote on loss. When Charlene showed me the video of Candice's keynote, I couldn't quite understand why Candace was speaking at a widow's conference. Candace isn't a widow.

[Charlene]

Her relatability to our widows was that she's suffered loss. She went through a divorce, which is extraordinarily painful. It's almost like losing a part of yourself. And then she talked about losing two little girls, and she was pregnant with twins, and she was in a serious accident and taken to the hospital and lost the twins.

[Candace Rivera]

I'm not a widow. I'm a grieving mother. I did this with two little girls, so I know a little bit about loss.

[Charlie Webster]

That's how Candice started her speech.

[Candace Rivera]

And two little girls passed away. I felt really torn apart between child loss and then massive, like, heartache and divorce.

[Kim]

My heart was ripped up.

[Candace Rivera]

I lost everything.

[Charlene]

She was six months pregnant, and so she could understand, and she just, you know, I loved being a girl mom, and now I can't be a girl mom anymore. But celebrate their birthdays, what would have been their birthday every single year with her sons.

[Charlie Webster]

Opening up about her own loss was how Candice could relate to the women. But it wasn't the only reason she was there.

[Charlene]

The other reason that she said that she wanted to be there was because she believes in entrepreneurship and that widows, that they're perfect for entrepreneurship, Starting their own businesses, not having to work for anybody, telling them what to do. They're out from under everybody's thumb now and so they can start over.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice wanted to empower the women on their next journey, Though I wouldn't quite have put it as getting out from under everybody's thumb like Candace did.

[Charlene]

Candace did a breakout session that she called Burn it Down. And she said, I want you to write down all the things that you say about yourself. She said, start it with you are so. You are stupid, you are fat, you are lazy. And then she said, I want you to take your list and I want you to read it to the woman sitting in front of you. You are stupid, you are fat, you are whatever it was that you said to yourself and then you traded and the woman across from you said the same thing that she wrote to you. It was very, very powerful. Kind of the idea that if it hurts you so bad to say that to somebody else, why do you accept it from yourself?

[Charlie Webster]

It is a powerful exercise to help you identify your own negative self talk. I've definitely done versions of this myself.

[Charlene]

The next day we talked and I said, do you do classes on entrepreneurship? And so she told me, yeah, she had a class, a course that she was just starting. She would love to have me to be part of it. She said, I usually charge $1,000, but I like you, Charlene, I believe in you. And so she charged me $400 for this. She had worksheets for us. I'm not great at worksheets, but she wanted us to give her our budgets so that she could help us better be able to know what we could afford and what we couldn't afford. What do you make? And if you're not working, if it's your husband's income, put down his income. It had all of the spaces, the gross, the net, what you spend on your mortgage, your car, your insurance.

[Charlie Webster]

Charlene filled out the form with all her financial information and joined the class. The class was being managed by Starlee, if you remember. Candice made Starley pretend to be the U.S. consulate in the car park of Chiles. Starlee told us that even though it looked like there were a few people taking the course, Charlene was the only one who paid.

[Starlee]

Charlene was the only paying client. Everyone else. Candice comped, but wanted it to seem like there was more attendees. And I think we had five women.

[Charlie Webster]

It was perfect timing for Charlene. She had just finished writing her first book, Devotion, Deception, Deliverance, Isaac's story, which is a true story of an escape from a polygamous cult in Utah. Although she didn't know she was Candace's only paying client.

[Charlene]

As I was coming to the end of getting my manuscript ready for the publisher, I thought, you know, I'm just gonna see if she'll read it and see what she thinks. I mean, she's worked with these New York Times best selling authors. And so I sent her my manuscript. She said, I'm gonna write the forward. And I said, I Can't afford that, Candace. And she said, no, you don't understand. I am going to write the forward.

[Charlie Webster]

So Candice wrote Charlene's forward for free. Then she said she wanted to help Charlene with the marketing for the book.

[Charlene]

She gets ahold of me and says, hey, I've talked to my team and our calendar is completely full for next year. But I said, listen, you guys, we've gotta bump some things out. We've got to squash some things down, because I'm taking this woman on as one of our clients. She's wonderful, and she's so talented and she's so gifted, and she's written this book, and she's, you know, on and on and on.

[Charlie Webster]

But this wasn't going to be covered in the original $400 price. It was going to be more, a lot more.

[Charlene]

She said, for three months, it's usually about $16,000 is what we charge. I am willing to give you our friends and family discount. It'll be $8,000, which is still a big chunk of money. I've said I want to be more than just my book. I want to be able to speak and to teach and to share. So I would like to figure out how to come up with the $8,000 and sign up and see what she can do. And so my dad had recently passed away and left a little bit of money. And so that's where we took the money out of.

[Charlie Webster]

Charlene was in. She signed on the dotted line and handed $8,000 over to Candice.

[Charlene]

She called me a few days later and said, hey, I put you with my A team. My A team videographer. He's gonna interview you, make sure you've got things that you can quote out of the book. She said, charlene, mark my words, Netflix is interested. Are you ready, girl? I guess. I guess. I don't know.

[Charlie Webster]

Just like with the entrepreneurship course, Candice made it look like she was busy with a whole host of clients. But once again, Charlene was the only one we had.

[Kim]

The one client. Candice said there was this huge wait list of people, but she could never provide the list.

[Charlie Webster]

This is Kim. Kim's a digital marketer, and when she met Candice, she was having a tough time at the company she was working at. So Candice offered her a job in her branding house, C.R. house & Co, to work alongside Starlie. With their one client, Kim was soon to become Candice's newest bestie. You might be noticing a pattern here. By now. Candice has a habit of collecting besties And Kim was her latest fixation. When Kim came in to see our house and company, Starlee was a little confused about who Kim was and felt like she was being pushed out in favor of Kim.

[Starlee]

Candace started talking about this woman, Kim. I had never heard of her. I went over to her house one night and Kim was there and we met and she was awesome. But it was, it seems like Candace and Kim are partners. And what am I? Am I still a part of this? It kind of seemed like, oh, I'm just maybe an afterthought.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice brought her new bestie, Kim, the Exodus marketing guy. Matt and Starlie together to launch another new initiative for women, helping them to start their own business.

[Starlee]

We were sitting there and then Matt came over and you know, we were talking about it and Candace was talking as if Matt knew all about this and he's like, wait, what is this? Am I a part of this? And Candace was like, yeah.

[Matt Aura]

I really wasn't in it. I just said okay.

[Charlie Webster]

That seemed to be a running theme for Matt. He was Candice's right hand man across all of her projects.

[Matt Aura]

And then she said that she was gonna make all this money and that she was gonna pay. I would just be able to like work under her in her branding house. And I said, oh, okay, cool. I'm kind of already doing that, but okay, like sure. With every business idea and everything she had, she just threw me in there. I'm the only male in there. I was like, I'm not really fitting into this like she house. But Candace is always wanting to promise me like so much money, like anything that I do. I'm like, I wasn't really planning on being a part of this. I was just coming to hang out and I happened to fall into you guys meeting, gave you ideas. She just liked having me in there all the time.

[Charlie Webster]

Kim came up with an idea for what they were going to call it.

[Kim]

So what about found Her? Because then it's like founder found her. And we all got really excited about the idea. So that's what that ended up being.

[Charlie Webster]

Found her was born. But not everything was rosy for Kim. She was yet another member of what Candice called the divorce club. Kim had recently divorced and was going through a difficult custody battle for her young son.

[Kim]

I cried. I cried because this was the same week I had the news that I was going from having 70% custody down to 50. And regardless of anyone's opinion on custody arrangements, going from being a full time mom, my kid's whole life, to then being a halftime Mom. It was hard to not feel like that was somehow a demotion. The custody battle had been like a part time job in and of itself. I had no energy. I was tired all the time. So Candace coming that week to me, telling me that I could do something with purpose. It almost gave purpose to having to go to 50% custody. I could now spend time volunteering and helping and building a business that was going to make a difference.

[Charlie Webster]

Kim put her energy into this new purpose. She was a valuable asset to Candice. Newly divorced in her 20s and driven, Kim quickly became part of Candice's inner circle. It wasn't long before the two of them were texting and calling 24 7.

[Kim]

It was tricky because I felt bad that I was spending so much time because it did end up even taking away from some of the weeks that I had with my kids. But it was like, I think I was just trying so hard to fill my time with purpose on those off weeks and find purpose in my new normal with this new schedule. It was all consuming.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice had an uncanny ability to turn conversations sexual with anyone, and Kim was no exception.

[Kim]

A lot of our conversations were sexual. Talked about how much she loved Kim giving blowjobs. She joked with me that she found out that you can sell your used underwear to make money. I'm a germaphobe to begin with. I'm also a very conservative person. It's one of those jokes, like, if you say it once, I'll give you a courtesy laugh. But she kept going. It's like, come on, Kim, we can make the money. We need to really get found her off the ground. The amount that she said it, there was a piece of me that was like, I kind of feel like she would really do this. When we would joke about stuff, Candace would be like, just watch. Kim's the most conservative one. But you just wait. She's gonna be the one with the most surprising, shocking secrets.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice wanted her new bestie, Kim to experience the work that she was doing with her nonprofit exodus. Candice took her out on the streets of Salt Lake City just like she did with Starlie.

[Kim]

I went out with her a couple of times to Salt Lake City, where the homeless population was. We're in a whole other world. Like, we were behind bridges and train tracks and places no one would ever dare to step foot in with, just lined with tents. You go what we call the other side of Salt Lake City. So, like, the scary side. Candace was trying to comfort me with the fact that her car was bulletproof and that she had her gun in the glove department. I think it was a Glock. Candace had packed some food from her fridge and waters to hand out. She seemed to know all of the homeless people. They knew her by name, they knew her car. It was like they were buddies. And whenever we drive around, every time we went, she'd say the same thing, which is this is like their living room. She just seemed to have this sense or this knowing of this population. She would also always tell me about how, you know, Jesus was out there with the homeless. He wasn't just with the people who were clean or doing well. That this is where the real work happens. And I admired it.

[Charlie Webster]

Only a few weeks after that first meeting, Found her was ready to launch. Candice put together a promo video where she explained what Found her was all about. Although I couldn't quite figure out what exactly the initiative was meant to see. What you think Found her gives these.

[Candace Rivera]

Women back the opportunity to see how to get to those podiums, those platforms and those finish lines without Found Her. We leave a lot of women without access and that's really what this program is.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice says a lot without actually saying much. If you've ever heard of the term word salad. That's what Candace does. And in true Candice fashion, to properly launch Found her, she threw a big flashy party with the who's who of Utah at Kim's parents house.

[Kim]

My parents have a home here in Utah and it's. I'm trying to describe it without sounding a certain way. It's a very big, nice home. It just is. And it's very unique and has a lot of features that you don't see even in the big Utah homes.

[Charlie Webster]

It is unique. I went to Kim's parents house whilst we were in Utah. How many bedrooms has it got?

[Kim]

Let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, maybe 10.

[Charlie Webster]

I love that. You've got to catch. Yeah, there was a lot of concentration. Never mind the bedrooms, it has a climbing wall, a movie theater, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, day spa, bowling alley, recording studio, a huge garden fountain included. The perfect place to host the Found her launch party. Kim didn't know at the time, but Candace had been telling everyone that it was actually her house.

[Kim]

She was saying this was her house. She not only said that, but she said you're free to come whenever you want and use it whenever you want.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice said she had everything organized, but once again didn't.

[Kim]

That was very stressful because she had nothing ready that needed to be Ready for the launch. We had gotten these neon signs that said cr, House and company that were supposed to be hung. They never got hung up. It felt like a mess. However, everybody felt like it went off without a hitch. I was surprised just how many people were there and it felt really cool to be like, wow, all of these people are here seeing and hearing about work I never even knew I was capable of creating.

[Charlie Webster]

I've seen the pictures and videos. It was full of esteemed guests, all beautifully dressed, mainly women. And of course Matt Aura was there helping out. A local singer performed philanthropist Mary Crafts gave a speech along with multiple Utah mom influences. Then it was Candice's turn to speak. She started with a little reference to Botox.

[Candace Rivera]

Originally we were just going to have a fun ladies party with Botox. We thought that'd be super fun. But you guys look way too pretty for Botox.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice then told the story story of sleeping in the mafia house in Moldova with Mary mentioned she was opening her own med spa. She even gave out gift vouchers for it and then said she had three companies that had now hit eight figures. And then she got serious. She was very emotional and spoke really fast.

[Candace Rivera]

Our community must ache in our absence. There is no reason for me to have international market companies that had eight figures if I am not pouring back into them for the people that are running them. There's no reason to have to have nonprofits if they're not run well. So they're making massive impacts in the communities. And UPD is calling us every single day to take out a survivor on the streets. There is no reason to have platforms that plug mentors in if they are not connected to the people that they're using them. Absolutely no reason. And there is no reason for you to be in this room or in my presence if you're not going to.

[Kim]

Plug into it either.

[Charlie Webster]

Out of all that, there was one thing Candice didn't acknowledge. The other people on the found her team. Kim was really hurt.

[Kim]

Candace got up and then pretty much single handedly took credit for everything. And I don't need a ton of credit, but I worked my butt off. And for $0, mind you, $0. It's like I would appreciate some sort of acknowledgement. I actually was like holding back tears by the end of that. It felt like I had just been used and she was totally okay acting like I didn't even exist for that entire launch party. Starlie pulled me aside. She goes, are you okay? And I was like trying to like choke it back because I didn't want to be seen crying at our launch. So I'm like, I'm fine. I'm good. And she's like, are you sure? Because that was not okay.

[Charlie Webster]

At the end of the night, Kim found a moment to talk to Candice about how she felt. But Candice didn't let Kim get a word out. Instead, she turned on the compliments.

[Kim]

Candace is like, you know, you are so good at the marketing side, and I'm so good at the business side, and we work so well together. We really are just, like, the perfect team.

[Charlie Webster]

And then Candace offered Kim the role of chief operating officer right there on the spot.

[Kim]

I was like, oh, she does see value in me. This successful businesswoman trusts me enough, and I've, like, proven myself. That sounds perfect, because that's essentially what I've been doing anyways. I have been putting together the ins and the outs of how this thing is running, and that just makes sense.

[Charlie Webster]

Kim put her feelings aside and kept working on Found her.

[Kim]

I did say, before we do anything else, I want to make sure we have formalized contracts and, like, a salary agreed upon and all of that. And she was like, oh, yeah, of course. I'm going to have my lawyer draw that up.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice promised to send Kim a formal contract, but the weeks went by, and she never did, and Kim wasn't getting paid.

[Kim]

I'm getting to the point. I'm a little annoyed now that I'm putting so much work in and not getting anything for it. Hard, fast rule. I'm not going to do any more work until we have a signed contract and until we've agreed on my salary. The day I was, like, convinced I was going to tell her that and lay down the line, I come in, and she and Aura have been crying, And I was like, what's going on? And Aura, I can see her whispering to Candice, like, you should tell her. And Candace is like, no, I can't tell her. I can't tell her. And then. Or is like, you really should tell her. And I'm like, tell me what? Like, what's going on? And then Candace announces that she has stomach cancer and that it's potentially terminal. That was a big blow. And of course, I'm concerned as her friend. And in my head, like, I can't. I can't bring this up today. Like, not the time, not the place. So I didn't.

[Charlie Webster]

Candace has cancer. We asked some of the people in Candice's life about whether they knew about Candice having cancer. Danny Remington, Candice's nursing school bestie and Exeter's nursing director told us that when they were in nursing school Candice had said she was in recovery from ovarian cancer. But now this was a different kind of cancer that Candice had stomach. Aura was the first to know about Candice's stomach cancer diagnosis.

[Aura]

I was over her calendar so we shared a work calendar. I basically used it to schedule all of her meetings and basically control the schedule of her life. And so she went into all the upcoming Tuesdays and entered chemo in the calendar where I would see it no one but me and her. And then even detailed chemo prep on these Tuesday's appointments.

[Charlie Webster]

Tuesdays were ora's regular catch up time with Candice about work. The catch ups were all canceled for Candice's chemotherapy. As for Kim, she once again put her feelings aside and kept working on found her. She didn't question Candice again. Despite Candice's stomach cancer diagnosis and scheduled chemo, there was another gala for her anti human trafficking non profit Exodus. On the calendar Candice secured an impressive venue, a museum for rare and exotic cars called Automotive Addiction with a James Bond theme. Casino Royale.

[Kim]

I am beyond excited for the Exodus gala. It is going to be amazing. Casino Royale, red carpet. Then casino night meets impacting. We have casino tables and supercars and most importantly hearing from survivors, mothers whom lost their daughters and those doing the work so desperately needed.

[Charlie Webster]

Candace's posts are read by Emmy Jory.

[Kim]

Candace came to that party and she came late because she had said that she'd had a surgery.

[Charlie Webster]

That's Kate. She also runs a non profit in Utah focused on education. Kate was at the gala and was concerned when she saw Candice have bandages on her arms and was visibly in pain. She'd come straight from surgery.

[Kim]

Candace was really sore because they had done something and she had like compression sleeves or something on her.

[Aura]

Candace became very, very sick a few days before the gala when the catering still wasn't finalized, the bar wasn't finalized, none of the stuff had been taken care of and she's like I'm in the hospital.

[Charlie Webster]

With Candace out of action, everything was down to aura, something she was getting used to.

[Aura]

We had to have enough food for 300 people, enough seats for 300 people, even just like plates for 300 people. And it was just such a nightmare. And I worked day and night for probably a month putting this together. Hours before the gala started, I'm getting calls from all these businesses involved because Candace is giving him my number saying oh look for Aura, she knows what to do. She's in charge.

[Charlie Webster]

And once again, Aura pulled it off. Though the gala did have its issues, at least Candace gave Aura a mention in her speech.

[Candace Rivera]

I love, love the people of Exodus. In fact, I want to tell you that 60 plus volunteers volunteer at Exodus, and they have for almost for over three years. We have very, very little paid staff. In fact, we only take a dollar of every ten to pay staff, which is really, really awesome because so many people love to volunteer. In fact, my assistant will tell you, so many people do that, I can't keep up with them. And they always call her because I haven't called them back. So she can tell you there's a whole lot.

[Charlie Webster]

Then it was time for people to bid on the auction items.

[Aura]

I was concerned because Candice gave away almost all the seats for free. And I was like, candace, if you give the seats for free, people will not bid on these items. People will just come for a free night out and a nice meal.

[Felicia]

It came to the auction. So the MCs, they got up and they excused everybody to go to the restroom, if they wanted to go to the restroom, get a bite of eat. Before we started the auction.

[Charlie Webster]

This is Phylicia. Felicia was on the Exeter Survivor panel alongside the survivor who'd spoken at the First Galaxy. The panel was made up of survivor ambassadors who could speak firsthand about their own lived experience of trafficking. Felicia was a keen photographer and was taking the photos at the gala.

[Felicia]

And I turned and I looked at Candace and Candace just looks so pissed. And I'm like, what is going on? She goes, I can't believe that they would do that. Everybody just left before the auction, and Candace is like, we're not going to be able to sell the things I promised we'd say, and we're not going to be able to raise it. And we have all these things and all these people that have all these needs, and I'm not going to be able to do it. And I sat back and the auction started. And the auctioneer is going and going and there's not a lot of bidding going on. Candace literally looked like somebody took the legs out from underneath her. So I said, candace, can I please talk? And she goes, if you think it'll make a difference. And so I went up to the auctioneer and I said, sir, can I grab that mic for just a second?

[Charlie Webster]

Just a second. Absolutely.

[Felicia]

And it gives me the mic. And I stood up in front of the room, in front of everybody, and I said, I need to tell you guys who I am. I'm not just your photographer for the evening. I'm also one of the survivors. Every bid that you make today, everything that you're bidding on, goes to help people like me. Like my family Exodus did help me. And I said, I know we're asking a lot, but I want to tell you a little bit about my story. I am. I am a child abuse survivor. And Candice, like, perked up. And then she got up and then she came over and she put her hand on my back, and I said, so even if it's a couple hundred dollars, everything goes to help us. But I wanted you to actually see one of the survivors. And then I handed the mic back over, and the donations came in like crazy. We ended up selling everything that was on the auction that day. Right after that gala, I got a phone call from Candice, and she said that they had a special event at her house for the Survivor panel only. And she wanted us to come to her house for a dinner to dress up and just feel glamorous. She wanted to do something kind for us. So we showed up at her house, and we're sitting there, and there's like a charcuterie board of everything you can imagine on her counter. She loved her charcuterie board. Seriously, it was like at every event. And as we're sitting there eating, doorbell rings. Candace opens the door, and there's like a dozen people walking into this dinner. I got very uncomfortable because there's a lot of people filling in her living room. And Candice starts speaking. Some of these people were at the gala and Felicia, they heard your story and they wanted to help out. They wanted to provide you women with Christmas. And we all just kind of stood there, like, what? Candace knew I didn't have any personal belongings in my house, and I'd just gotten done moving into this other place. And she goes, yeah, they have specific gifts for each one of you. And so I was one of the first ones to sit down. And I'm looking at Candice going, what the frick is happening right now? And this lady comes out and she's holding this package, and I'm opening it, and it's bed sheets. And I just start crying. And she goes, the beds that these go to are in the garage. And I'm like, what?

[Charlie Webster]

Wait?

[Felicia]

I get my own bed? A brand new bed in a box. It's mine. And she goes, yes, and there's beds for your kids.

[Charlie Webster]

All the survivors got something. The survivor who spoke at the first gala got a guitar from a Famous singer that was touring at the time. Another survivor called Amber got a laptop.

[Felicia]

At the end of the night. I said, guys, we need to say something. Like they came all this way. I said, I have to come out and I have to say thank you. I said, because of you, me and my children actually have a bed.

[Charlie Webster]

The gala closed out the year and Candice could focus on what was about to be her biggest one yet. Candice was featured in a local Utah magazine as an angel among us. She also started her own podcast called welcome to My House with Candice Rivera. Her first guest was Trigill Wade, NBA star Dwyane Wade's sister. Then she invited Aryan Urkel, an aid worker who was held captive by Islamic militants, onto her podcast. He came and spoke to her in front of a live audience at Kim's parents house. And once again she said it was her own house.

[Kim]

So we host this event at my parents house and everyone's gone. My mom's sitting in their theater room with my son and Candace comes barging in. She's sat down next to my mom and they're talking about something and I come in and my mom is not a touchy person at all. And Candice is like right up next to her, leaned next to her and she goes, you're my favorite mom. Did you know that? And I can just see the terror on my mom's poor face. And then she goes, can I ask your opinion? I'm trying to decide between this boy and this point. Isn't he so hot? If she's scrolling through pictures, it sounds innocent, but to someone like my mom, even calling someone hot is like, what?

[Charlene]

What?

[Kim]

And so I'm like sitting there, secondhand embarrassment. And she could tell how uncomfortable my mom was, but it was like the more uncomfortable she got, the more she dug in and the more she was like, oh, come on, don't you think he's cute? And my mom not knowing what to say. And I was just like, I wanted to slap Candace upside the head. And I'm like, what are you doing?

[Charlie Webster]

Did she ever make you feel really uncomfortable like that?

[Kim]

Yeah, we were joking around about stuff and we were joking around about pictures and she was like shocked that I had never taken certain pictures before and was like, well, of course not. And she's like, oh, it's so fun and so empowering. Come on, let's go do it right now. So she like got up and grabbed my arm and like pulls me into her room joking. Like we're kind of laughing. I'm laughing, thinking like, she's doing it for show. She's like, oh, come on. It'll be so empowering. And just take these pictures. She was like, go put on my lingerie. And I'm like, come again? And she's like, oh, it's an old pair, so it'll probably fit you. And I honestly don't remember the fit. I do know that I was shocked, though, when it wasn't ginormous on me.

[Charlie Webster]

She's a curvy woman.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Charlie Webster]

And you're slim. Just different builds.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Charlie Webster]

You don't have the same size boobs as her.

[Kim]

No.

[Charlie Webster]

Because she's got big boobs.

[Kim]

Exactly. So why does she have that? And I ended up letting her take these pictures. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and I just. Yeah, I didn't want to, and I had said no, but she has this way of pushing and pushing and pushing. You don't recognize it as going and crossing boundaries. So I don't know how she did it. I don't know. I honestly don't know how I got from point A to point Z in that situation. I was certain she was just joking the entire time until it was actually happening.

[Charlie Webster]

This photo shoot with Kim happened six years after the boudoir shoot at MOPS with Lacey Timber and the rest of the women. In the course of our reporting, we discovered at least another two people who were coerced into the same situation by Candice on separate occasions.

[Kim]

I am not someone who gives into peer pressure at all, ever. Like, I pride myself on that. The fact that I was in the situation I was in, I'm still like, how on earth did that happen? Because I do feel like I said no. I think part of the tactic was it was done under this guise of we were joking around and me thinking we were joking around until suddenly we weren't.

[Charlie Webster]

Candice had a knack for getting people to do things they didn't want to do. Crossing boundaries in a way that made people quite question and blame themselves, not Candice. Kim dismissed how she felt and carried on being Candice's bestie. But someone was starting to question Candice for her other bestie, Danny Remington from nursing school. The red flags were adding up and couldn't be ignored any longer. As nursing director, Danny was responsible for the nurses that worked with Eksters. As she was checking in on one of the adopted orphans that had been rescued from Ukraine, Danny received an anxious phone call from a nurse who had been a part of that operation.

[Danny Remington]

That nurse provided medical support under Candice's direction and under Candace's license, and Candice had sent her with a robust medical kit. The nurse had told me that there was an extensive amount of equipment and medication.

[Charlie Webster]

The nurse confided in Danny, telling her that the medical kit she'd been given included the antipsychotic drug Haldol, as well as the controlled substance ketamine.

[Danny Remington]

The issue was, where did it come from and how is Candice getting this? The nurse ended up understandably being very concerned about the medication and the equipment. And then that nurse started to ask questions about Candice's credentials. And I was already growing in my suspicion and concern. And this nurse said, based off of this, this is illegal. I exhausted every possible resource that I could think of to try to determine that Candice was a registered nurse or nurse practitioner. And Candice would not provide me those documents. And every time I asked her, it was never a no. It was always, oh, yes, sorry, I'll get that to you.

[Charlie Webster]

Without being able to verify Candace's nursing license and the potential that the nurse may have been given an illegal medical kit, Danny started to pull away from Candice and Exeter.

[Danny Remington]

I had literally started working on my resignation letter when Candice reached out and asked if I would help, that she was partnering with Homeland Security to try and fight human trafficking during the NBA all start week in Salt Lake City. I was shocked. I was shocked.

[Charlie Webster]

Danny put away the resignation letter.

[Danny Remington]

It did give me pause to stop and question some of the things that were making me want to leave. Maybe I should just keep going and extend understanding or trust.

[Charlie Webster]

She jumped on board for the first big Exodus operation for 2023. Candice was partnering with the Department of Homeland Security.

[Danny Remington]

I was floored that an organization like Homeland would partner with her.

[Kim]

It was very exciting to be a part of something so big. She was pioneering the way for NGO and government collaboration. Candace said that they were working with Homeland Security, and so that made me realize, like, oh, wow, Candace is, like, legit. This is like the real deal.

[Charlie Webster]

We'll get to that in the next episode. This has been Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast produced by Seven Hills and hosted and executive produced by me, Charlie Webster. Unicorn Girl is produced by me, Charlie Webster and Jackson McLennan. Original score and theme music by Ryan Sorenson, editing and sound design by Nico Polella, assistant producer and fact checking by Emmy Jory. Candice's social media posts are also read by Emmy Jory, mixed by Little Big Room, additional production support by Fun Meter. Follow and listen on Apple podcasts.