Unicorn Girl – Episode 7: “Fairy Godmother in Glitter Heels”

Podcast: Unicorn Girl
Host: Charlie Webster
Producer: Apple TV+ / Seven Hills
Date: September 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In Episode 7, "Fairy Godmother in Glitter Heels," journalist Charlie Webster investigates Candace Rivera's high-profile anti-trafficking operation during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Through interviews with trafficking survivors, volunteers, nonprofit leaders, and former law enforcement, the episode peels back the layers of Candace’s public image as a crusading "unicorn"—revealing a complex story of ambition, questionable leadership, and the fine line between visionary and manipulator. The episode focuses on the much-publicized partnership between Candace's nonprofit Exodus and Homeland Security, the running of a major sting operation, and the emotional fallout for those caught in Candace's wake.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Homeland Security Partnership and Sting Operation

• Candace publicly announced a groundbreaking partnership: Exodus as the first private sector company to work with Homeland Security in a sting operation to combat human trafficking at the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
  • “We got called from Homeland Security to assist with anti-trafficking operations over all star week. I’m so excited.” – Candace’s social media post [08:32]
• The operation involved over 70 volunteers, including survivors, nonprofit leaders, mentors, and therapists.
• Volunteer briefings included odd instructions (avoid religious symbols, don't use GPS for Homeland’s address), and included a pep-talk:
  • “Super cool guys. You get to put on your resume that you’re helping Homeland Security with the very first ever collaborative anti trafficking app like ever in the history of the United States.” – Candace [09:23]

2. Operation Execution — Chaos, Secrecy, and Disillusionment

• Volunteers, often untrained for such high-stakes work, waited for hours in Candace’s home for text messages directing them to action.
• The operation was both logistically convoluted and emotionally distressing. Volunteers transported survivors, sometimes late at night under tense conditions.
  • “We’d sit at the house and we’d wait for a text to come through that says it’s go time.” – Candace [12:36]
• One striking incident details a rescued survivor being dropped at HQ, with Candace failing to show up. Volunteers spent hours waiting for her as she was reportedly out partying:
  • “Candice had disappeared in the middle of an operation. Once again, where was she? Well, this time, she was out partying.” – Charlie Webster [16:49]
  • “She had hired someone to, like, do all of her clothes, like, very expensive. And then she would go to these lavish parties…She would say, like, isn’t it amazing? Nobody knows what I’m really doing.” – Ora [17:01]

3. Mixed Results and Confusion About Impact

• After the operation ended, multiple volunteers expressed confusion regarding the number of rescued victims:
  • Candace posted about “16 women” [24:30], Kim only saw one [24:48], while Felicia recalled “nine or ten women” [25:01], and Kate heard “18 women” [25:22].
• Volunteers struggled to get follow-up information about the survivors, often receiving evasive responses from Candace.
• Kim, a volunteer driver, independently took it upon herself to support the one survivor she helped, driving her to appointments and encouraging her through recovery. [25:57–26:48]

4. Exodus’ Safe House – Experience from the Inside

• Camilla, a 19-year-old survivor, shares her experience as a resident of Candace’s “safe house”—in reality, Candace's basement. Her story highlights neglect and isolation:
  • "The sheets were really dirty... I was kind of surprised. I’m like, wouldn’t you wash the sheets after someone left? But obviously I didn’t complain about it or anything because I was given this place." – Camilla [30:45]
  • No access to electronics, infrequent groceries, and requests to sort through donations were described as “odd.”
  • A friend warns Camilla to leave for her own safety—she leaves without alerting anyone. [34:09–34:49]

5. Candace’s Personality, Manipulation, and Social Performance

• Multiple accounts paint Candace as charismatic but increasingly perceived as manipulative.
  • “Candice was very comfortable on her skin, confident. And I. I envied that because I’ve never felt Comfortable in my skin...She really changed this, like, narrative for me in public.” – Amber [03:46]
  • Candace posts photos in glamourous outfits from government offices and parties, framing her double life as empowering:
    • “Due to security, nothing was ever made public about what would take place in the evenings...in my fairy godmother promotion gown and glitter heels. To see the two demographics of individuals, both working a market, both wanting so badly to be noticed, one dripping in Jordans and Chanel and the other dripping in fear and desperation. To reconcile these two, well, it has been quite an experience.” – Candace [22:42]

6. Promises Broken and Damaged Trust

• Amber is promised leadership of a new, paid Homeland Security task force; begins planning, but the foundation is shaky. [28:07–28:53]
• Author Charlene recounts the humiliation of being promised a VIP gala experience that never materializes; Candace ghosts her in public, fails to deliver on book sales, and leaves her hero, Sam Brower, disillusioned.
  • “She said she was going to introduce me to all of these people. And she disappeared. I didn’t see her for the rest of the night.” – Charlene [38:30]
  • “Then there’s people like Candace. The way she tried playing me sent up red flags that she was up to something.” – Sam Brower [40:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Candace’s Social Media Transparency (and Evasiveness)
  • “Yes, life is hard, I’m tired, my ex husband sucks dead cockroaches, my jeans are still tight, people are dying and I don’t have enough staff. I was on a diet for two weeks for the new year and all I lost was 14 days of happiness.” – Candace’s social media post (read by Emmy Jory) [08:10]
• Volunteer Shock & Discomfort
  • “None of us, collectively had really ever experienced a sting operation of any sort. She was in the shower for, like, hours...I ended up leaving that night with the woman still in the shower and said goodbye.” – Kate [18:22]
• Parental Betrayal
  • “Candace did take Bailey on the streets in the middle of this operation to find traffickers and trafficked girls…My feelings for Candace and Exodus changed that day.” – Ora [21:10]
• Glamour and Grit Juxtaposed
  • “Candice also posted a picture of herself with Homeland Security agents… in my fairy godmother promotion gown and glitter heels.” – Charlie Webster reading Candace’s post [22:42]
• False Promises and Damaged Reputations
  • “None of Candice’s promises to Charlene had materialized. And though Candice promised to sell her book online, Charlene hadn’t seen any of the money from the sales. And now Charlene’s hero, Sam Brower, wanted nothing to do with her.” – Charlie Webster [39:56]
• External Perspectives on Candace
  • “There’s people who just want to help… Then there’s people like Candace. The way she tried playing me sent up red flags.” – Sam Brower [40:27]

Important Timestamps

• [00:48] – Charlie sets stage: Candace gets official Homeland Security partnership, major validation.
• [06:06] – NBA All-Star Weekend operation setup logistics described.
• [08:10] – Candace's social media updates (eccentric, personal, scattered in tone).
• [09:23] – Volunteer briefing; “super cool guys” speech.
• [13:01-14:14] – The tense moments of waiting, failed attempts, emotional scenes as victims decide whether to leave trafficking.
• [16:49] – Volunteers left waiting, Candace disappears to go party.
• [22:42] – The “fairy godmother promotion gown and glitter heels” Instagram post.
• [24:30-25:22] – Differing reports on number of rescued girls.
• [30:45–33:25] – Camilla details her time in the safe house.
• [34:09–34:49] – Camilla is warned and leaves.
• [36:38]–[39:10] – Charlene’s disastrous gala story and social snub.
• [40:19–40:44] – Sam Brower’s pointed warning about Candace’s character.

Episode Tone

• The episode maintains Charlie Webster's investigative, probing, and sometimes skeptical tone throughout.
• There is a mix of admiration for the volunteers and survivors and suspicion toward Candace’s motives and management style.
• Repeated use of direct participant narration, emotionally raw and unfiltered, grounds the episode in authentic voices and makes the content visceral for listeners.

Conclusion

“Fairy Godmother in Glitter Heels” exposes the cracks in Candace Rivera's facade as a philanthropic unicorn, questioning whether her flair and ambition are matched by substance—or whether, as more voices confide their doubts and disappointments, her greatest magic is self-promotion at the cost of those she claims to serve. As the dust settles from the Homeland Security operation, those left behind grapple with a mix of accomplishment, confusion, and a growing sense of betrayal. The question lingers: is Candace a visionary savior, or simply a "master of deception"?

Listen to Unicorn Girl on Apple Podcasts for the full series and story developments.