How to Create Your "Unicorn Career"
A new book helps you build authentic joy work, and harmonize our world.
Posted March 25, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
As a long-time science writer, I sometimes forget my own rocky transition from academic research to a career writing about how human culture is affecting the natural world and what we can do to restabilize things. That early journey had very little support in my academic circles. It came to pass for me, thanks to colleagues and mentors who helped me see outside the ivory tower. How I wish I'd had what follows!
Enter Alaina G. Levine. Alaina's got an array of highly authentic career chops. Entrepreneur, science journalist, STEM careers consultant, professional speaker (and comedian!), one of her deep callings is to help people know their value and worth, and to match that with their highest purpose in work, and service. She's written for the renowned Science magazine Careers for many years, where she also contributes her Your Unicorn Career column.
Alaina has literally written the book on what it means to Create Your Unicorn Career. She opens up a powerful process to deeply understand your own passion work, with innovative steps to harness and leverage your resources to create a profoundly authentic career (and life)!
It is a book for anyone, but it's especially aligned with STEM fields. And if you're exploring new or shifting careers in psychology, this book full of creative yet analytical, growth-mindset type help.
Full disclosure: I've worked with Alaina in past years and consider her a colleague with a powerful approach to life and work. So when I saw she was releasing Create Your Unicorn Career , I was thrilled to bring her process to Mothering Nature readers.
Please note: This is Part 1 of 2 columns exploring this timely approach, given the current state of the job market and beyond .
Rachel Clark: What drove you to write Create Your Unicorn Career ?
Alaina G. Levine: I wanted people to understand that you have more value, choice, and power, in landing jobs and advancing in your career than you may realize or have been told.
Years ago, my math advisor told me there was essentially “nothing” I could do or be, other than become a professor or a teacher, or go into the insurance industry. And I’ve been regularly devalued or undervalued or underutilized at work. I knew there HAD to be more—some other career or job out—there that aligned with my unique interests and the value I wanted to provide society.
I wanted to write a step-by-step, easy-to-follow framework so people would understand that there are many, many career opportunities out there, and when you seek to honor yourself and act with generosity , you can create Your Unicorn Career: the customized and authentic career that brings you joy, meaning, and money.
And best of all, you can do so even in uncertain times and in a challenging economy.
RC: As an expert in career development and as a professional speaker, career coach, and author, can you offer some thoughts on the state of the world and how your approach relates to it?
AL: It’s a very challenging world right now, with things changing from second to second. It may feel like there’s no way to center yourself or find the right opportunity, collaborators, or employers, especially with so many people on the job market. It can be frightening. But when we are in crisis, it is critical to remember and seize onto what we can control.
Most importantly, we control our responses, emotions, actions, and our ability to act with honor and generosity. This is the essence of creating Your Unicorn Career. It pivots the power back to you in such a way that you can act strategically to not only advance your career but also help those around you do the same.
Rather than employ a luck-based model—where you hope an opportunity happens to pass in front of your gaze at the right time—we employ a logic-based model to get employed. My Unicorn Career Framework leverages three components, where we collect and analyze Intrinsic Data (about you, from your head and your heart), Extrinsic Data (about the opportunities and needs of the community), and a Bridge of Marketing , where we seek to articulate how our assets can alleviate a pain point for another party. In doing so, you create your Unicorn Career—and help another party prosper, too!
RC: Tell us about the multiverse. How does networking play a role here?
AL: Networking, in which you find and grow mutually beneficial relationships with others, is a key aspect of uncovering, creating, and landing Your Unicorn Career . It is the only way to get access to hidden opportunities and to have opportunities created just for you. The key to remember is that networking is not what I can take or get from you—it is what I can do for you .
When you engage with others, they reveal their pain point – the problem they have been trying to solve or the gap that exists in their system. And once you’re aware of your own Intrinsic Data, including your skills and experience, and are able to articulate how you can aid them, they proffer the chance to partner. A new opportunity could even be born in real time, where you both help each other.
That is the real magic of networking!
RC: Thank you so much for joining us, Alaina! In part 2, we'll discuss the psychology of this approach, and how it helps bring harmony to the world.
Stay tuned for Part 2 for more strategic guidance from Alaina, coming soon.
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In conversation with Alaina G. Levine . Levine is the author Create Your Unicorn Career: A Practical Guide to Designing the Authentic Career That Brings You Joy, Meaning, and Money - Even in Uncertain Times , published by Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, 2025. She is also the author of Networking for Nerds: Find, Access and Land Hidden Game‐Changing Career Opportunities Everywhere (Wiley, 2015). You can find her many columns on careers and Your Unicorn Career at Science magazine. Levine is also a professional speaker, career coach, speaking coach, corporate comedian, science writer, and TEDx speaker. ( Bio drawn from Science )
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Rachel Clark, M.S., is a science writer and biologist who's reported on the impacts of climate heating, health, and pandemic preparedness.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.