The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

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Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale.

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Dating 101 as an Ambitious Woman: How to Seduce Anyone (ft. Chloe Shih)

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Phoebe Gates, Chloe Shih) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:09:05 +0000

Chloe Shih breaks down all the best dating tips she wishes she knew in her 20s. Learn how to flirt, which guys to date, and how to build a relationship that lasts.

Chloe Shih is a creator, entrepreneur, and former tech operator who shares an honest look at modern ambition, relationships, and personal growth. She reflects on love, therapy, career pressure, and how the right partnership can reshape the way you think about success.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:34 - What makes a relationship actually work

03:32 - The biggest lesson from couples counseling

03:55 - The “four horsemen” that predict relationship failure

06:33 - Chloe’s advice on flirting and seduction

07:22 - How she met Kevin

08:39 - The disastrous first date

11:43 - How Kevin won her over after rejection

15:37 - The Facebook prom turning point

16:43 - The 25-item partner checklist

17:22 - What was actually on Chloe’s list

18:36 - Why you should not date the person who only looks good on paper

20:09 - How a happy relationship changes your career

20:30 - Redefining ambition and “the bag”

21:45 - Success without scarcity

22:20 - Good mindset trick

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Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app and help us grow → https://www.phia.com

About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more. Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Billionaire Makeup Artist Spills All Her Secrets… Find the Right Brow Shape for Your Face and More

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Phoebe Gates, Anastasia Soare) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Eyebrows built a billion-dollar brand—and Anastasia Soare explains exactly why. In this episode, you’ll learn the “golden ratio” method she used to shape brows for any face, plus the business and personal decisions that turned a Hollywood brow room into Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Anastasia Soare is the founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills and the pioneer behind modern brow shaping and the eyebrows of Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and more. From leaving communist Romania with her daughter to becoming Hollywood’s “best kept secret,” she built a global beauty empire by mastering her craft, obsessing over education, and staying ahead of culture.

Chapters

00:00 - Why eyebrows define the face

01:20 - The 80s tweezing mistake that started everything

02:30 - Golden ratio brows (the pencil method)

04:10 - Working at 12 in Romania + learning work ethic

06:10 - Leaving communist Romania + arriving in America

08:35 - Discovering the brow opportunity in 90s Hollywood

10:45 - Quitting with $5,000 to start her own business

12:10 - The early salon years + creating products clients demanded

13:30 - Oprah: the moment that changed everything

19:30 - Nordstrom + the live demo that sold the Brow Studio idea

21:10 - Beginner beauty advice + how to practice products

23:20 - Expanding beyond brows: contour + the kit that sold out fast

28:20 - Biggest makeup mistakes and trends (over-contour, blending, laminated brows)

29:55 - If you only have 5 minutes: the simplest routine

31:10 - Why she refused “pencil-thin” brows (and what doesn’t grow back)

34:50 - Building social early: Instagram, tutorials, and influencer community

38:10 - Working with her daughter (including firing her) + running ABH together

43:45 - Learning finances the hard way + funding growth

45:00 - What’s next: innovation, expansion, and global markets

48:20 - Advice for entrepreneurs: resilience, focus, and starting before you feel ready

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more. Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Alex Cooper: What Nobody Knows About Call Her Daddy and my $100M+ Media Empire

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Phoebe Gates, Alex Cooper) — Thu, 5 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Alex Cooper breaks down the business side nobody sees: how she and her husband Matt built Unwell up from a scrappy startup, how podcasting revenue really works, and what rules she learned the hard way negotiating $60M and $125M deals.

Alex Cooper is the creator and host of Call Her Daddy and the co-founder of Unwell, a modern media company spanning podcasts, TV/film, live events, consumer products, and a fast-growing creative agency.

Chapters

00:00 - Alex on going “full circle” and revealing the CEO side

02:00 - Building Unwell from Host to Founder

02:45 - A day in the life

05:20 - How Unwell makes money

07:15 - The video ad revolution

08:10 - Live events, merch, and consumer products as revenue engines

09:05 - Launching the Unwell creative agency

10:50 - Which division is the “cash king” (and what’s catching up fast)

13:30 - Inside mega-deals: Spotify vs Amazon

16:15 - Why distribution mattered

18:30 - Agents, fees, and who should get paid first (her “wait—no” moment)

21:10 - The hard rule: keep incentives clean (and avoid cozy backchannels)

23:00 - The biggest mistakes: trust, documentation, and walking away from millions

26:20 - Hiring top operators and building a high-standard culture

31:40 - PE, acquisitions, and what it takes to go to the next level

34:25 - Incentives for execs

35:05 - How Alex and Matt split decision-making

39:25 - Handling narratives about ambition, success, and being misunderstood

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https://www.instagram.com/callherdaddy

https://www.instagram.com/unwell

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

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Celebrity Stylist: How To Stand Out, Style Celebrities — 10-min Morning Fashion Upgrade (Rachel Zoe)

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Phoebe Gates, Rachel Zoe) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Rachel Zoe breaks down how to build a standout career in fashion before you feel ready. You’ll also learn her practical frameworks for getting dressed with less stress and more impact...

Rachel Zoe is a celebrity stylist, fashion entrepreneur, and pop-culture icon known for shaping red-carpet style and building a major lifestyle brand. She shares the behind-the-scenes realities of creative work, ambition, and reinvention.

Chapters

00:00 Intro + the pressure of “no margin for error”

00:12 The Tommy Hilfiger break that changed everything

04:12 Huge shoots and learning on the job

05:12 The realities of styling high-profile clients

07:07 Styling for *them*, not for you

10:14 Psychology of styling

13:21 The “uniform” method

15:54 Top fashion essentials for all women

18:24 Dressing for the job you want

20:32 Photographic memory + how Rachel thinks visually

22:43 Breaking into fashion today

26:49 Relationship advice

33:57 Work-life balance

35:07 Why she joined Real Housewives

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

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Multi-Millionaire: You've Been Sold a Lie! Do NOT Lose Your Relationships! (ft. Sahil Bloom)

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Sahil Bloom, Phoebe Gates) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Sahil Bloom had everything society tells you to want: Stanford degree, private equity job, money, status — but he was miserable. Drinking seven nights a week. 40 pounds overweight. Seeing his parents once a year.

In this episode, Sahil breaks down the moment that changed everything: a friend calculating he’d only see his parents 15 more times before they died. Within 45 days, he quit his high-paying job, sold his house, and moved across the country to redesign his life around what actually mattered.

Now the New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Types of Wealth, Sahil shares why money only buys happiness up to a point, how to build real wealth beyond just finances, and why “nobody is thinking about you” might be the most freeing advice for your 20s. We talk about quitting safely, replacing your salary with side hustles, AI as the biggest mispriced opportunity right now, finding a mentor (yes, including Tim Cook), building leverage through content, and how to design a life you won’t regret.

If you’ve ever felt successful on paper but empty in real life, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 The Life That Looked Perfect (But Wasn’t)

02:40 Private Equity, Status & Silent Burnout

05:55 The “15 Times Left” Wake-Up Call

09:30 Quitting a High-Paying Job in 45 Days

13:15 Redefining Wealth Beyond Money

17:05 The 5 Types of Wealth Explained

21:20 Measuring Yourself on the Wrong Scoreboard

25:10 Does Money Actually Buy Happiness?

29:00 Replacing Your Salary Before You Quit

33:10 AI as the Biggest Mispriced Opportunity

37:00 How to Find (and Earn) a Great Mentor

41:10 “Nobody Is Thinking About You” & Designing Your Life

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Design Genius: How to Break into the Fashion Industry with NO Degree or Connections— Rebecca Minkoff

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Rebecca Minkoff, Phoebe Gates) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Rebecca Minkoff built a global fashion brand from a $3.25/hour internship, a scrappy “I ❤️ NY” tee after 9/11, and one breakout bag that women literally stopped her on the street to ask about. With no connections and no safety net, she moved to New York at 18, figured it out in real time, and turned hustle into a multi-million-dollar brand worn by celebrities and carried everywhere.

In this episode, Rebecca walks through the real story behind the “Morning After” bag, what it was like losing 70% of revenue overnight during COVID, and why most founders should think twice before raising venture capital. She shares hard-earned lessons on hiring and firing, betting on yourself, building a brand in the age of social media, and navigating fame through Real Housewives.

If you’ve ever wanted to start something from scratch, pivot when everything falls apart, or build a brand that lasts longer than trends — this episode is your blueprint.

Chapters

00:00 From No Connections to Fashion Icon

00:18 Moving to NYC With $3.25/Hour

01:19 Intern to Founder, Starting Her Own Line

02:00 I ❤️ NY Shirt Breakthrough

03:17 Betting It All on Bags

05:43 Going All In, Quitting Styling for Good

06:11 Networking Like Cash

09:29 Building a Brand in 2025 vs. 2005

10:17 Hiring, Firing & Learning to Let Go

19:52 COVID, 70% Revenue Drop & Rebuilding the Business

31:15 Real Housewives, Brand Impact & Mental Toll

35:04 NFL, Amazon & Building Strategic Partnerships

36:55 What’s Next

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About The Burnouts

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

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Duolingo CEO: How to Make Learning as Addictive as Social Media! Stop Wasting Time!

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Kianni, Phoebe Gates, Luis Von Ahn) — Thu, 5 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Luis Von Ahn details the story behind Duolingo and its famous owl, how to do handle marketing in the TikTok era, hiring young talent, and using addictive habits for good.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro & The Owl

00:02:35 Unhinged Marketing

00:06:09 TikTok Era

00:08:06 Owl As the Face + Approving Risky Posts

00:10:31 Hiring New Grads and “No Assholes”

00:14:29 Making Learning Feel Delightful

00:16:57 Addictive Habit Loops

00:18:38 Expanding Beyond Languages

00:19:26 Guatemala Roots + Free Education Mission

00:23:40 AI

00:31:00 Impact

00:36:58 What's Next for Duolingo?

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About The Burnouts The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How to Make Money... What We Learned from the Most Successful People in the World

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates, Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Phoebe and Sophia detail the best lessons they have learned from the career playbooks of the most successful people in the world, from how to leverage relationships in your career to what makeup to wear. The Burnouts celebrate hitting 200,000 subscribers, and launching Phia, which has already reached one million users and raised a $35 million Series A. Thank you for watching, for subscribing, and for being part of this journey with us.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:50 - Leveraging Relationships in Negotiating

03:12 - Screen for Niceness

05:10 - Office Culture

06:30 - What Makeup to Wear?

10:40 - Routines & Uniforms

12:06 - Future Self

12:46 - Top Goals for 2026

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📲 Support What We’re Building

Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale.

Download the app and help us grow → https://www.phia.com

About The Burnouts

The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers. Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more. Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

The Money Expert: 5 Businesses That Can Make You RICH (Without a 9-to-5!) ft. Codie Sanchez

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Codie Sanchez) — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:40:00 +0000

Codie Sanchez breaks down why chasing fame is a losing game—and why real wealth is often built quietly through “boring” businesses most people overlook. Drawing on her background in institutional finance and small-business acquisitions, Codie explains how she spots unfair opportunities, why she exited industries like cannabis despite strong returns, and which unsexy sectors can consistently generate cash today.

The conversation dives into college versus trade school, the true value of elite networks, and how parental expectations can hold young people back from building the life they actually want. Codie shares practical advice on making more money early in your career—finding your unfair advantage, helping your boss win, stacking skills, and learning to negotiate by understanding how value is really created inside a business.

They also cover sales, mentorship, investing basics, and how to start learning deals without taking reckless risks. Codie closes with a candid take on investing in your health, appearance, and resilience—arguing that winning often comes down to doing hard things early and playing the game as it actually exists, not how we wish it worked.

Chapters

0:00 Rich vs Famous

3:17 Overlooked Businesses & Early Investing

9:42 Why Boring Businesses Win

17:11 College, Trade School & Social Capital

26:08 Parents, Pressure & Choosing Advice

34:19 How to Make More Money Early

42:07 Sales, Skills & Standing Out at Work

50:23 Investing Basics & Learning Deals

57:41 Health, Appearance & Playing to Win

1:03:18 Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up

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$400M Investor Explains the Confidence Gap Holding You Back (ft. 20VC Harry Stebbings)

contact@theburnouts.com (Harry Stebbings, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 8 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000

He started a podcast in his bedroom before most people land their first job.

Now, Harry Stebbings runs one of the most influential platforms in venture capital and manages a $400M fund.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Harry sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to unpack what actually drives success — and why so many smart, ambitious people stay stuck. From dropping out of law school to building leverage through content, Harry shares the lessons he learned the hard way about confidence, decision-making, and playing the long game.

This conversation goes far beyond startups and investing. Harry opens up about the confidence gap holding people back, why men bluff and women wait, and how likeability, storytelling, and persistence often matter more than raw intelligence. He explains how content became one of the most powerful tools in his career, why distribution now shapes opportunity, and how relationships — not resumes — drive the biggest decisions.

Harry also reflects on regret, missed deals, mentorship, and the uncomfortable truth that success often comes from taking action before you feel ready. Whether you’re early in your career, thinking about building something of your own, or just feeling behind, this episode offers a rare, honest look at what actually works.

Chapters
00:00 – The Reality of Entrepreneurship
00:40 – From The Social Network to Dropping Out of Law School
01:55 – Building a Fund Through Media & Network Effects
02:31 – Why Venture Capital Over Being a Founder
03:38 – Co-Founders, Breakups & Hard Personal Lessons
07:18 – What Actually Makes a Great Founder
08:55 – Gender, Confidence & Entrepreneurship
14:23 – Mentorship vs Coaching & How to Get Access
16:40 – Content as a Distribution Weapon
23:29 – Finding Your First True Fans
25:18 – Building & Managing High-Performance Teams
29:22 – Investment Mistakes & Missed Billion-Dollar Deals
31:35 – Vulnerability, Trust & People Skills
36:05 – WhatsApp, Fundraising & Relationship Scaling
37:30 – Trust, Endurance & Outworking Everyone
40:00 – Storytelling, Creativity & the Risk of AI
44:16 – Being a Great Investor When Things Go Wrong
45:02 – Final Advice: Take the First Step

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Harry Stebbings

20VC

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app and help us grow.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How NASCAR Driver Toni Breidinger Went From Delivering Groceries to Modeling for Victoria’s Secret

contact@theburnouts.com (Toni Breidinger, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 1 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000

One day, she was racing Daytona. The next, she was shooting for Victoria’s Secret.

NASCAR driver, model, and trailblazer Toni Breidinger is living two worlds, and paying the price to stay in both.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Toni sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to reveal the brutal, behind-the-scenes reality of motorsports. She opens up about being told she needed $1–2 million just to race, moving across the country at 18 with no funding, and surviving by doing Instacart by day and cold emails by night.

Toni breaks down why talent isn’t enough in NASCAR, how social media literally saved her career, and what it’s like being the only woman racing NASCAR full-time—from unequal pay to brand sponsorship politics. She also shares how she navigates modeling in a male-dominated sport, why she turned down six-figure OnlyFans offers, and how she built a sustainable career when every race depends on sponsorship dollars.

Whether you’re chasing a nontraditional career, building a personal brand, or betting on yourself when the odds feel stacked against you, this episode is packed with raw honesty, hard lessons, and real strategy.

Chapters

00:00 – unequal pay & being the only woman in nascar

03:00 – starting racing at age 9

06:30 – realizing racing costs millions

09:00 – told she needed $1–2 million to compete

11:00 – moving cross-country at 18

13:00 – instacart by day, cold emails by night

16:00 – how social media saved her career

20:00 – brand deals, sponsorships & unequal pay

25:00 – modeling, victoria’s secret & sports illustrated

30:00 – turning down six-figure onlyfans offers

36:00 – funding races & surviving motorsports

48:00 – what’s next: the road to the cup series

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About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How a Homeless Immigrant Invented the Tube Top and Built a Billion-Dollar Fashion Empire

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000

He arrived in New York with $100, slept in parks, showered at the YMCA — and went on to invent the tube top, dress Studio 54, and build a billion-dollar fashion empire.

In this episode of The Burnouts, fashion icon Elie Tahari joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni alongside his son and CEO Jeremey Tahari for a rare, multi-generational conversation about survival, ambition, taste, and legacy.

Elie walks through his unbelievable journey: immigrating to New York alone, working as an electrician by day and selling clothes by night, sneaking into a fashion show through a back door, and accidentally creating one of the most iconic garments of the 1970s. From disco dresses to power suits, he explains how watching women on New York streets — not runways — taught him how to anticipate what they’d want next.

Jeremey opens up about growing up inside the business, stepping out of his father’s shadow, and eventually taking over as CEO — while expanding the company into real estate, licensing, and global scale. Together, they unpack what it really looks like to work with family, disagree on taste, hand over control, and build something meant to last 50+ years.

This episode is about the American dream in its rawest form — luck, hustle, intuition, ego checks, and building success with heart. If you’re building from scratch, navigating family dynamics at work, or trying to define success on your own terms, this one’s required listening.

Chapters

00:00 – Arriving in NYC with $100
01:00 – Sleeping in parks & finding community
03:00 – From electrician to fashion hustle
04:30 – Inventing the tube top
06:30 – Sneaking into a fashion show & landing 250K orders
08:30 – Studio 54, disco & early fashion moments
11:00 – Dressing women entering the workforce
13:00 – Building a fashion empire
15:00 – Real estate, licensing & vertical integration
17:00 – Father–son dynamics in business
19:30 – Taking over as CEO
22:00 – Disagreeing on taste & generational shifts
25:00 – Persian culture, fashion & femininity
27:30 – Leadership, hiring & humility
30:00 – Legacy, luck & advice for the burnouts

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Jeremey Tahari
Tahari Group

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts — they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Try it now → https://www.phia.com

About The Burnouts

The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond headlines to explore the real stories, breakdowns, and breakthroughs that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Tommy Hilfiger, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other entrepreneurs redefining our generation.

🔔 Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How a Pregnant Mom Built $2 Billion Soda Brand Poppi From Her Kitchen (ft. Allison Ellsworth)

contact@theburnouts.com (Allison Ellsworth, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Allison Ellsworth went from oil & gas spreadsheets to building Poppi, the prebiotic soda that broke the internet, rewrote the rules on “healthy soda,” and sold to PepsiCo in a multibillion-dollar deal.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Allison joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share how a DIY apple-cider-vinegar tonic from her Texas kitchen turned into the soda of the next generation. She walks through the whole arc: farmers’ markets, Whole Foods, Shark Tank while nine months pregnant, a risky rebrand, and the TikTok storytime that quietly did $100K on Amazon overnight.

Allison also gets brutally honest about working with her husband, hiring too slowly while growth rockets, and what happens to your identity when you suddenly have both a Super Bowl ad and an exit. She shares the unglamorous side of lawsuits, burnout, mom guilt, and figuring out “what’s next” when you technically never have to work again.

If you’re building a consumer brand, obsessing over content, or just trying to stay ambitious without completely frying your nervous system, this episode is a masterclass in playing the long game — and still having fun.

Chapters
00:00 – From Texas kid to unexpected founder
02:00 – ACV shots, health issues & the Poppi spark
04:30 – Farmers’ market hustle → Whole Foods breakthrough
06:30 – Shark Tank at 9 months pregnant
08:30 – The risky rebrand: Mother Beverage → Poppi
11:00 – Launching Poppi during COVID
13:00 – TikTok virality & selling out overnight
16:00 – Creator-first marketing & celebrity fans
19:00 – Flavor wins, flavor fails & building a real soda
22:00 – Working with your husband (and being wrong sometimes)
24:30 – Sugar, lawsuits & building in CPG
27:00 – Inside the PepsiCo acquisition
30:00 – Life after the exit & what’s next for Allison

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Allison Ellsworth
Poppi

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts — they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download now and join the community of 800,000+ smarter shoppers.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond headlines to explore the real stories, breakdowns, and breakthroughs that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Tommy Hilfiger, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other entrepreneurs redefining our generation.

🔔 Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Meet the Cult Gaia Founder Who Turned Rejection Into a $50 MILLION Brand

contact@theburnouts.com (Jasmin Larian Hekmat, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 4 Dec 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Founder and creative force Jasmin Larian Hekmat reveals the untold story of how she turned a scrappy side hobby into Cult Gaia, one of the most recognizable fashion brands of the last decade.

Before the Ark Bag exploded across Instagram, Jasmin was wiring flower crowns at her kitchen table, hauling a flower cart to festivals, and giving away bags no one would buy. In this episode of The Burnouts, she tells Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni how a single product quietly snowballed into a global sensation and reshaped her entire career.

Jasmin breaks down the five years before Cult Gaia “hit,” the moment the Ark Bag went from ignored to iconic, and the relentless creativity that keeps her one step ahead of imitators. She shares how she built a multimillion-dollar business without raising a cent of venture capital, how she protects the brand’s fiercely artful DNA, and why her designs are meant to stop someone in their tracks.

From vase purses to playable backgammon clutches to fragrance bottles that feel like sculpture, Jasmin explains how she turns wild ideas into objects people obsess over. She also opens up about motherhood, running a 100 person team, trusting her gut when everyone says no, and staying original in an industry that copies everything.

If you are building a fashion brand, dreaming up your first product, or trying to stand out in a crowded industry, this conversation will change the way you think about creativity, community, and staying power.

Chapters
00:00 The Hobby That Accidentally Started Cult Gaia
02:00 The $38 Bag No One Wanted
04:00 The Viral Moment That Changed Everything
06:00 How She Built a Brand With Zero Investors
08:00 Surviving Copycats and Staying Original
10:00 Building a Team While Raising Three Kids
12:00 The Pressure Behind a “Perfect” Brand
14:00 Designing Pieces People Can’t Ignore
16:00 What Founders Get Wrong About Success
18:00 Lightning Round: Style, Risks, and Reinvention

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About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond headlines to explore the real stories, breakdowns, and breakthroughs that define your twenties.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and Tommy Hilfiger.

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Meet the Oxford Student Who Built Three Multimillion-Dollar Brands by 25 (ft. Grace Beverley)

contact@theburnouts.com (Grace Beverley, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Founder and author Grace Beverley built a multimillion-dollar portfolio of brands—TALA, Shreddy, and The Productivity Method—before turning 25.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Grace joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share how she went from posting anonymous fitness content at Oxford to leading some of the UK’s fastest-growing female-founded companies. She breaks down the pressure of being a young woman in power and the bias female founders still face.

Grace opens up about juggling multiple businesses, navigating personal grief, and the hidden cost of public success. She also speaks candidly about relationships, ambition, and the standards women are expected to meet.

Whether you’re building a brand, raising capital, or figuring out how to stay ambitious without burning out, this conversation offers an unfiltered look at what it really takes for young women to succeed.

Chapters
00:00 – From anonymous fitness posts to Oxford
02:15 – The £1 ebooks that changed her life
05:20 – Building her first multimillion-dollar business
08:10 – Why women must stop chasing “shiny” projects
11:00 – The truth about scaling TALA & Shreddy
14:30 – Fundraising bias & the questions women still get asked
18:00 – Miscarriage, grief & running a company
21:15 – The impossible standards for female founders
24:00 – Relationships that dim ambition
27:00 – Why social media punishes successful women
30:00 – Building Retrograde & the creator economy
33:00 – How Grace makes decisions fast
36:00 – What she wishes every young woman knew about power

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Grace Beverley

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts — they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app and try it yourself.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Tommy Hilfiger, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other entrepreneurs redefining our generation.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How Steve Madden Went From College Dropout to Billion Dollar Fashion Mogul With Only $1,100

contact@theburnouts.com (Steve Madden, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode of The Burnouts, Steve sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share the true story of how he went from a college dropout selling shoes in Queens to building one of the most influential footwear companies in the world. He talks about the early instincts that set him apart, the moment he knew he had something special, and the creative philosophy that has kept his brand relevant for more than three decades.

Steve also opens up about the twists and turns of his journey — including learning hard lessons during the Wolf of Wall Street years and stepping away from the company before returning more focused and energized than ever. He reflects on the loyalty of his team, the power of staying close to the customer, and why speed, instinct, and obsession with product remain his North Star.

Plus: the story behind his first viral shoe, his unfiltered take on dupe culture, the trends he loves (and hates), how Gen Z made him go viral again, and the fashion advice he wishes everyone knew earlier.

Whether you’re building a brand, navigating a major life pivot, or chasing a creative vision, this conversation is a masterclass in staying true to your instincts, evolving with culture, and building something that lasts.

Chapters
00:00 – Growing up in Queens and falling in love with shoes
01:45 – Dropping out of college and learning retail
03:20 – Starting Steve Madden with $1,100
06:00 – Product instinct, speed to market, and early hits
08:45 – Becoming a “pirate” in fashion
11:00 – The Wolf of Wall Street years and the IPO
14:00 – Prison, addiction, and rebuilding his life
16:30 – Reinventing the Steve Madden brand
18:00 – Dupe culture, controversy, and staying relevant
20:00 – What he hates (and loves) in fashion today
22:00 – Designing shoes women actually want
23:30 – AI, TikTok, and the future of trend cycles
26:00 – Lessons from failure and advice for young founders

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Steve Madden

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Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts — they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download Phia for free in the App Store.

How a Stay-at-Home Mom Built the $255 Million Drybar Empire (ft. Alli Webb)

contact@theburnouts.com (Alli Webb, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Founder, author, and beauty trailblazer Alli Webb built Drybar from a simple blowout idea into a $255M beauty empire that transformed the industry.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Alli sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share how she went from doing hair in her living room to leading one of the most recognizable service brands in the country. She talks about the explosive rise of Drybar, selling the company for hundreds of millions, and the personal challenges that followed at the height of her success.

Alli opens up about losing her sense of identity after the sale, navigating grief and motherhood, and rebuilding her life through her new brand, Messy. She reflects on what the beauty world gets wrong, the lessons she learned as a female founder, and the real cost of fast growth.

Whether you are building a brand, growing a service business, or figuring out the next chapter after burnout, this conversation is a powerful look at resilience, reinvention, and finding purpose again.

Chapters
00:00 – From stay-at-home mom to mobile blowouts
02:30 – The idea that sparked Drybar
05:00 – Opening the first Brentwood studio
07:00 – When Drybar went viral overnight
10:00 – Raising capital & navigating hypergrowth
13:00 – The truth about selling a company
15:30 – Alli’s personal life falls apart
18:00 – Losing her identity after the exit
21:00 – Rebuilding from scratch & finding purpose
23:00 – Launching her new brand, Messy
26:00 – Advice for founders rebuilding their lives
29:00 – What Alli wishes every woman knew about success

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Sophia Kianni
Alli Webb

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts — they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Try it now for free in the App Store.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Tommy Hilfiger, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss and other entrepreneurs redefining our generation.

Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Founder of Sporty & Rich: How To Build A $50 Million Empire At 26 (Emily Oberg)

contact@theburnouts.com (Emily Oberg, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 6 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Founder, creative director, and cultural icon Emily Oberg has built one of the most recognizable lifestyle brands of our generation: Sporty & Rich.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Emily Oberg sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to unpack her journey from Complex producer to fashion entrepreneur, building a multimillion-dollar business rooted in wellness, design, and timeless style, without ever taking a dollar of outside funding.

Emily opens up about turning a Tumblr moodboard into a global brand, growing from $5K in savings to $40M in annual revenue, and the realities of running a company after a public breakup with her business partner. She shares what it’s really like to scale quickly, navigate burnout, and stay creatively fulfilled while leading a 40-person team.

Plus: how she built Sporty & Rich without investors, why preorders fueled her early success, what she’s learned about leadership (and ego), and the importance of building a world. (not just a brand).

Whether you’re dreaming of launching your own label, staying independent as a founder, or defining success on your own terms, this conversation is a masterclass in creative control, discipline, and staying true to your vision.

Chapters
00:00 – From retail in Canada to Complex Media
02:00 – Leaving corporate life to build her own path
03:00 – The Tumblr that became Sporty & Rich
06:00 – Bootstrapping a brand: preorders, savings & hustle
07:00 – Meeting her business partner and early growth
12:00 – Going from $100K to $30M in sales
14:00 – Covid and the sweatsuit boom
15:00 – Scaling challenges and factory chaos
17:00 – Knowing your strengths & hiring smart
18:00 – Opening the first Sporty & Rich store
19:00 – Expanding into wellness with Central Sport
22:00 – Lessons from mistakes & customer mishaps
23:00 – Facing scrutiny as a female founder
27:00 – Emily’s leadership philosophy & advice for women
29:00 – Sporty & Rich today: $40M in sales, still 100% owned

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Emily Oberg

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download Phia for free in the App Store.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

From Homeless Teen To Millionaire Founder: Simon Squibb Reveals How To Change Your Life Fast

contact@theburnouts.com (Simon Squibb, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

From homeless teen to multi-millionaire entrepreneur, investor, and mentor to millions, Simon Squibb has lived one of the most extraordinary entrepreneurial journeys of our time.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Simon Squibb sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to unpack how losing his father at 15 and spending weeks homeless reshaped his view on success, purpose, and money. He opens up about sleeping on the streets, starting his first business out of survival, and building a creative empire that led to financial freedom, and a mission to help 10 million people start businesses through his “Give Without Take” movement.

Simon reveals the mindset shifts that turned trauma into drive, why he believes happiness is a trap, and the three sales principles that made him a millionaire. He also shares what most entrepreneurs get wrong about mentorship, why purpose matters more than profit, and how “bad luck” can be your greatest advantage.

Whether you’re just starting out, stuck in a 9-to-5, or dreaming of building something that actually matters, this conversation is packed with raw honesty, purpose-driven wisdom, and actionable lessons from one of the internet’s most followed business voices.

Chapters

00:00 – From homeless teen to entrepreneur
03:00 – Losing his father at 15 and becoming homeless
06:00 – The first business that changed everything
10:00 – Learning to sell (and why school failed him)
15:00 – The truth about happiness and purpose
19:00 – How Hong Kong taught him work-life integration
25:00 – Building and losing companies (and learning from failure)
30:00 – Mentorship myths & why advisors matter more
35:00 – The 3 sales principles that made him a millionaire
40:00 – Why purpose > happiness
44:00 – The one question everyone in their 20s should ask

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Simon Squibb

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community

About the Burnouts

The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Kris Jenner, Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining what success looks like.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Bryan Johnson: “The Biggest Lie In Hustle Culture” - How Phones Are Quietly Aging You!

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Bryan Johnson) — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the episode that might change your life (or at least your bedtime routine).

Bryan Johnson made bank building Braintree Venmo. Then he walked away from it all to spend $2M a year turning his body into a science experiment. Now? He says he’s the healthiest human alive, and he’s got the organ scans to prove it.

Hosts Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni get deep with Bryan about biohacking, founder burnout, the dirty truth about our food system, and why optimizing your sleep might be the most rebellious thing you can do as an entrepreneur.

This convo gets real: blood transfusions, lonely sleep routines, and "sugar face" real.

Timestamps

00:00 Can we be the first generation that doesn’t die?
04:12 Selling Braintree Venmo + redefining success
08:05 Spending $2M/year on health
10:52 The #1 fix for burnout (it’s free)
14:30 Bryan’s exact food + supplement routine
17:15 Should founders ever sacrifice sleep?
22:00 The science behind alcohol, caffeine, and your trash sleep
26:40 Sleeping alone, no phones, and other hot takes
30:45 Sunlight, seed oils & the truth about sugar face
34:20 How to stay healthy without becoming obsessive

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Sophia Kianni
Bryan Johnson

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community from the ground up → https://www.phia.com

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How Sophia Amoruso Turned a Side Hustle Into a $350M Brand (Nasty Gal)

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Amoruso, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Sophia Amoruso built a $350M fashion empire from her bedroom—and lost it all before rebuilding her life from the ground up.

In this episode of The Burnouts, the original “Girlboss” and founder of Nasty Gal joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for her most unfiltered conversation yet. From selling thrifted clothes on eBay to becoming a CEO on magazine covers, Sophia reveals how she built a cult brand that defined a generation—and what really happened when everything came crashing down.

She opens up about walking away from a company she founded, navigating bankruptcy, and learning to lead with empathy instead of ego. Sophia also shares the untold lessons behind Girlboss, why she believes failure is her greatest teacher, and how she’s redefining success through her new venture fund, Trust Fund.

Whether you’re building your first business, chasing creative independence, or trying to rebuild after a setback, this conversation is a raw, honest masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and freedom.

Chapters
00:00 – From eBay seller to $100M brand
05:00 – Building Nasty Gal and first hires
10:00 – Leaving eBay and going solo
13:00 – Going viral before social media
18:00 – Raising venture capital too soon
24:00 – The downfall and lessons learned
30:00 – How Girlboss was born
35:00 – Starting over with Trust Fund
40:00 – Life in London & redefining success
46:00 – The truth about ambition and burnout

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Sophia Amoruso

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app that helps shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Try it out and join the movement.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s most iconic founders, creators, and entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindset shifts that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and Tommy Hilfiger.

🛎️ Subscribe for more unfiltered stories on success, failure, and everything in between.

Meet The Psychology Major Who Became The Highest Paid Female On YouTube (Lilly Singh)

contact@theburnouts.com (Lilly Singh, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 9 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Comedian, creator, actress, author, and activist Lilly Singh has built a career on breaking barriers and rewriting the rules.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Lilly Singh sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share her journey: from growing up as the “disappointing” second daughter in an immigrant household, to becoming YouTube’s breakout superstar with 15M+ subscribers, to launching a late-night show and producing her own films.

She opens up about the chip on her shoulder that fueled her rise, how gender equity shapes everything she does, and why she believes storytelling—not just politics or protests—is the most powerful tool for change. Plus: her new raunchy sex comedy Doing It (why Hollywood called it “too niche”), what she learned about money, gratitude, and negotiating as a woman, and how she built Hyphenate to support South Asian creators.

Lilly also gets real about therapy, unlearning likability, the pressure of “relevancy” on the internet, and why connection—not algorithms—is the only metric that really matters.

Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a creator, breaking into Hollywood, or building a career that actually aligns with your values, this conversation is packed with lessons, raw honesty, and plenty of laughs.

Chapters
00:00 – Growing up in Toronto & immigrant expectations
02:00 – The chip on her shoulder: proving girls can do anything
04:00 – Why storytelling is activism
05:00 – Doing It: sex comedy as cultural intervention
08:00 – Lessons from early YouTube days & feeding the algorithm
10:00 – Losing (and regaining) authenticity & connection
12:00 – Hollywood, “noise,” and drawing boundaries
14:00 – Building her first team & hiring smarter people
18:00 – Hyphenate: supporting South Asian creators
20:00 – Diversifying income & passive revenue
23:00 – Passion projects vs. profit projects
28:00 – Negotiating money & the weaponization of gratitude
31:00 – Unlearning likability & embracing being “unpopular”
34:00 – Hollywood vs. YouTube: who really knows the audience
36:00 – Defining success when relevancy is weaponized
38:00 – Boundaries, therapy, and not being “what you do”
42:00 – Why being a lifelong student is the smartest move
43:00 – Tattoos, spirituality & protection

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Lilly Singh

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and Tommy Hilfiger.

🛎️ Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Rainn Wilson Reveals Why Playing Dwight on The Office Didn’t Make Him Happy

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Rainn Wilson) — Thu, 2 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Rainn Wilson is best known as Dwight Schrute from The Office, one of the most iconic characters in TV history. But behind the legendary role, he faced burnout, fame overload, and the realization that success alone would never make him happy.

On The Burnouts Podcast, Rainn Wilson joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for an unfiltered interview about life after The Office. He opens up about chasing bigger movies, more money, and more fame in Hollywood, why it left him unfulfilled, and how he reinvented himself through spirituality, mental health practices, and his bestselling book Soul Boom.

This Rainn Wilson interview is filled with behind-the-scenes stories from The Office, hilarious unscripted Dwight Schrute moments, the lessons he learned from sudden wealth and celebrity, and why finding purpose matters more than success.

Whether you are a longtime fan of The Office, curious about Rainn Wilson’s career beyond Dwight Schrute, or searching for meaning in a burnout culture, this conversation is raw, funny, and packed with insights you will not forget.

Chapters
00:00 – Dwight Schrute & the paradox of fame
04:00 – Why The Office didn’t make Rainn Wilson happy
09:00 – Burnout, ego, and chasing “more” in Hollywood
12:00 – Reinventing life through spirituality
18:00 – From SoulPancake to Soul Boom
24:00 – The mental health crisis & phones
30:00 – Behind the scenes of The Office (Dwight improv moments)
37:00 – Money, fame, and family lessons
44:00 – Advice Rainn Wilson wishes he knew in his 20s
50:00 – The future of storytelling and purpose

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Rainn Wilson

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Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a VC-backed fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and leave us your feedback.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other icons redefining culture today.

Subscribe for more interviews with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs shaping our generation.

How Bobbi Brown Went From Vogue Makeup Artist to Building a $160M Brand at 63

contact@theburnouts.com (Bobbi Brown, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Makeup artist, mogul, author, hotelier—Bobbi Brown has built more than one empire (and reinvented herself along the way).

In this episode of The Burnouts, Bobbi sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to talk about what it really takes to build an iconic brand, sell it for millions, and then start all over again. From mixing her first lipstick with a chemist and cold-calling agencies out of the Yellow Pages, to selling Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Estée Lauder and later launching Jones Road Beauty, Bobbi shares the unfiltered version of how she built—and rebuilt—her career on her own terms.

She opens up about confidence, burnout, and building businesses with her husband and family. Plus: the 25-year non-compete that changed everything, why “retirement” is not in her vocabulary, how she clapped back at viral TikTok criticism (and won), and the simple beauty rules she swears by for every generation.

Also: how she accidentally went from makeup artist to hotel owner, why she still cold-DMs influencers, and her #1 piece of advice for young women chasing their dream career.

🔍 CHAPTERS

00:00 – Starting Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
06:30 – Reinventing beauty around natural looks
09:20 – Vogue covers, Naomi Campbell, and early breaks
12:00 – Building a billion-dollar brand with Estée Lauder
20:00 – Family, partnership, and working with her husband
27:20 – Selling for $74M and the 25-year non-compete
30:00 – Going viral with Jones Road Beauty on TikTok
34:30 – Personal brand, social media, and DMs that changed everything
40:00 – Jones Road’s growth and what’s next
46:00 – Advice for entrepreneurs (luck vs. hard work)
51:00 – Hiring, culture, and leading a scrappy team
57:00 – Self-care, health, and why she’ll never retire

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📲 Download the Phia app.

Subscribe to The Burnouts for exclusive conversations with today’s top founders and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, this isn’t just another founder podcast—it’s untold conversations and the unfiltered reality of what it takes to build your dream career in your 20s. Guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries defining the brands—and blueprints—of our time. Whether you’re dreaming big or building now, these are the conversations that will show you how it’s done (and what no one else tells you).

🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career

How Tommy Hilfiger Manifested a $9 Billion Fashion Empire After Going Bankrupt!

contact@theburnouts.com (Tommy Hilfiger, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Fashion legend, entrepreneur, and cultural icon—Tommy Hilfiger has spent over four decades shaping global style, from bell-bottom jeans in upstate New York to a fashion empire sold in more than 100 countries.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Tommy Hilfiger sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share his incredible journey: growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, opening his first jean shop at 18, going bankrupt in his twenties, and betting everything on a disruptive billboard campaign that put his name alongside Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.

He opens up about the viral Snoop Dogg SNL moment that made Hilfiger logos a worldwide phenomenon, reinventing his brand when it began to plateau, and building one of America’s most successful lifestyle companies through bold collaborations with Beyoncé, Aaliyah, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, and Lewis Hamilton. Plus: the challenges of balancing creativity with business, why manifestation has guided him from the start, and how AI is set to transform the future of fashion.

Tommy also gets real about resilience, reinvention, and family—sharing the lessons he learned from bankruptcy, the importance of finding smart business partners, and his journey raising children with autism while scaling a global brand.

Whether you’re dreaming of launching a fashion label, building a lifestyle brand, or simply learning from one of the most iconic designers of our time, this conversation is packed with lessons, raw honesty, and timeless inspiration.

Chapters

00:00 – From dyslexia to dreaming big
02:00 – Opening People’s Place at 18
04:00 – The “4 Great Designers” billboard controversy
06:00 – Bloomingdale’s rejection & Snoop Dogg’s viral rugby shirt
08:00 – Bankruptcy, resilience, and rebuilding in NYC
10:00 – Reinventing the brand with European influence
12:00 – Why young creatives need business partners
16:00 – Fragrance licensing and going public
19:00 – Global expansion & international success
21:00 – Dressing musicians, Beyoncé, Aaliyah & early influencer marketing
24:00 – Collaborations with Gigi Hadid, Zendaya & Lewis Hamilton
28:00 – Fashion + AI and the future of creativity
30:00 – Manifestation, resilience & creative process
34:00 – Family, autism advocacy, and staying grounded

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Tommy Hilfiger

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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community from the ground up.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

How a Teen Model Left Sweden & Built a $100M Fashion Empire From Her Garage (ft. Anine Bing)

contact@theburnouts.com (Anine Bing, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Danish-born model, blogger, and entrepreneur Anine Bing went from selling her secondhand clothes online to building one of the fastest-growing contemporary fashion houses in the world. With 40+ retail stores, a global online presence, and a signature rock-and-roll yet timeless aesthetic, Anine has redefined what it means to be a creative founder in fashion.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Anine Bing sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for an intimate, unfiltered conversation about her entrepreneurial rise — from moving to Milan at 14 to model, blogging before Instagram was a thing, and launching her brand out of a Los Angeles garage while raising two kids.

She opens up about the early hustle of packing orders by hand, finding confidence amid constant naysayers, and building a brand that puts authenticity and creativity above quick money. Anine shares stories of her viral fashion moments (like Kendall Jenner’s Coachella bralette), bringing Kate Moss into her campaigns, navigating burnout, and raising venture capital while staying true to her vision.

Plus: how she blends fashion with music (including her upcoming album Chapter Two), her creative process behind collections, the power of founder-led marketing, and why her ultimate mission is to empower women through timeless design and self-belief.

Whether you’re a fashion lover, aspiring founder, or just seeking the motivation to follow your gut and block out the noise, this episode is packed with lessons on resilience, creativity, and building a brand that lasts.

👜 SHOP ANINE BING'S FALL COLLECTION

Chapters
00:00 – Anine Bing joins The Burnouts
01:00 – Leaving Sweden at 14 to model in Milan
03:00 – From blogging to selling her secondhand clothes online
07:00 – Starting a fashion brand out of a garage while raising kids
09:00 – “Fuck the rest”: dealing with naysayers and self-doubt
11:00 – The creative process: mood boards, playlists, and designing the Anine Bing woman
13:00 – Why retail presence still matters in the digital age
15:00 – Raising kids while building a global brand
18:00 – Burnout, balance, and finding self-care as a founder
22:00 – From Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to Kendall Jenner: viral celebrity fashion moments
24:00 – Founder-led marketing vs. personal branding
26:00 – Music as therapy and the making of Chapter Two
29:00 – Taking VC funding and scaling globally
32:00 – Iconic pieces: denim, blazers, boots, and beyond
35:00 – Mistakes, resilience, and why you can’t give up

🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS
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LinkedIn

📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping you find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Gary Vee: Why You’ll NEVER Be An Influencer (But You Can Still Get RICH!)

contact@theburnouts.com (Gary Vaynerchuk, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 4 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

He got booed for saying “f*** Steve Jobs.” He built a media empire out of his dad’s liquor store. And now, Gary Vaynerchuk—better known as Gary Vee—is the brutally honest voice redefining what success really means.

In this episode of The Burnouts, entrepreneur and bestselling author Gary Vee joins hosts Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for a raw, unfiltered conversation about money, ambition, and why patience—not hustle—is the ultimate flex.

Gary opens up about how growing up as an immigrant kid shaped his obsession with work, why he thinks making $100K can be “making it,” and why kindness beats IQ when it comes to leadership. Together, they unpack why Silicon Valley glorifies the wrong heroes, why social media isn’t dying anytime soon, and why most young founders are chasing clout instead of building real businesses.

He also shares the hidden strength behind VaynerMedia—the Chief Heart Officer who keeps the company together—the “convenience always wins” rule shaping the future of AI and shopping, and the exact moment he realized millions wouldn’t make him happier.

This isn’t motivational fluff—it’s a masterclass in long-term thinking from someone who’s seen it all. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re on the right path, Gary Vee will change the way you measure success.

Chapters
00:00 – Who is Gary Vee?
06:10 – Why most influencers will fail (and the rise of live shopping)
08:10 – The key to a successful business: eliminating friction
10:05 – Why Gary Vee said “F*** Steve Jobs”: EQ over IQ in leadership
14:44 – The best marketing strategy for the AI consumer era
21:38 – Why chasing clout isn’t worth it
24:10 – The simple ask that drives real business growth
30:44 – Gary’s advice for building your dream career

🔗 FOLLOW GARY VEE
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📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping you find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

❤️‍🔥 Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Pop Star Ava Max on the Real Story Behind “Sweet But Psycho” and Why She Left The Spotlight

contact@theburnouts.com (Ava Max, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Global pop icon Ava Max went from a first-generation immigrant household to topping charts in over 20 countries with hits like “Sweet but Psycho,” “Kings & Queens,” and “Maybe You’re the Problem.” With over 70 billion streams and a signature fearless style, Ava is rewriting what it means to own your power in the music industry.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Ava Max joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for a raw, unfiltered conversation about her rise to stardom — from moving to LA at 14, surviving predatory industry environments, and nearly quitting music, to finding her voice, building her sound, and creating a global pop phenomenon.

She opens up about the grind behind her success, the trauma and resilience that shaped her, and the inspiration behind her new album, “Don’t Click Play." Ava shares stories of losing her voice at the peak of her breakout hit, navigating fame while staying grounded, and why protecting her energy has become her top priority. Plus: what it really takes to build a lasting career in pop, the pressures of being “always on,” and her vision for a future stadium tour.

Whether you’re an aspiring artist, a longtime fan, or just looking for motivation to keep going when life knocks you down, this episode is filled with lessons on persistence, self-belief, and embracing your unique voice.

🎶 STREAM AVA'S ALBUM "DON'T CLICK PLAY"

Chapters
00:00 – The moment Ava Max walked into our studio…
01:00 – From Virginia to LA: the bold move that changed everything
04:00 – The brutal reality of chasing a dream at 14
07:00 – Five years of rejection… and the one “yes” that changed her life
09:00 – “My vocal cords exploded” — what really happened at the height of her first hit
11:00 – The night the Max Cut was born (and why it changed her career)
13:00 – Finding her sound: the secret to songs that empower millions
16:00 – What going viral really feels like (and why it’s not always what you think)
19:00 – Behind the curtain: the exhausting truth about touring
22:00 – The business of pop: labels, teams, and staying in control
24:00 – Why she disappeared from social media (and how she’s coming back stronger)
26:00 – Stadium tour dreams and a secret creative project you haven’t heard about
28:00 – How Ava Max turns doubt into fuel
30:00 – “Don’t Click Play”: the album that almost never happened

🔗 FOLLOW AVA MAX
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Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Meet the Pre-Med Nerd Who Modeled for Sports Illustrated and Became a $6M Forbes Creator (@haleyybaylee)

contact@theburnouts.com (Haley Kalil, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Model, creator, comedian, and Forbes Top Creator—Haley Kalil has lived a thousand lives (from science labs to Sports Illustrated covers to viral comedy).

In this episode of The Burnouts, Haley Kalil sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share her rollercoaster journey: trading biomedical science for beauty pageants, paying her way through college, breaking into modeling without an agent, and then going viral overnight to build a multi-million-dollar creator career.

She opens up about navigating divorce, escaping an abusive relationship, reinventing herself through comedy, and betting everything on content creation. Plus: how she made her first $50k/month off YouTube shorts, why brand deals aren’t always the answer, and the financial realities (and taxes) of being a top digital creator.

Haley also gets real about the stigma of divorce, the pressure successful women face while dating, her viral “Billionaire Boyfriend” series, and what it really takes to stay authentic while scaling a $6M+ creator business.

Whether you’re dreaming of a career in content, modeling, or building your own creator-led brand, this conversation is packed with lessons, raw honesty, and plenty of laughs.

Chapters
00:00 – From biomedical science to beauty pageants
04:30 – Winning Miss Minnesota & paying for college with scholarships
06:00 – Sports Illustrated open casting call via Instagram
10:00 – Early modeling days & mental resilience
12:00 – Viral apartment tour → pivot to content creation
15:00 – Betting everything on YouTube & posting 5x a day
19:00 – Hitting $50k/month in ad revenue
22:00 – The viral “Billionaire Boyfriend” series
24:00 – Divorce stigma, healing, and rebuilding
29:00 – Going from red carpets to Oscars & Met Gala
33:00 – Social media backlash & accountability
37:00 – Advice for creators on finding your voice
41:00 – Monetization: ad revenue vs. brand deals
46:00 – Staying authentic in partnerships
48:00 – The true costs of creator life (taxes, management fees)
50:00 – What’s next for Haley

🔗 FOLLOW US
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Sophia Kianni
Haley Kalil

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LinkedIn

📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community from the ground up.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real blueprint for building power in your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.

Meet the Disney Child Star Who Exposed Hollywood and Took Back Their Power (ft. Alyson Stoner)

contact@theburnouts.com (Alyson Stoner, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

From Disney Channel star to outspoken mental health advocate, Alyson Stoner has lived a life in the spotlight—and paid the price.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Alyson joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to open up about the truth behind child stardom, the eating disorder that forced them to step away from Hollywood, and the box of documents that changed everything they thought they knew about their childhood.

They share what it was really like growing up famous, the toxic systems that exploit young talent, and the powerful tools they use today to protect their mental health. Plus: how they’re redefining success, finding purpose beyond fame, and why they named their memoir Semi Well-Adjusted.

📖 Alyson’s memoir Semi Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything is out now.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Growing up on Disney Channel & Missy Elliott
02:15 – The moment Alyson stepped away from Hollywood
05:00 – The “toddler to train wreck” pipeline of child performers
06:45 – Losing childhood in the age of social media
08:00 – Playing firsts on camera without living them in real life
09:20 – How toxic Hollywood work environments really are
10:45 – Why “exposure” doesn’t pay the bills
12:00 – The hidden costs of going viral
13:40 – Tools Alyson uses to shake off stress
16:00 – Mind-body practices for anxiety & burnout
18:30 – Why different states of mind need different mindfulness tools
20:00 – Stillness vs. somatic tools for busy minds
22:00 – Reading their Camp Rock diary years later
24:00 – Why now was the time to write Semi Well-Adjusted
25:10 – The box of documents that changed their life story
27:00 – What “Semi Well-Adjusted” really means
28:15 – Choosing causes and building advocacy work
30:00 – Purpose as a constellation, not a North Star
32:00 – Advice for navigating anxiety and depression
34:45 – How to process rejection without losing yourself
37:00 – Focusing on what you can control

🔗 FOLLOW US
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Sophia Kianni
Alyson Stoner

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💙 Support What We’re Building
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❤️‍🔥 Get a Free 90 Day Trial of Movement Genius:

1. Go to Movement Genius

2. Choose Monthly Membership

3. Use code THEBURNOUTS

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How a Broke Bartender Turned $50 Into a Multi-Million Dollar Brand—The Skinny Confidential

contact@theburnouts.com (Lauryn Bosstick, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 7 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Beauty founder, podcast queen, brand builder—Lauryn Bosstick turned a $50 blog into The Skinny Confidential empire.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Lauryn joins Phoebe and Sophia in Austin, TX to talk about building a cult brand from scratch. From sleeping in her car during sorority rush to creating one of the world’s most downloaded podcasts, Lauryn shares how she built her brand brick by brick—with no investors, no shortcuts, and no selling out.

She gets real about early burnout, building slowly with intention, and why executing (not overthinking) is the secret to everything. Plus: what makes someone a great podcast guest, how she evaluates brand deals, and the hilarious parenting trick she swears by (cookie water, anyone?)

Also: foot spas, Think Week, and how not having an iPhone gave Phoebe character.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 – From sorority dropout to brand founder
02:30 – Why she launched The Skinny Confidential
05:00 – Blogging 7 days a week for 3 years (with $0)
10:10 – Turning down money (and why she’s proud of it)
12:30 – Lauryn’s funnel: how she vets guests + brand deals
16:10 – The advice she gives every 20-something brand builder
17:00 – The one hire every founder should make first
20:45 – Think Week, foot spas, and strategic solitude
27:00 – How she uses branding tricks to parent toddlers
30:00 – Personal vs public: what Lauryn won’t post online
35:00 – Resourcefulness over resumes in the age of AI
38:00 – The biggest mistake most creatives make

🔗 FOLLOW US
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Why You’ll Never Get Rich From a Paycheck (Ft. $1B Fund Manager)

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Morgan Housel) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

He’s redefined how millions think about money. But what Morgan Housel says about paychecks, wealth, and regret will completely flip your idea of what it means to be “rich.”

In part 2 of The Burnouts interview, Morgan Housel joins Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates for a conversation that unpacks the biggest money myths we’ve been sold—from why chasing a high salary will never make you wealthy to how the American Dream became a lie our generation can’t afford.

They go deep on:

The psychology of feeling broke even when you’re not

Why wealth is built with ownership, not income

What 90-year-olds wish they did differently with money

How gender impacts the way we’re taught to think about risk, equity, and ambition

And the real reason no amount of money ever feels like enough

Also: MrBeast vs. the media industry, what kids actually learn about money, and why comparing yourself to others is the fastest path to lifelong financial anxiety.

This is the part they don’t teach in school—and the stuff most financial “experts” get wrong.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Why most people will never feel rich
3:40 - Social media, comparison, and financial anxiety
7:15 - What 1,000 elderly people regret about money
11:10 - The American Dream is changing—fast
15:00 - College, homeownership, and economic reality
19:30 - Why you won’t get rich from a paycheck
23:45 - The power of equity (especially for women)
27:20 - Risk, regret, and knowing when to bet on yourself
32:00 - Teaching kids about money (without lectures)
36:40 - Are we wired to be bad with money?
40:00 - Why no one tells you this about success

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Morgan Housel

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Avoid These Money Mistakes to Get Rich (ft. $1 Billion Fund Manager)

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Morgan Housel) — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

He didn’t go to high school. He valeted Ferraris he couldn’t afford. Now he’s one of the most trusted money minds in the world.

In this episode of The Burnouts, bestselling author and VC partner Morgan Housel joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for a conversation that will completely rewire how you think about wealth, ambition, and what “enough” actually means.

He shares how fear—not ambition—drove him to work two full-time jobs at 19, save every dollar like the apocalypse was coming, and obsess over flashy cars as a way to feel worthy. They unpack why most people are playing the wrong financial game, why trying to “beat the market” backfires, and why some of the richest people you know still feel broke inside.

Also: dating while broke, how having a kid ended his materialism overnight, and the one expensive gift he regrets buying to impress his now-wife.

This is the money education you should’ve gotten—but probably didn’t. It’s about psychology, not spreadsheets. Scarcity, not flexing. And no, you’re not the only one faking it.

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Chapters
00:00 - Who is Morgan Housel?

02:45 - Why everyone’s playing a different money game

05:20 - Dropping out + the fear that made him save

08:30 - What the guy with the yellow Ferrari taught him

12:55 - How becoming a dad changed his financial goals

15:00 - The most common investing mistake

20:10 - The dumbest flex gift he ever bought

23:40 - Talking money while dating in your 20s

29:00 - His current investing strategy (it’s very boring)

34:30 - How to stop chasing status and start building wealth

🔗 FOLLOW US
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Morgan Housel

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📲 Download the Phia app to start saving money: www.phia.com

Subscribe to The Burnouts for exclusive conversations with today’s top founders and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, this isn’t just another founder podcast—it’s untold conversations and the unfiltered reality of what it takes to build your dream career in your 20s. Guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries defining the brands—and blueprints—of our time. Whether you’re dreaming big or building now, these are the conversations that will show you how it’s done (and what no one else tells you).

🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career

Meet The Journalist Every Tech Billionaire is Afraid Of (Ft. Kara Swisher)

contact@theburnouts.com (Kara Swisher, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Legend. Disruptor. Tech’s sharpest critic. Kara Swisher doesn’t just cover Silicon Valley—she holds it accountable.

On this episode of The Burnouts, Kara sits down with Phoebe and Sophia for an unfiltered conversation about building a career on her own terms (and never waiting her turn). From calling out mistakes at The Washington Post as a college student to becoming the most feared interviewer in tech, Kara shares the bold decisions, brutal lessons, and behind-the-scenes power moves that shaped her journey.

She gets real about the early days of tech reporting, navigating anti-gay and anti-women environments, the importance of always asking for more (and walking away if you don’t get it), and what it really takes to own your IP in a world built by and for powerful men.

Plus: Why women need to ask for more (and not wait their “fucking turn”)

Come for the stories about Steve Jobs, Elon, and Succession-style media drama—stay for Kara’s hard-won wisdom on surviving, thriving, and never selling yourself short.

Also: why “fuck you money” only matters if you’re willing to use it.

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Chapters
00:00 — Who is Kara Swisher?
02:30 – Getting hired by criticizing The Washington Post
06:00 – Losing her dad young & finding independence
09:15 – Money mistakes and financial advice for women
12:30 – Learning to negotiate, ask for more, and own her IP
18:00 – Walking away from Dow Jones and the New York Times
21:30 – Why power makes tech moguls weird
27:00 – The shrinking world of billionaires and “cashmere prisons”
29:00 – On grilling Zuckerberg, interviewing Jobs, and the point of journalism
32:00 – Advice for building a career in media today
35:00 – Kara’s blueprint: Be useful, be entertaining, be unique

🔗 FOLLOW US
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Kara Swisher

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📲 Download the Phia app

🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career

Why Supermodel Karlie Kloss Quit Victoria’s Secret to Build a Tech Empire

contact@theburnouts.com (Karlie Kloss, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Model, investor, activist, founder—Karlie Kloss has worn a lot of hats (and a lot of couture).

In this episode of The Burnouts, Karlie sits down with Phoebe and Sophia to talk about what happens when your “dream job” turns into something more. From getting scouted at 13 and walking Dior at 15, to launching Kode With Klossy and acquiring i-D magazine, Karlie shares the real story behind the headlines—and how she’s used her platform to build power on her own terms.

She opens up about early burnout, learning to trust her instincts, and the pressure of growing up in public. Plus: how she used brand deals to fund a coding nonprofit, why she angel invested in tampons, and what she’s learned about failure, focus, and building a career that actually lasts.

Also: how she made $10k flying economy???

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CHAPTERS
00:00 — Who is Karlie Kloss?
02:15 – Getting scouted at 13
04:10 – Saving every dollar (even mid-Fashion Week)
06:30 – Modeling as a means, not the end
09:20 – Using social media as a business tool
11:00 – Starting Kode With Klossy
15:10 – Investing in women-led companies
18:45 – Mistakes, pivots, and building something real
24:00 – Why she uses her dinner parties to fund reproductive rights
29:20 – Reimagining i-D for the next generation
33:00 – Advice for young women entering fashion
35:00 – Letting go of the pressure to have it all figured out

FOLLOW US
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Karlie Kloss

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📲 Download the Phia app: www.phia.com

🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career

Hollywood Actress to Investor: The $10K Bet That Made Sophia Bush Millions

contact@theburnouts.com (Sophia Bush, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 3 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000

From teen drama star to angel investor, Sophia Bush joins Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni for an unfiltered conversation about building wealth, walking away from toxic systems, and making purpose profitable.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Sophia reveals how a surprise $10,000 angel check into Uber kickstarted her investment journey—and how that single move led to millions. She opens up about the real economics of being a young actress, fighting for equal pay on One Tree Hill, and the dark side of working in Hollywood. Sophia also shares what it means to build power as a woman in business: launching inclusive salons, shaping the future of femtech, and helping fund America's first women-founded bank.

She breaks down the difference between angel investing and venture, gives practical advice for women who want to build wealth without gatekeeping, and explains why doing good and doing well should never be mutually exclusive.

Also: The best financial advice she’s ever received.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

1:20 - From aspiring heart surgeon to unexpected actress

6:45 - The economics of young Hollywood

13:00 - Building an inclusive salon in Detroit

17:20 - Investing in Uber with $10K

20:45 - The power of sweat equity

25:30 - Femtech, abortion access & why periods matter

30:15 - Talking money without shame

34:00 - The group chat every woman needs

🔗 FOLLOW US

Sophia Bush

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📲 Download the Phia app to start saving money.

Subscribe to The Burnouts for bold, raw interviews with the thinkers, athletes, and founders redefining ambition. Hosted by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni—former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders—each episode dives into the unpolished truths of building a life and career that matters. This isn’t another founder podcast. It’s what building something in your 20s actually sounds like—unfiltered, in-progress, and a little bit chaotic.

How Playing DUMB Helped Paris Hilton Build a BILLION Dollar Empire

contact@theburnouts.com (Paris Hilton, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Heiress, icon, mogul, mom—and the original influencer.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Paris Hilton gets real with Phoebe and Sophia about turning a catchphrase into a global brand, the pain behind her activism, and why being underestimated was her greatest advantage.

She opens up about creating the “dumb blonde” persona as a form of power, testifying before Congress as a survivor, and why she believes angel numbers (and small-town nerds) are the secret to everything. Plus: what it’s like running 30 businesses, parenting with purpose, and building 11:11 Media to bring it all together.

This isn’t the Paris Hilton you think you know.

Also: DJ paychecks, ADHD superpowers, and how to spot a fragile man.

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🔍 CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

1:45 - Inventing the “Paris Hilton” character

5:00 - ADHD and the art of doing everything

9:40 - Playing dumb, trademarking “That’s Hot”

13:15 - From survivor to Capitol Hill

18:00 - Why she’d never date a guy from LA

20:45 - Paris' obsession with angel numbers

24:00 - Advice for building a brand

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The Marketing Hacks That Got Us 200K Downloads and Kris Jenner’s Investment

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000

200,000 downloads. A tagline that finally made people “get it.” And a few hard lessons along the way.

In this episode of The Burnouts, co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni unpack the marketing experiments that helped Phia find traction—from trial reels and creator guides to AI-generated scripts and TikTok reach campaigns. They share what worked, what didn’t, and what they’re still learning about building a brand from scratch.

They also talk about the power of a clear metaphor (“Google Flights for fashion”), the pressure of launching on the same day as a major podcast appearance, and why community has been their most valuable asset.

Also: how Kris Jenner got involved...

📲 Download the Phia app to start saving money: www.phia.com

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CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

2:00 - Launching Phia the same day as Call Her Daddy

6:20 - Trial Reels: our low-cost growth engine

8:45 - Our best-performing hook

11:15 - TikTok flops, LinkedIn wins, and why Substack matters

13:10 - The hack to community-building

15:00 - How we use AI to write scripts that work

17:30 - The SEO agency mistake we won’t make again

19:10 - The "special sauce" in a marketing hire

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Guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries defining the brands—and blueprints—of our time. Whether you’re dreaming big or building now, these are the conversations that will show you how it’s done (and what no one else tells you).

🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career

Meet the Stanford genius who modeled for Victoria’s Secret and won Olympic gold (ft. Eileen Gu)

contact@theburnouts.com (Eileen Gu, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Olympic gold, Ivy League brains, supermodel looks—and still figuring it out.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Olympic gold medalist, model, and Stanford student Eileen Gu joins Phoebe and Sophia for an unfiltered conversation about ambition, identity, and what happens after you’ve seemingly “made it.”

Eileen opens up about her post-Olympic burnout, learning to sit with stillness after injury, and the pressure of being young, female, and hyper-visible on the world stage. From negotiating brand deals at 13 to being grilled about geopolitics at 18, she reflects on the emotional toll of public scrutiny—and the freedom of learning to define success on her own terms.

She also shares how fashion gave her a new language for femininity, what solo travel taught her about self-worth, and why she’ll never apologize for being “the nerd who does everyone’s homework.”

Also: the difference between a high-quality man and a fragile ego.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

2:10 - Post-Olympic depression is real

4:45 - How she accidentally went pro

6:55 - Negotiating for yourself, even if you're scared

10:40 - Walking Victoria’s Secret and staying true to your values

13:15 - Becoming a cultural bridge—not picking a side

17:35 - Why smart women scare fragile men

26:00 - Glorifying suffering is not a flex

28:55 - Nerd alert: physics made her a better skier

35:40 - Injury, identity, and learning to rest

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Why Women Are Secretly Better at Money According to an Ex-Wall Street Trader

contact@theburnouts.com (Vivian Tu, YourRichBFF, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What if your side hustle made you a millionaire—and taught millions of women how to become one too?

In this episode of The Burnouts, Vivian Tu (@Your.RichBFF) joins Phoebe and Sophia to unpack the story behind her Wall Street-to-TikTok glow-up, the money myths that hold women back, and how she’s rewriting financial literacy for a new generation.

Vivian opens up about surviving workplace racism, being your office’s unofficial 401(k) whisperer, and building a media empire that started with one viral video—and became a New York Times bestselling book, a chart-topping podcast, and a full-time career.

She also shares the real talk behind her relationship: who paid more rent, how German cockroaches accidentally fast-tracked her move-in, and why every couple should go on “dessert walks.”

Also: the genius trick to automating your savings without even thinking about it.

❤️✨ USE CODE "BURNOUTS15" FOR 15% OFF YOUR ORDER ON THE LIMITED-EDITION PHLUR X THE BURNOUTS CANDLE ✨❤️

🔍 CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro

1:02 - Why dating gets harder when women get more successful

4:55 - How to actually budget (no spreadsheets, no shame)

8:00 - What to do with your first paycheck

13:50 - Getting pushed out of Wall Street—and finding a new path

18:20 - When to quit your job for your side hustle

30:55 - Talking about money in relationships (without making it weird)

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Subscribe to The Burnouts for exclusive interviews with the thinkers, founders, and creatives shaping culture and business today. As former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni bring rare access and real curiosity to every guest—cutting through the noise to get to what actually matters. It’s not just another founder podcast. This is what building in your 20s really looks like—unscripted, in-progress, and surprisingly honest.

How influencer Chriselle Lim started Phlur ($150+ million fragrance empire)

contact@theburnouts.com (Chriselle Lim, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 29 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

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What if heartbreak was the beginning of your empire?

In this episode of The Burnouts, entrepreneur and creative director Chriselle Lim sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to unpack how she went from TikTok’s “rich mom” to co-owning Phlur, a $100M+ fragrance brand.

From the ashes of burnout and divorce, Chriselle rebuilt her life—and helped reshape how fragrance is built, branded, and sold. She shares the story behind Missing Person (the perfume with a 250K waitlist that changed everything) and how reinvention became her real superpower.

Also: the bamboo tree metaphor that will stick with you forever.

📲 Download the Phia app to start saving → www.join.phia.com

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About The Burnouts

As former Stanford roommates turned startup founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are building more than a business—they’re building a bold new conversation. The Burnouts dives into the chaos of creation, covering everything from personal reinvention and product meltdowns to friendship, finances, and fear. With top guests like Kris Jenner, Danielle Guizio, and Whitney Wolfe Herd, this is your behind-the-scenes playbook for building on your own terms.

She made $2M in 2 days by building a celebrity cult favorite brand (ft. Danielle Guizio)

contact@theburnouts.com (Danielle Guizio, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 22 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

What if your first investment was a $400 tax refund and a tape measure? In this episode of The Burnouts, fashion founder Danielle Guizio sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to talk about turning side hustles into global brands, learning leadership the hard way, and why your iPhone might be your most powerful marketing tool.

Danielle opens up about recovering from surgery, walking garbage bags of orders to USPS, and getting duped on TikTok. She shares the strategy behind her $2M Black Friday breakthrough, why she still fits every sample herself, and how she built a viral fashion empire with no design experience, no car, and no connections—just a deep belief that she could figure it out.

Also: negotiating in Chinatown at 13, selling out with zero ads, and what she really looks for in a résumé (hint: it’s not your school).

Chapters
0:00 - Intro

1:10 - $400, no car, and a dream

5:45 - Getting duped and going viral anyway

10:12 - Negotiation school and hiring red flags

13:48 - Why she still works the retail floor

16:00 - Instagram as your magazine

21:35 - How she got Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa in her clothes

24:18 - What she actually looks for in a hire

28:55 - Advice for every girl with a side hustle

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Subscribe for more raw, unfiltered convos with iconic leaders, founders, and disruptors who are building what’s next (and burning down what’s not).

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About The Burnouts
As former Stanford roommates turned startup founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are building more than a business—they’re building a bold new conversation. The Burnouts dives into the chaos of creation, covering everything from VC pitches and product meltdowns to friendship, finance, and fear. With top guests like Danielle Guizio, Kris Jenner, and Whitney Wolfe Herd, this is your behind-the-scenes playbook for building on your own terms.

She Built Bumble to $13B...Then Walked Away. Here's Why.

contact@theburnouts.com (Whitney Wolfe Herd, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 15 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

What if the next billion-dollar startup isn’t built by 1,000 employees—but by 30, powered by AI? In this episode of The Burnouts, Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to talk about building lean, trusting your gut, burning out, and why she believes AI will totally reshape how companies scale.

Whitney opens up about hiring mistakes that nearly broke Bumble, the myth of hustle culture, why listening to “grown-ups in suits” set her back, and how legacy tech is holding companies hostage. She shares her evolved vision for Bumble, her personal burnout recovery, and why she now swears by smaller teams, smarter tech, and protecting your energy like it’s cash.

Also: surprise-and-delight growth hacks, ego death, and what she really thinks about ROI-driven marketing.

Chapters
0:00 - Intro

1:02 - She built Bumble. But at what cost?

5:11 - Why hiring “adults in suits” backfired

8:42 - Scaling smart: fewer people, better results

13:08 - AI, apps, and the future of building

16:30 - Burnout, ego death, and coming back stronger

22:14 - Bumble’s early growth hacks (inflatable bees, anyone?)

27:49 - Friendship-first is the next dating revolution

30:45 - Mentorship, motherhood & knowing when to say no

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Subscribe for more raw, unfiltered convos with iconic women and disruptors who are building what’s next—and burning down what’s not.

Download the Phia app to start saving money at www.join.phia.com

About The Burnouts
As former Stanford roommates and now business partners, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni share their experience as startup founders and the chaos of building something new—covering everything from pitching VCs to maintaining friendships, decoding financial literacy, and finding power in female-driven storytelling. With candid conversations and top guests (like Kris Jenner and Sara Blakely), The Burnouts is your go-to for smart, hilarious, and sometimes chaotic advice on how to build your career on your own terms.

The 3 rules Chelsea Handler thinks you should break to make millions

contact@theburnouts.com (Chelsea Handler, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Thu, 8 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

What do you do when the world tells you to tone it down? If you’re Chelsea Handler, you turn up the volume—on confidence, career, and comedy. In this unapologetic and hilarious episode of The Burnouts, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni sit down with the legendary comedian and bestselling author who’s built an empire on not giving a f***. They talk through confidence myths, investor pitch chaos, stand-up breakthroughs, and why Chelsea bought her ex 35 trees. Also: why burnout might actually be your breakthrough.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:22 - were you always this confident?

6:14 - how to say no (and mean it)

11:02 - kids, career, and confidence clashes

15:00 - real estate, financial freedom & female power

21:06 - mushrooms with your landscaper & other business lessons

25:45 - dating while dominating

30:12 - women, work, and not shrinking yourself

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LinkedIn: /the-burnouts

Subscribe for more bold convos with iconic women, founders, and disruptors who are burning down old systems and building what’s next.

Download the Phia app to start saving money at join.phia.com

About the Burnouts

As former Stanford roommates and now business partners, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni share their experience as startup founders and the chaos of building something new—covering everything from pitching VCs to maintaining friendships, decoding financial literacy, and finding power in female-driven storytelling. With candid conversations and top guests (like Kris Jenners and Sara Blakely), The Burnouts is your go-to for smart, hilarious, and sometimes chaotic advice on how to build your career on your own terms.

How Sara Blakely went from fax machine sales to Forbes billionaire

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni, Sara Blakely) — Fri, 2 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode of The Burnouts, Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates sit down with entrepreneurial icon and Spanx founder Sara Blakely to talk mindset, manifestation, and the messy truth of building something from scratch. Whether you're navigating your first job, launching a startup, or still waiting for a sign from the universe—this one’s for you.

We go deep on everything from building confidence as a woman in business, to manifesting million-dollar ideas (literally), to knowing when to quit, pivot, or fire the “genius” that’s ruining your team dynamic. Sara shares stories she’s never told before—like the exact mindset hack that led to Spanx, the real reason she sold her company, and the crazy specific sign she asked the universe for.

🔖 CHAPTERS

0:00 – Why we called Sara before we even had a product

2:10 – Sara’s Secret Weapon Since She Was 16

14:00 – Signs from the universe (including one from Oprah)

18:30 – Hiring Wrong, Firing Fast, and Learning the Hard Way

29:00 – Why High Heels Haven’t Changed in 300 Years (Until Now)

36:45 – Sara is paying people to buy her shoes?!?

38:00 – Sara’s Wildest Hustle Stories

About the Burnouts

As former Stanford roommates and now business partners, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni share their experience as startup founders and the complexities of being young professionals—from financial literacy, social impact, and navigating networking (ever been hit on through LinkedIn?). With exclusive access to top experts, they offer an inside look at their chaotic lives alongside career insights from their network of thought leaders. Watch The Burnouts pursue their dreams while trying to keep their lives from going up in flames. Will they burn out? We’ll find out.

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Recessions make millionaires: Money moves you NEED to know (ft. Mrs. Dow Jones)

contact@theburnouts.com (Haley Sacks, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Feeling lost in the chaos of the economy right now? Same. Between inflation, tariffs, and TikTok panic, it feels like we’re all one iced coffee away from a full-blown recession spiral.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates call in financial dominatrix Haley Sacks — aka @MrsDowJones — for a much-needed crash course in surviving your first economic downturn. We talk Roth IRAs, recession anxiety, index funds, investing FOMO, and why press-on nails might just be the ultimate economic indicator.

Whether you’re getting your first paycheck, trying to start investing, or just wondering WTF to do with your money, this episode is for you.

💸 It’s funny. It’s practical. And it might just change your financial future.

🔖 CHAPTERS

0:00 – Our first economic freakout

2:15 – Should we actually be scared?

5:20 – The only money moves that matter right now

9:45 – Haley’s worst investment ever

13:00 – Roth IRAs, index funds & investing without crying

17:20 – Budgeting when your paycheck hits

21:10 – Renting, home buying, and financial hot takes

📚 RESOURCES

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3 Index Funds We Love

Free Customized Money Plan

Money Book 2.0

Investing 101

& more HERE!

Mrs. Dow Jones Instagram & Newsletter

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How Kris Jenner went from flight attendant to billionaire through manifestation

contact@theburnouts.com (Kris Jenner, Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Wed, 9 Apr 2025 06:31:50 +0000

What do you do when someone tells you no? If you’re Kris Jenner, you walk into the scheduling office with a tray of brownies and figure it out anyway. In this episode, Phoebe and Sophia sit down with the iconic woman who turned “figure it out” into her mom-ager lifestyle. They talk about early jobs, showing up before you feel ready, and what it really takes to launch something that matters. Also: why your car interior might be ruining your life.

Chapters
0:00 - Intro

1:12 - restaurants in the sky?

5:04 - business rizz 101

10:01 - doing things your way (and making them work)

16:45 - vintage, resale, and why clean cars matter

21:20 - advice for young women + why Kris invested in Phia

Meet the Hosts 🎙️
Phoebe Gates
Sophia Kianni

Follow The Burnouts

Join the Phia waitlist at phia.com

About the Burnouts

Burning Out: Stanford cheating rings, fake assistants, and that perfect orange glow

contact@theburnouts.com (Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni) — Tue, 1 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Bluetooth tampons, fake assistants, and maxing out on LinkedIn mail credits? That’s entrepreneurship for ya. Phoebe and Sophia are best friends who turned their Stanford dorm room conversations into a business partnership. They’re here to share the good, bad, and ugly parts of founding a company together.

Chapters

0:00 - welcome to The Burnouts

0:36 - how we became friends

2:37 - the Stanford cheating ring

8:16 - Sophia’s FAKE assistant

11:17 - a bluetooth tampon??

17:21 - the day phia was born

20:12 - the go-giver mindset and spam messaging

25:40 - why we started the podcast

Meet the Hosts🎙️

Join the Phia waitlist at phia.com

About the Burnouts

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