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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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, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.
Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.
Why Most People Lose Arguments (Sales Tricks That Made Shelby Sapp $1M/Month at 24)
Episode 52
Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 35:39
How did Shelby Sapp go from selling rat poison door-to-door to becoming a 24-year-old founder making 8-figures per year? It's the same trick she uses to win arguments with her fiancé and pick the wedding venue she actually wants... In this episode, Shelby breaks down the tactics she's used that can win over anybody.
Shelby Sapp is a high-ticket sales coach who teaches sales psychology to other women. She started knocking on doors at 18 selling pest control, became the top first-year rep in the entire company, and was making $300K a summer by 21 — before going all-in on remote high-ticket sales and building a training program that turns servers, nurses, and bartenders into five-figure-a-month closers.
Chapters
00:00 - The Bartender Who Made $62K in Sales Her First Month
01:16 - Why You Don't Need to Be Extroverted to Sell
02:16 - From Zero Sales to Breaking the Company Record
Shark Tank Icon: Turning $1,000 to $1Billion! (ft. Barbara Corcoran)
Episode 51
Thursday, April 23, 2026 • Duration 29:21
Barbara Corcoran is the founder of the Corcoran Group, one of New York's most iconic real estate brands, and a star investor on ABC's Shark Tank for 17 seasons. From being told she was stupid in school and her ex saying she'd never succeed without him to building a 1,000-person company and selling it for $66 million, she's become one of the most trusted voices in business and a fairy godmother to hundreds of entrepreneurs.
Chapters
00:00 - Her Biggest Failure Started in Childhood
00:41 - 22 Jobs By 23 and Becoming Her Own Boss
01:26 - The Boyfriend Who Loaned Her $1,000
02:18 - The Insult That Built Her Empire
04:37 - Marrying "Lucky Bill" and His Craziest Stunt
07:42 - Scaling to 1,000 People and the $66M Exit
09:18 - How She'd Rebuild With Only $1,000 Today
10:06 - Her "Queen of New York" Vision
11:22 - The 3 Traits Every Great Entrepreneur Has
14:17 - Why She Bets on People With Unhealthy Childhoods
16:52 - The Self-Tape in Her Head Until 35
19:55 - Her Best and Worst Bosses Ever
21:18 - How She Fires People (Always on Fridays at 10)
22:58 - Getting Her Shark Tank Seat Back After Being Fired
25:41 - What Makes Her Pass on a Shark Tank Deal
27:49 - Her Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self
🔗 FOLLOW US
What Really Happens at Billionaires' Private Parties (Michael Rubin)
Episode 50
Thursday, April 9, 2026 • Duration 30:18
Michael Rubin breaks down the truth about the White Party, why relationships matter more than people realize, and how he thinks about building rooms where power, business, and culture collide. He shares how Fanatics grew into a $40 billion company, why he treats networking as a real business skill, and what most people misunderstand about success.
Michael Rubin is the founder of Fanatics and one of the most connected figures in sports, business, and culture. In this conversation, he opens up about the White Party, building authentic relationships, running philanthropy like a business, and the work ethic, resilience, and mindset behind becoming a billionaire.
Chapters
00:00 - Relationships Are Everything
01:25 - The Meek Mill Story That Changed His Life
05:19 - Why He Started Reform Alliance
06:09 - Running Philanthropy Like a Business
09:04 - The Truth About the White Party
12:41 - Sophia’s White Party Fall & Meeting Jay-Z
13:53 - The Only 3 Events He Throws Each Year
15:19 - How He Learns by Talking to People
17:16 - Spotting Young Talent Before Everyone Else
17:54 - Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities & Starting Young
20:10 - What His Kids Have Taught Him
21:46 - Sleeping 4.5 Hours a Night
22:30 - Recovery & Trying to Live Longer
23:19 - Weight Loss, Ozempic & Not Taking Himself Too Seriously
26:10 - If He Lost Everything, How He’d Rebuild
28:02 - The Most Important Early Business Decisions
Dating 101 as an Ambitious Woman: How to Seduce Anyone (ft. Chloe Shih)
Episode 49
Thursday, March 26, 2026 • Duration 23:14
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
Billionaire Makeup Artist Spills the Kardashians' Beauty Secrets & How Celebs get Perfect Faces
Episode 48
Thursday, March 12, 2026 • Duration 49:40
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
29:55 - If you only have 5 minutes: the simplest routine
Alex Cooper: The TRUTH About Call Her Daddy and my $100M+ Media Empire
Episode 47
Thursday, March 5, 2026 • Duration 42:15
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
Celebrity Stylist: How To Stand Out, Style Celebrities & 10-min Morning Fashion Upgrade (Rachel Zoe)
Episode 46
Thursday, February 26, 2026 • Duration 36:33
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
Money Expert: Quit Your 9-5 and Get Rich the Easy Way. This is What I Did. (ft. Sahil Bloom)
Episode 45
Thursday, February 19, 2026 • Duration 45:24
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
Fashion Design Expert: How to Make Iconic Outfits & Make It Big in Fashion (Rebecca Minkoff)
Episode 44
Thursday, February 12, 2026 • Duration 38:57
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
39:25 - Handling narratives about ambition, success, and being misunderstood
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.
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.
41:10 “Nobody Is Thinking About You” & Designing Your Life
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.
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.
