The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia – Details, episodes & analysis

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🎙️

Phoebe Gates

Sophia Kianni

Join the Phia waitlist at 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 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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Burnout is real—and building your career while figuring out who you are? Even harder. Enter The Burnouts: Join best friends Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni as they try to launch their first company and make sense of the chaos that is a career in your 20s.

They’re not pretending to have all the answers—but they’re asking the people who just might. Sophia and Phoebe sit down with guests who’ve actually made it to talk candidly about careers, ambition, burnout, and everything they wish they knew sooner.

Whether you’re navigating your first job, thinking about a big pivot, or just trying to survive Monday, The Burnouts is here to keep it real. New episodes every Tuesday.

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
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

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Join the Phia waitlist at 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 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.

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 

Free Emergency Fund Planner

Investment Returns Calculator

3 Index Funds We Love

Free Customized Money Plan

Money Book 2.0

Investing 101

& more HERE!

Mrs. Dow Jones Instagram & Newsletter

🔗 FOLLOW US

@theburnouts

@phoebegates

@sophiakianni

@mrsdowjones

DOWNLOAD THE PHIA APP


Find better fashion deals while you shop. Download Phia HERE and follow Phia on Instagram!

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Launch day is HERE 

01:12 – The Zoom roast that got our CPO hired

05:40 – Pivoting the product after tough feedback

10:00 – From Instagram design to full-time UX

15:25 – Interning, accounting, and off-boarding your ex

20:45 – Quitting jobs, joining podcasts, and saying yes fast

24:00 – Real friends give real feedback

26:10 – What’s next for Phia

Follow the Hosts


📸 @phoebegates

📸 @sophiakianni

Follow The Burnouts

📸 @theburnouts

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube

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.

🔗 FOLLOW US

The Burnouts

Phoebe Gates

Sophia Kianni

Sara Blakely

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

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

Follow us

Phoebe Gates

Sophia Kianni

Chelsea Handler

Follow The Burnouts

Youtube @theburnoutspodcast

Instagram @theburnouts

TikTok: @theburnouts

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.

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
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

Follow us:
Phoebe Gates
Sophia Kianni
Whitney Wolfe Herd

Follow The Burnouts:

Instagram
Linkedin
TikTok

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.

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
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

Follow us
Phoebe Gates
Sophia Kianni
Danielle Guizio & the Guizio brand

Follow The Burnouts
Instagram

TikTok

Linkedin

Subscribe for more raw, unfiltered convos with iconic leaders, founders, 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 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.

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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

🔗 FOLLOW US

Phoebe Gates

Sophia Kianni

Chriselle Lim

Phlur

🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS

Instagram

TikTok

Linkedin

📲 Download the Phia app to start saving money while you shop today.

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.