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The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

SiriusXM Podcasts
  • 4.1 (52)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 4D AGO

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

    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?    🔗 FOLLOW US  https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates  https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni  https://www.instagram.com/duolingo    🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS  https://www.instagram.com/theburnouts  https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnouts  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-burnouts    📲 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    40 min

  2. JAN 29

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

    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    🔗 FOLLOW US  https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates  https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni    🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS  https://www.instagram.com/theburnouts  https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnouts  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-burnouts    📲 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    17 min

  3. JAN 15

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

    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    🔗 FOLLOW US  https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates  https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni  https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS https://www.instagram.com/theburnouts  https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnouts  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-burnouts    📲 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1h 5m

  4. JAN 8

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

    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   🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Harry Stebbings 20VC 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS Instagram TikTok 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 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    46 min

  5. JAN 1

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

    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 🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Toni Breidinger 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS Instagram TikTok 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 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    46 min

  6. 12/18/2025

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

    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 🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Elie Tahari Jeremey Tahari Tahari Group 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS Instagram TikTok 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 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    35 min

  7. 12/11/2025

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

    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 🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Allison Ellsworth Poppi  🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS https://www.instagram.com/theburnouts https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnouts https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-burnouts 📲 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    38 min

  8. 12/04/2025

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

    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 🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Jasmin Larian Hekmat 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS Instagram TikTok LinkedIn 📲 Support What We’re Building Phoebe and Sophia are the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download now and join the community of 800,000+ happy users. 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. Subscribe for the inside playbook to build your dream career. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    37 min
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4.1
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

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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