The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

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 
 
🔗 FOLLOW US 
https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates 
https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni 
https://www.instagram.com/sahilbloom 
 
🔥 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.

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 
 
🔗 FOLLOW US 
https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates 
https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni 
https://www.instagram.com/beckyminkoff 
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaminkoff 
 
🔥 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.

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.

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.

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.