The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

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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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.

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
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Sophia Kianni
Harry Stebbings
20VC

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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.

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
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Sophia Kianni
Toni Breidinger
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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.

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
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Sophia Kianni
Elie Tahari
Jeremey Tahari
Tahari Group
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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.

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
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Sophia Kianni
Allison Ellsworth
Poppi 

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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.