The Burnouts: Phoebe Gates And Sophia Kianni On Startup Life

Women juggling career goals, personal growth, and the pressure to succeed know how uncomfortable the learning curve can be. When combined with self-defeating thoughts like “I don’t know what I’m doing,” it can shake your confidence and motivation. For any woman who has found herself in this situation, “The Burnouts” podcast is a reminder that figuring things out as you go is a normal part of the journey.

Created by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the co-founders of Phia, an AI shopping tool, the podcast explores what it really looks like to build something from scratch. Phoebe and Sophia speak candidly about entrepreneurship: the struggles, the mistakes, the learning curve. At a time when success stories are all over social media, “The Burnouts” highlights the realities of the journey.

The podcast aims to be different; it does not pretend to have all the answers. Instead, Phoebe and Sophia are leaning into the uncertainty of entrepreneurship and sharing stories, insights, and lessons learned. 

Inspiration struck during a meeting with Alex Cooper, founder of The Unwell Network and creator of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. At the time, Phoebe and Sophia were finishing up their studies at Stanford and beginning their start-up journey. 

“When the question of how we were juggling everything came up, it clicked: why not talk about it on a platform created by young women for others who might be navigating similar transitions and ambitions?” Sophia said.

The name is attention-grabbing and provocative and serves as a unifying factor.

“Young people today are seeking fulfillment and success across all fronts in an increasingly fast-paced world, and there’s a real burnout factor,” Phoebe said. “We feel it, our peers and colleagues feel it…but it doesn’t need to be a bad thing.”

Phoebe and Sophia approach their podcast episodes from a transparent and practical perspective. Episodes cover topics such as pitching investors, managing relationships, and navigating workplace dynamics; helpful information for those just starting out. 

“We’re not the experts, but we can share what we know as we go—and bring incredible experts into the conversation,” Phoebe said.

Guests have included Kris Jenner, Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones), and Sara Blakely.

“With ‘The Burnouts,’ we’re pulling the curtain back on what an early-stage career and start-up is,” Sophia said.

This openness about the learning curve is what makes the podcast resonate. It normalizes the idea that no one knows everything from the start. Most successful professionals need to figure things out as they go. Sophia used the example of launching the podcast to explain.

“You don’t know what you don’t know, and we were humbled immediately,” she said. “It was all trial and error…but looking back, we can laugh.”

As “The Burnouts” podcast and Phia platform grow, Sophia and Phoebe said they are focused on building a supportive community. They hope listeners will connect with their content and find inspiration and motivation. A community of like-minded individuals, like what they have in their partnership, can make the learning curve more manageable. 

The duo’s friendship, which goes back to their Stanford days, is the foundation of their partnership. It is built on mutual trust, respect, and shared drive and ambition.

“We’re equally motivated to succeed together,a nd that comes by lifting one another up,” Sophia said.

It serves as a model of how women are stronger together and inspired the name Phia, which is a combination of their names. 

“We’re openly on our own learning journey, so if even one person feels a little less alone, less behind, and more empowered to keep going, that’s everything,” Phoebe said.

With each new episode and step forward, Sophia and Phoebe can’t wait to share their continued learning and growth. Listeners can follow their journey on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.