The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

Eyebrows built a billion-dollar brand—and Anastasia Soare explains exactly why. In this episode, you’ll learn the “golden ratio” method she used to shape brows for any face, plus the business and personal decisions that turned a Hollywood brow room into Anastasia Beverly Hills. 

Anastasia Soare is the founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills and the pioneer behind modern brow shaping and the eyebrows of Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and more. From leaving communist Romania with her daughter to becoming Hollywood’s “best kept secret,” she built a global beauty empire by mastering her craft, obsessing over education, and staying ahead of culture. 

 

Chapters 

00:00 - Why eyebrows define the face 

01:20 - The 80s tweezing mistake that started everything 

02:30 - Golden ratio brows (the pencil method) 

04:10 - Working at 12 in Romania + learning work ethic 

06:10 - Leaving communist Romania + arriving in America 

08:35 - Discovering the brow opportunity in 90s Hollywood 

10:45 - Quitting with $5,000 to start her own business 

12:10 - The early salon years + creating products clients demanded 

13:30 - Oprah: the moment that changed everything 

19:30 - Nordstrom + the live demo that sold the Brow Studio idea 

21:10 - Beginner beauty advice + how to practice products 

23:20 - Expanding beyond brows: contour + the kit that sold out fast 

28:20 - Biggest makeup mistakes and trends (over-contour, blending, laminated brows) 

29:55 - If you only have 5 minutes: the simplest routine 

31:10 - Why she refused “pencil-thin” brows (and what doesn’t grow back) 

34:50 - Building social early: Instagram, tutorials, and influencer community 

38:10 - Working with her daughter (including firing her) + running ABH together 

43:45 - Learning finances the hard way + funding growth 

45:00 - What’s next: innovation, expansion, and global markets 

48:20 - Advice for entrepreneurs: resilience, focus, and starting before you feel ready 

 

🔗 FOLLOW US 

https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates 

https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni 

https://www.instagram.com/anastasiasoare 

https://www.instagram.com/anastasiabeverlyhills 

 

🔥 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.

Alex Cooper breaks down the business side nobody sees: how she and her husband Matt built Unwell up from a scrappy startup, how podcasting revenue really works, and what rules she learned the hard way negotiating $60M and $125M deals.

Alex Cooper is the creator and host of Call Her Daddy and the co-founder of Unwell, a modern media company spanning podcasts, TV/film, live events, consumer products, and a fast-growing creative agency. 

 

Chapters

00:00 - Alex on going “full circle” and revealing the CEO side 

02:00 - Building Unwell from Host to Founder 

02:45 - A day in the life 

05:20 - How Unwell makes money 

07:15 - The video ad revolution 

08:10 - Live events, merch, and consumer products as revenue engines 

09:05 - Launching the Unwell creative agency 

10:50 - Which division is the “cash king” (and what’s catching up fast) 

13:30 - Inside mega-deals: Spotify vs Amazon 

16:15 - Why distribution mattered 

18:30 - Agents, fees, and who should get paid first (her “wait—no” moment) 

21:10 - The hard rule: keep incentives clean (and avoid cozy backchannels) 

23:00 - The biggest mistakes: trust, documentation, and walking away from millions 

26:20 - Hiring top operators and building a high-standard culture 

31:40 - PE, acquisitions, and what it takes to go to the next level 

34:25 - Incentives for execs 

35:05 - How Alex and Matt split decision-making 

39:25 - Handling narratives about ambition, success, and being misunderstood 

 

🔗 FOLLOW US 

https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates 

https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni 

https://www.instagram.com/alexandracooper 

https://www.instagram.com/callherdaddy 

https://www.instagram.com/unwell 

 

🔥 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.

Rachel Zoe breaks down how to build a standout career in fashion before you feel ready. You’ll also learn her practical frameworks for getting dressed with less stress and more impact... 

Rachel Zoe is a celebrity stylist, fashion entrepreneur, and pop-culture icon known for shaping red-carpet style and building a major lifestyle brand. She shares the behind-the-scenes realities of creative work, ambition, and reinvention. 

 

Chapters

00:00 Intro + the pressure of “no margin for error” 

00:12 The Tommy Hilfiger break that changed everything 

04:12 Huge shoots and learning on the job 

05:12 The realities of styling high-profile clients 

07:07 Styling for *them*, not for you 

10:14 Psychology of styling 

13:21 The “uniform” method 

15:54 Top fashion essentials for all women 

18:24 Dressing for the job you want 

20:32 Photographic memory + how Rachel thinks visually 

22:43 Breaking into fashion today 

26:49 Relationship advice 

33:57 Work-life balance 

35:07 Why she joined Real Housewives 

 

🔗 FOLLOW US 

https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates 

https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni 

https://www.instagram.com/rachelzoe 

 

🔥 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.

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.