The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia
How a Broke Bartender Turned $50 Into a Multi-Million Dollar Brand—The Skinny Confidential
Beauty founder, podcast queen, brand builder—Lauryn Bosstick turned a $50 blog into The Skinny Confidential empire.
In this episode of The Burnouts, Lauryn joins Phoebe and Sophia in Austin, TX to talk about building a cult brand from scratch. From sleeping in her car during sorority rush to creating one of the world’s most downloaded podcasts, Lauryn shares how she built her brand brick by brick—with no investors, no shortcuts, and no selling out.
She gets real about early burnout, building slowly with intention, and why executing (not overthinking) is the secret to everything. Plus: what makes someone a great podcast guest, how she evaluates brand deals, and the hilarious parenting trick she swears by (cookie water, anyone?)
Also: foot spas, Think Week, and how not having an iPhone gave Phoebe character.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – From sorority dropout to brand founder
02:30 – Why she launched The Skinny Confidential
05:00 – Blogging 7 days a week for 3 years (with $0)
10:10 – Turning down money (and why she’s proud of it)
12:30 – Lauryn’s funnel: how she vets guests + brand deals
16:10 – The advice she gives every 20-something brand builder
17:00 – The one hire every founder should make first
20:45 – Think Week, foot spas, and strategic solitude
27:00 – How she uses branding tricks to parent toddlers
30:00 – Personal vs public: what Lauryn won’t post online
35:00 – Resourcefulness over resumes in the age of AI
38:00 – The biggest mistake most creatives make
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Phoebe Gates
Sophia Kianni
Lauryn Bosstick