The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia
How Playing DUMB Helped Paris Hilton Build a BILLION Dollar Empire
Heiress, icon, mogul, mom—and the original influencer.
In this episode of The Burnouts, Paris Hilton gets real with Phoebe and Sophia about turning a catchphrase into a global brand, the pain behind her activism, and why being underestimated was her greatest advantage.
She opens up about creating the “dumb blonde” persona as a form of power, testifying before Congress as a survivor, and why she believes angel numbers (and small-town nerds) are the secret to everything. Plus: what it’s like running 30 businesses, parenting with purpose, and building 11:11 Media to bring it all together.
This isn’t the Paris Hilton you think you know.
Also: DJ paychecks, ADHD superpowers, and how to spot a fragile man.
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🔍 CHAPTERS
1:45 – Inventing the “Paris Hilton” character
5:00 – ADHD and the art of doing everything
9:40 – Playing dumb, trademarking “That’s Hot”
13:15 – From survivor to Capitol Hill
18:00 – Why she’d never date a guy from LA
20:45 – Paris' obsession with angel numbers
24:00 – Advice for building a brand
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Subscribe to The Burnouts for bold, raw interviews with the thinkers, athletes, and founders redefining ambition. Hosted by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni—former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders—each episode dives into the unpolished truths of building a life and career that matters. This isn’t another founder podcast. It’s what building something in your 20s actually sounds like—unfiltered, in-progress, and a little bit chaotic.