The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia

How Sara Blakely went from fax machine sales to Forbes billionaire

May 2, 2025

Sara Blakely, the innovative founder of Spanx, joins the conversation to share her inspiring journey from selling fax machines to becoming a billionaire. She reveals her unique mindset hacks that sparked the creation of Spanx and discusses the importance of trusting the universe for signs—one of which came from Oprah! Sara candidly shares lessons on hiring, firing, and knowing when to pivot in business. With stories of her crazy hustles, she emphasizes the significance of confidence and resilience for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women.

41:07

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Episode guests

Sara Blakely

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Innovative solutions in product development often emerge from challenging traditional methods, as exemplified by Sara Blakely's creation of Spanx.

Investing in personal mindset development is crucial for overcoming self-doubt and achieving success in the competitive business landscape.

Deep dives

Innovative Mindset and Problem Solving

Having a willingness to challenge the traditional methods can lead to innovative solutions in product development. The journey of creating Spanx exemplified this, as the founder utilized her own discomfort with existing undergarments to engineer a better product. Despite lacking formal training, she relied on her intuition and personal experiences, demonstrating that not knowing the standard procedures could be an advantage. This approach highlights that true innovation often arises from doing things differently than established norms.

Intro

2min

From Sales to Innovation: An Entrepreneur's Journey

10min

Exploring Mindset and Creative Recharge Techniques

6min

Intuition and Signs: Navigating Success

11min

Challenges and Lessons in Startup Leadership and Innovation

5min

Innovating Comfort in Fashion

12min

The Evolution of Marketing and Family Involvement in Entrepreneurship

3min

In this episode of The Burnouts, Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates sit down with entrepreneurial icon and Spanx founder Sara Blakely to talk mindset, manifestation, and the messy truth of building something from scratch. Whether you're navigating your first job, launching a startup, or still waiting for a sign from the universe—this one’s for you.

We go deep on everything from building confidence as a woman in business, to manifesting million-dollar ideas (literally), to knowing when to quit, pivot, or fire the “genius” that’s ruining your team dynamic. Sara shares stories she’s never told before—like the exact mindset hack that led to Spanx, the real reason she sold her company, and the crazy specific sign she asked the universe for.

🔖 CHAPTERS

0:00 – Why we called Sara before we even had a product

2:10 – Sara’s Secret Weapon Since She Was 16

14:00 – Signs from the universe (including one from Oprah)

18:30 – Hiring Wrong, Firing Fast, and Learning the Hard Way

29:00 – Why High Heels Haven’t Changed in 300 Years (Until Now)

36:45 – Sara is paying people to buy her shoes?!?

38:00 – Sara’s Wildest Hustle Stories

About the Burnouts

As former Stanford roommates and now business partners, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni share their experience as startup founders and the complexities of being young professionals—from financial literacy, social impact, and navigating networking (ever been hit on through LinkedIn?). With exclusive access to top experts, they offer an inside look at their chaotic lives alongside career insights from their network of thought leaders. Watch The Burnouts pursue their dreams while trying to keep their lives from going up in flames. Will they burn out? We’ll find out.

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