$6M Forbes Creator and Sports Illustrated Model: Avoid These Social Media Mistakes (Haley Baylee)

Model, creator, comedian, and Forbes Top Creator—Haley Kalil has lived a thousand lives (from science labs to Sports Illustrated covers to viral comedy).In this episode of The Burnouts, Haley Kalil sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to share her rollercoaster journey: trading biomedical science for beauty pageants, paying her way through college, breaking into modeling without an agent, and then going viral overnight to build a multi-million-dollar creator career.She opens up about navigating divorce, escaping an abusive relationship, reinventing herself through comedy, and betting everything on content creation. Plus: how she made her first $50k/month off YouTube shorts, why brand deals aren’t always the answer, and the financial realities (and taxes) of being a top digital creator.Haley also gets real about the stigma of divorce, the pressure successful women face while dating, her viral “Billionaire Boyfriend” series, and what it really takes to stay authentic while scaling a $6M+ creator business.Whether you’re dreaming of a career in content, modeling, or building your own creator-led brand, this conversation is packed with lessons, raw honesty, and plenty of laughs.Chapters00:00 – From biomedical science to beauty pageants04:30 – Winning Miss Minnesota & paying for college with scholarships06:00 – Sports Illustrated open casting call via Instagram10:00 – Early modeling days & mental resilience12:00 – Viral apartment tour → pivot to content creation15:00 – Betting everything on YouTube & posting 5x a day19:00 – Hitting $50k/month in ad revenue22:00 – The viral “Billionaire Boyfriend” series24:00 – Divorce stigma, healing, and rebuilding29:00 – Going from red carpets to Oscars & Met Gala33:00 – Social media backlash & accountability37:00 – Advice for creators on finding your voice41:00 – Monetization: ad revenue vs. brand deals46:00 – Staying authentic in partnerships48:00 – The true costs of creator life (taxes, management fees)50:00 – What’s next for Haley🔗 FOLLOW USPhoebe GatesSophia KianniHaley Kalil🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTSInstagramTikTokLinkedIn📲 Support What We’re BuildingPhoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app, try it out, and help us grow this community from the ground up.About The BurnoutsThe Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, 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 blueprint for building power in your 20s.Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.