Meet the Pre-Med Nerd Who Modeled for Sports Illustrated and Became a $6M Forbes Creator (@haleyybaylee)

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. Chapters 00:00 – From biomedical science to beauty pageants 04:30 – Winning Miss Minnesota & paying for college with scholarships 06:00 – Sports Illustrated open casting call via Instagram 10:00 – Early modeling days & mental resilience 12:00 – Viral apartment tour → pivot to content creation 15:00 – Betting everything on YouTube & posting 5x a day 19:00 – Hitting $50k/month in ad revenue 22:00 – The viral “Billionaire Boyfriend” series 24:00 – Divorce stigma, healing, and rebuilding 29:00 – Going from red carpets to Oscars & Met Gala 33:00 – Social media backlash & accountability 37:00 – Advice for creators on finding your voice 41:00 – Monetization: ad revenue vs. brand deals 46:00 – Staying authentic in partnerships 48:00 – The true costs of creator life (taxes, management fees) 50:00 – What’s next for Haley 🔗 FOLLOW US Phoebe Gates Sophia Kianni Haley Kalil 🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS Instagram TikTok LinkedIn 📲 Support What We’re Building Phoebe 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 Burnouts The 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.