#036 Raising Leaders in a Distracted World: Krissy Webb’s Mission

Built For This Podcast, with Carly Pepin

April 23, 2026 by

Carly Pepin

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Carly Pepin sits down with Krissy Webb, co-founder and executive director of Student ACES, a nonprofit dedicated to developing young leaders through character, accountability, and real-world life skills.

In this impactful episode of Built for This, Krissy shares how a simple but powerful question about the future of leadership sparked the creation of Student ACES and grew into a multi-million-dollar organization transforming student athletes across schools. What began as a passion project quickly became a mission to fill a critical gap in traditional education, where character and leadership development are often overlooked.

Carly and Krissy dive into the realities of building a nonprofit from the ground up, from early failures and working without pay to learning how to fundraise and measure impact through meaningful data. They also explore the challenges facing today’s youth, including the effects of constant digital distraction, reduced critical thinking, and the need for practical life skills like resilience, decision-making, and time management. This episode is a powerful reminder that real leadership is built through character, not titles, and that lasting impact starts with investing in people.

Key Themes:

Character Over Titles: Why true leadership is built on accountability, respect, and consistent action, not position or status.
Growth Through Failure: How persistence, learning, and resilience shape meaningful success over time.
Preparing the Next Generation: Why critical thinking and real-world skills are essential in a distracted, fast-changing world.

Memorable Quotes:

“A lot of trial and error, a lot of failure… to have anything successful, you did fail a lot.”

“You literally get paid for data now.”

“If you talk to them like they’re adults, they’ll talk to you like an adult.”

Krissy Webb

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About Krissy Webb:

Krissy Webb is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Student ACES, a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring and developing young men and women of character, honor, and integrity. The organization’s mission is to create champions through its core values: Command Respect, Honor Your Word, Aspire to Greatness, Maintain Courage, Possess a Work Ethic Second to None, Inspire Others, Own a Winning Attitude, Never Settle, and Sacrifice for Self and Team.

Beyond her work with Student ACES, Krissy is deeply involved in youth development through sports, serving as the head coach of the ACES Elite softball team and mentoring the next generation both on and off the field. Her passion for empowering young people is unwavering, making her a true advocate and champion for youth leadership.