We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lissette Cancel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lissette below.

Hi Lissette, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Yes, without a doubt. The defining moment in my career wasn’t a job offer, a title, or even a breakthrough performance. It was a billboard. There was a time when I was in a dark and painful season of my life. I had lost my business, gone through a divorce, and convinced myself that I was too old to dream again. The voice in my head told me I was behind, unworthy, and that I had missed my moment. I felt stuck trapped in fear, regret, and self-doubt. Then one day, I saw a billboard of an older woman graduating from college. Something about that image struck me deeply. In that instant, I thought, if she can do it, why not me? That was the sign I was looking for, it sparked something inside of me.

At 44, I enrolled in college. At 48, I graduated with a bachelor’s of science in business, specializing in Communication, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. At the same time my daughter and I graduated the same weekend different schools and different degrees. At 50, I reignited my childhood dream of acting and modeling, and became a certified Self-Love Coach, and launched Transform with Sagi, LLC. Now at 55, I’m living a life that feels real, aligned, and meaningful. It’s not perfect, I’m not rich, but rich in spirit full of purpose.

Seeing an older woman on a billboard understanding that single moment of seeing someone else do what I thought I couldn’t remind me of the power of possibility. It taught me that transformation begins the moment you choose yourself. I no longer believed the lie that I was too old or too far behind. I realized I was just getting started. I ended up being on my very own billboard myself.

That experience is the heartbeat behind everything I do now. I help women who feel stuck, unseen, or like it’s too late, rediscover their worth, reclaim their joy, and get their groove back through self-love, intuitive eating, and spirituality. My life’s work is rooted in my lived experience—because I’ve been there. And I know what’s possible on the other side.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My birth name is Lissette Cancel, but I’m also known as Sagi a proud Latina Self-Love & Wellness Coach, actress, model, and founder of Transform with Sagi, LLC. I help women who feel stuck, invisible, or like it’s too late, get their groove back and step into a life that feels aligned, joyful, and full of purpose.

My journey here wasn’t linear, it was real, raw, self-made and transformative.
I was on my own by 16, a mom at 19, a breast cancer survivor by 30, and a business owner who lost everything after 9/11. I found myself in what many call the “dark night of the soul”—feeling too old to start over, too far behind to catch up, and too broken to feel whole again. And like many women, I hid it well. I was a lifelong people pleaser and always putting everyone first always smiling through the pain. Then one day, I saw a billboard of an older woman graduating from college. That image lit something in me. I thought, “If she can do it, why not me?”

Before enrolling in college, I had to face a difficult truth: I never graduated high school. I had hidden that part of my story for years, even from my own children. I was afraid they’d lose respect for me, so I pretended I had graduated. Deep down, I just wanted them to stay in school and do better than I did. So, I started from scratch. I earned my GED, and at 44, I enrolled in college. At 48, I graduated with a bachelor’s in business, specializing in Communication, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. That same weekend, my daughter also graduated—from a different school, with a different degree. We shared that powerful moment together, and it’s something I will carry in my heart forever.

At 50, I finally gave myself permission to pursue the dreams I had put on hold for so long. I reignited my childhood passion for acting and modeling, earned a Certificate in Commercial Acting, became a certified Self-Love Coach, and launched Transform with Sagi, LLC. I’ve since been on IMDB, featured in a Lifetime movie, action film, short film, independent film appeared in national commercials, and—full circle—found myself on nit one but two billboards of my own.

Now at 55, I’m living a life that feels real. It’s not perfect. I’m not rich—but I’m rich in spirit, full of passion and purpose. That single moment of seeing someone else do what I thought I couldn’t remind me of the power of possibility. It taught me that transformation begins the moment you choose yourself and know that nobody is coming to save you, you have to do the work. That experience is the heartbeat behind everything I do.

Through Transform with Sagi, I offer:
• One-on-one and group coaching centered on self-love, intuitive eating, and spirituality
• The “Get Your Groove Back” experience, designed to help women break free from fear and reignite their joy
• Holistic wellness products (in the making) through Sagi’s Café, including wellness shots, herbal teas (hot & cold), bone broth, and more
• Motivational speaking in schools, community spaces, and for breast cancer warriors—raising awareness around self-love and resilience
• Creative inspiration through acting, modeling, and storytelling—living proof that your dreams don’t expire.

My clients come to me when they’re tired of playing small—when they’re ready to stop dimming their light and start choosing themselves. What sets me apart is that I live what I teach. I’ve walked through the fire, and now I help other women rise from their own ashes.

I want people to know this: When you choose yourself, everything changes.
No matter what your age, your past, or your pain—it is never too late to start over.
You are not too old. You are not too far behind. You are just getting started.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the most defining moments in my life happened in complete silence. I was sitting alone in my room, staring at a GED prep book, with tears streaming down my face. I was 44 years old. A mom. A breast cancer survivor and other medical challenges. A woman who had once owned a business but lost it all. And I had just admitted a truth I’d hidden for decades: I never graduated high school.

Even my kids didn’t know. I had lied because I didn’t want them to follow in my footsteps. I thought if I could just act like I had it together, they’d be better off. But the truth was—deep down—I felt like a fraud. I thought I had waited too long. That maybe it was too late for me.

Then one day, I saw a billboard of an older woman in a cap and gown. That single image shifted everything. It reminded me that transformation doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from choosing yourself, even in the mess.

I got my GED. Enrolled in college. And at 48, I walked across that stage with a degree in Business, specializing in Communication, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship. Even better? My daughter and I graduated the same weekend, from different schools. We both wore our caps and gowns that weekend—and this time, I wasn’t pretending.

That moment didn’t just mark a graduation. It marked the death of the lie that I was too old, too broken, or too behind. I realized I was just getting started. That’s the spirit I carry into everything I do now. Whether I’m coaching, acting, or speaking, I lead from that same place: radical honesty, fierce resilience, and deep self-love.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn—probably the biggest one—was being a people pleaser. For so long, I equated being “professional” or “put together” with putting everyone else’s needs before my own. I thought that being a good wife, a good mother, a good businesswoman meant making sure everyone was happy—even if I was running on empty.

I became a wife and mother at a young age. I have two amazing children and now two beautiful grandchildren. I was also a successful business owner—I once ran several children’s shoe stores in Boston. From the outside, it looked like I had it all together. But inside, I was exhausted from always showing up for everyone except myself.

Then, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to make quick decisions—not just for my health, but for my family and business too. Thank God I had options, and I chose to have a mastectomy. After my recovery, everything shifted. My outlook on life changed. I started living today for a better tomorrow. I’ve been cancer-free since then—but that experience planted the seed that something in me needed to heal much deeper than the physical.

Years later, I went through a divorce, sold the businesses, and started a new life and had a new family. Life was good for a while. Then suddenly—it wasn’t. Once again, everything I had worked so hard for felt like it was being stripped away. I found myself at a crossroads asking, where did I go wrong?

That’s when I realized: I had never really chosen me. I had been living based on old beliefs—being the fixer, the strong one, the dependable one. But I didn’t know how to love myself just as I am, with all my flaws, mistakes, and uncertainty.

Unlearning people-pleasing meant learning to fill my own cup first. It meant choosing myself not as a last resort—but as a daily practice. That’s what self-love is. And it’s the foundation of everything I teach now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.transformwithsagi.com
• Instagram: @transformwithsagi @sagi_reyes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B2m8DnyYE/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.imdb.me/lissettecancel