We recently connected with Jessica Lissette and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
It may not seem meaningful/impactful from the outside looking in, nor is it based on merit. However, the most meaningful project I have worked on is actually a fun AmTrak commercial. Of course, meaningful is based on perspective, and from my perspective the reason an AmTrak commercial would be so meaningful, is not because of the project itself, but because I got to work on it with my husband (of 16 years) and children (10 and 8 years old), as a family acting gig.
God, family, and well-being are so important to me, so the meaningfulness of this project actually spans back to 2011, before my children were even born. Although it was a very difficult decision at the time, I paused my pursuit in commercial and film in the middle of the momentum; as God had blessed me with a job opportunity at a major BioTech company. Literally, I had just gotten all my things ready to send to acting agencies- I had my resumes and headshots already printed and ready to go, just to be put into manila envelopes, and then I encountered a crossroad for a job I didn’t even formally apply to!
It was so conflicting for me, because at that time my family solely consisted of 2 newlyweds struggling to make ends meet. We married in March 2009 right when the recession was about to hit, and during my honeymoon I became ill, and then in June I became unemployed and without income and with my husband in paramedic school, we ended up moving in with my parents. I was sick until September with a similar feeling to vertigo, that no doctor could pinpoint the cause or cure. I was desperate to feel normal again, as I only felt okay if I was sitting or lying down, but as soon as I would get up, even the simple act of getting myself a bowl of cereal would make me feel so sick. God miraculously healed me through my husband’s prayer one night by what felt as fire from heaven was upon me and was boiling whatever was in my body that did not belong. I knew I was healed in that exact moment, and to prove it to myself, I got up and went outside and ran down the block at 11:30pm, and I was so overjoyed I was crying tears of joy as I ran into my husband’s arms.
Once I was healed, I was unable to find a job which utilized my degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. I humbled myself by setting my degree aside and decided to apply for the company that gives out samples at Costco. I loved it because it felt like I was in my own little commercial each time I worked. I did that job while pursuing acting, which then fast forward to the March 2011 BioTech job offer. It came down to a decision to continue to pursue my dream, which was an uncertain path; or to take the path of an opportunity for a steady income and reclaim our dream of living on our own. One dream vs another dream… but in the end I didn’t have to choose between acting or a stable job, I just had to shift my focus to a career opportunity with financial stability, and re-focus on acting in the future. However, while I worked I was still able to participate in stage acting, and found a passion for dance through Royal Stage Performing Arts in Roseville, CA. I continued to drive an hour once or twice a week to participate in dance classes and show rehearsals until I got pregnant in 2014 with my daughter. At that point I really did have to shift my entire focus into work and my now growing family. I knew one day I could always go back to acting, as there is no age limit for acting; however I never knew when that day would come, especially as years began to pass by. And before I knew it, another 7 years had passed.
It wasn’t until the devastating loss of my father in 2022 that led to major life changes for my entire family that I found myself back at another crossroad. One that involved giving up my steady career for one centered in being present for my family, as I cared for my mother, homeschooled my children, and continued the healing journey of grief. In Nov 2022 having just put in my 2 week notice a few days prior, I stumbled across an email for a Black Friday sale for production of a voice over demo from Nakamoto Productions. Ray Nakamoto had seen my natural talent and potential back in 2010, but I could not afford to do it. I hadn’t seen any emails from him since then, so I was intrigued by God’s timing for this. And at that moment is when I decided since I was no longer going to be bound to a career, and had more flexibility, I could pursue my passion of acting once more, while still keeping my family as my first priority. At first I figured voice over was the way to go and my voiceover demo was produced, but once again, God began a major internal healing work in me (from narcissistic and emotional abuse, I and my family had endured for years, and were finally free from in Aug of 2023). In Jan 2024, I reclaimed my identity in Christ Jesus, and began to regain my self confidence. And since then, God began to open doors to have me be back in front of the camera, not just hide behind a mic. And I began to network and get back in front of the camera via various podcasts, a SacTown Movie Buffs TV interview, field reporting for the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival live broadcast for Pacific Coast TV, a MMTB film in a day short film, a MMTB monologue challenge, and a children’s TV show called Puppetville News on Access Sacramento.
That all led up to the most meaningful project to date, as in May of 2025 I saw a casting call via Forcier Casting for a real family. I wanted to apply, but I knew I didn’t have any fancy posed professional photos of our family; I mainly had selfies of us around a table and food (one of my favorite things to do – enjoy a meal with my family). I decided to submit us just as we are, raw and unedited, and real joyful moments of celebration. When we got cast, it was a surreal feeling. I couldn’t have been happier, to come full circle to appear in a commercial, but now with my family joining alongside me, sharing in my passion and dream. It was so special to get to act with my husband and children as a family. We got to spend time together making memories that will last a lifetime and were captured on camera. After all the years of delay, devastating loss, and heartache I have endured- this commercial marks as the most meaningful project so far! <3
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Latina Actress and Voice Over Artist, bilingual in English and Spanish. I am a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants who sacrificed so much to achieve the American Dream. When I hear their stories, I can’t imagine having to go through what they did. I am so grateful for what they achieved through having a humble heart, gratitude, and working hard. Their love and dedication to support me as I was in school allowed me to be the first in my family to go to college and obtain a degree from U.C. Davis in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, with an emphasis in Animal Behavior. I am a nature girl at heart, who dreams of my own show talking about animals, or to narrate for a show on a TV network such as Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, or National Geographic. Just this year, I have been given the opportunity to write my own segment of animal facts with a sidekick puppet on a children’s TV show Puppetville News (Season 1 Episode 3 – National Pajama Day). And I am now the official new writer and assistant director for the show. My first full episode script will debut in Season 1 Episode 4.
Since as far back as I can remember, I still can see myself reading to my younger brother who was 7 years younger than me. And not only was I reading to him, but I was actually making different voices for the different characters based on what I thought they would sound like. I wanted to make the story come to life, and feel like he was watching a show or a movie. I didn’t realize this was actually acting and doing voice over back in the ’90s.
In school I had always thought I would enjoy acting but I was too shy. I actually didn’t realize I was a natural actor, until I finally decided to take an acting class during my final year at UCD. While I took the class, I discovered acting had always been inside of me. And not only was it inside of me, I was actually good at it. I act based on what I feel, so when I act, I immerse myself in the character and story, and what you see is an authentic version of me as the character.
Authenticity is the key to creating anything. Whether it be a story, voice over project, commercial, film, interviews, podcasts, public speaking, teaching, or preaching in Kid’s Ministry – authenticity is what impacts the audience. I strive for authenticity no matter what project I am working on. I have brought my authenticity to theatre productions, short films, commercials, voice over projects both creative and industrial, and interviews. I also bring that same authenticity to modeling, dance, copywriting, and now screenwriting.
Authenticity is born from experience. And now at 40 years old, I have lived through so much, and grown through every experience, that my empathy is as real as it can be. I have such a big heart for others, especially the younger generations. I have begun preaching in the PreTeen and Elementary rooms at my church. I love being an Adventure Camp counselor. I am still a big kid at heart, so I love imagination and having fun with them. Which is also why I love acting, I get to have fun with others who share the same passion!
I do have a home studio, for both self tapes, voice over, and video podcasts and interviews. If anyone would like to collaborate, I would be happy to discuss your project whether for on screen, voice over, podcasts, interviews, etc. The best part is with my home studio set up, I can work with anyone from anywhere! I would love to make your vision come to life!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Dealing with Mental Health issues makes the journey of following your dream very challenging. Dealing with anxiety makes anything in life difficult, but when it takes center stage, creativity gets overshadowed. There is always a healthy amount of anxiety that comes with working on projects, as you want to do your best. However, unhealthy anxiety takes its toll on not just your thoughts, but also physiologically, and your relationships. I have now realized my anxiety stemmed from narcissistic and emotional abuse, that I didn’t even realize I was dealing with until I actually got out of it.
I never thought that I would ever go through something like that, especially involving extended family members. I didn’t even know what the term Narcissist even meant, until I began to heal from it. I dealt with the abuse since 2009, although at that point it was very hidden and it didn’t really begin to impact me until 2014, and only got worse as the years went by and the anxiety became overwhelming. The worst feelings came after having to break away from the relationship with those extended family members harming my family’s mental and emotional wellbeing. It was already hard enough to deal with this type of abuse on my own, but once I could see the cycle begin to happen to my own children, that is when the “No Tolerance” line got drawn in the sand.
After making that very definitive decision to cut ties in 2023, my self confidence was shattered into pieces, and I felt like I was hiding wounds that no one could see inside of me. I struggled and questioned every one of my decisions, even simple preferences. My mind battled between the lies of the abusers, that I was a bad person, and the reality that I was not the cause of the broken relationship. It was not until surrendering myself at the church altar in Jan 2024 that I finally reclaimed my true identity in Christ. From there, I slowly began to regain my confidence; but this time my confidence is not just superficial, it is internal based on who Christ is inside of me.
Through it all, I can confidently say that nothing that I went through was in vain. God is redeeming it all for good. Now being back in the acting scene, I am more confident in myself than ever before. And I have a new mission to help others, especially younger girls, whose identity is being shaped by the words and actions of those around them. I want them to understand how beautifully unique they are, and they are perfect just the way they are. And they have the right to be treated with love and respect, no matter the relationship dynamic. I willingly share my personal testimonies of physical and mental illness, healing, loss, provision, grief, anxiety, and abuse with various people I encounter because my heart is to provide hope to those who are also hurting in one way or another. I want others to know the same healing I experienced is available for them as well. My heart rejoices as God uses my life to help heal and restore others. I will continue to advocate for mental health, healthy relationships, and shine my light.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think non-creatives struggle to understand that the passion to create is a part of who I am. And I want to create, even if there is no money in the project. It is not about becoming rich, it is about doing something that fulfills who I am. Of course, it is an awesome feeling to get paid for my talent; however, I am also happy doing what I love, even if compensation does not come with it. I have even let the need for a steady income pause my creative journey.
The intent was to pause, not stop forever (although some days I wondered if I would ever get back to it). All the years I didn’t allow myself to work in acting were filled with daydreams of the projects I had worked on previously, and where I could be if I had continued. Now that I am back at it, I feel so happy. And even more so now, that I get to do it with my family! I love how my children are excited for me to write for Puppetville News TV and that they get to act in it as well. We have so much fun imagining ideas that we could do for future episodes.
I also have plans to make my own Faith based short film, a testament to how I have reclaimed my identity and confidence in Christ. I am reaching forward to what lies ahead, wherever God leads me. At the end of the day, my priority is God, my family, and then creativity. And if God allows me to combine all 3 aspects together- to actually create something that will truly impact the lives of others, and work with my family, that is my new creative dream. My previous dream of having my own show about animals is still welcomed, but I have even bigger dreams now. Everything I have been through has led to my current reality, so that is where I choose to be; because without it, I wouldn’t have grown into the person I am today with even bigger creative dreams, that will never happen if I stop acting forever just to chase a paycheck.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica__lissette/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaLissetteAho
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-lissette/
- Twitter: https://x.com/JessicaLissette
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessicalissette
- Other: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV6Ee8TtVgdxpBX5INbn1WoBdzmWwQJXu&si=g2QX9wVFebZhUZ2m
