Lisette Xavier | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Age: 36

Occupation: TV Host; Musician; Entertainer

Growing up, Lisette Xavier was often told that her energy and curiosity were “too much.” Now a prominent voice in children’s media, she says she’s in a role where she is just the right amount.

Xavier hosts Bestest Day Ever with My Best Friend, a popular CBC Kids show, with thousands of weekly viewers nationwide. Young guests join Xavier to treat their pets to the perfect day — think obstacle courses for pups, feline spa days and custom-made swings for chickens. The show welcomes children of all backgrounds and abilities, ensuring their unique needs are met so they feel comfortable participating on a big TV set.

She’s also a professional musician — she has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, participated in the National Music Centre’s Rock the Nation showcase and earned nine YYC Music Awards nominations.

As someone completely entrenched in the creative scene, Xavier calls Calgary a “city of people willing to try.”

“At every level in Calgary, people are so aware of what the arts mean for the community,” she says.

Between her projects and out-of-town contracts, Xavier pours back into the city she calls home. She launched a free music-education program for underserved youth in 2020, and, as a BAM! Camp Calgary volunteer (she started volunteering in 2013 and is now a board member), she has supported music programming for more than 200 gender-diverse youth.

In 2018, the True Beauty Foundation recognized her with the Authentic Sound Humanitarian award.

Stretching beyond her work on Bestest Day Ever, Xavier has become a nationally recognized voice in youth entertainment, hosting both the 2025 Junior JUNOS and Avenue’s inaugural Top 20 Under 20 event earlier this year. Xavier attributes her success in front of young audiences to her sense of curiosity and a feeling of mutual respect.

“I think everyone’s fascinating. Kids are no different.”

Thank yous
“On my darkest days, when joy and hope felt out of reach, a past version of me still chose to keep going. She made impossible decisions so that I could live the life I have today. I owe everything to her — that brave, broken girl who refused to give up.”