To hack a website or email account takes a certain talent and interest. But to hack life—now, that’s a skill we’d all like to master. Jupiter’s Marc and Angel Chernoff have done just that, and they will be sharing their insights this month at Harbourside Place.
Ask Marc and Angel Chernoff what they do for a living, and their answer is simple: “We’re coaches.” But the Jupiter residents are not the type of coaches who stand on the sidelines encouraging others to play better. Rather, they’re the type of coaches who help others live better.
As life coaches and founders of the widely followed blog, Marc and Angel Hack Life, the married duo’s career is one laden in personal development. They’ve helped thousands overcome adversity, and through their articles, personalized coaching, courses, conferences and book, 1,000+ Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently, the Chernoffs provide the reflective tools needed to achieve success, serenity and, above all, happiness.
This comes, of course, not long after they too had to reclaim some peace of mind.
It began at the close of 2008.
The college sweethearts were married, living in Orlando and ready to plant roots. But after Angel’s seven-year climb up the corporate ladder, which landed her the responsibility of running a $14 million store, she got laid off. Marc’s engineering degree had secured his employment at different startup companies, but Angel had been the breadwinner. So the news was not only an emotional blow but also financial.
“Our mindset before the layoff was, ‘If you do the right thing, if you check off all the boxes, if you’re a great worker, you’re going to work your way up,’” Marc, 35, says. “But the layoff was such a slap in the face to that ideology.”
In January 2009, the Chernoffs moved to Pacific Beach, California, in an attempt to reinvent themselves. Marc was able to transfer with his job as a small government contractor working for the Marine Corps with flight simulators. And Angel found work at a nearby college, where she was able to pursue her master’s degree.
But just as the dark skies began to clear, a thunderstorm was approaching. And like lightning, the hard times struck again and again.
In September 2009, the couple’s best friend unexpectedly passed away. And in December, Angel received more bad news: her brother had taken his own life.
“When you’re away from the people you love, and you experience something like this, suddenly you question everything you’re doing,” Angel, 34, says.
The Chernoffs had created their blog site back in 2006, but its intended purpose was no more than an online diary of sorts, cataloging experiences and thoughts. It always served as a creative outlet, but during their most challenging year, its content began to change.
“It went from being reflective about happy things to more reflective about some of the worst possible scenarios a person can go through,” Marc says.
The Chernoffs began a journey of self-healing. They read and researched copious amounts of personal development literature. And thanks to books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, they reclaimed their lives.
On Marc and Angel Hack Life, the couple began writing about their research, its implementation and how, in turn, it worked for them. By 2012, the articles were circulating sites like Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. They were being shared and liked a thousand times over. And eventually, readers started reaching out to the Chernoffs to thank them for their stories, share their own and sometimes even ask for their help.
“That’s when we starting thinking, ‘Whoa, we have something here,’” Marc says. “Talk about an accidental entrepreneurship.”
Having returned to Florida in 2014, the Chernoffs are now full-time bloggers, coaches and students of life. They are also tackling a new milestone: parenthood. Their son, Mac, is 2 years old.
While the Chernoffs continue to read, write and attend conferences about personal development, their success does not reside in what they’ve found. Rather, it’s in the daily ritual of putting what they’ve learned into practice.
For them, it is important that as coaches, they practice what they preach.
On Feb. 18 and 19 the couple will be hosting a conference, Think Better, Live Better, at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place. The presentation will include 15 renowned speakers who will explore different topics on life; thinklivebetter.com.
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