Marisa Hochberg became obsessed with health when she realized that approaching food differently could radically change her life. After she lost 75 pounds, she wanted to turn her attention towards helping other people find transformation through health. She saw an opportunity in Montauk, at the famed Surf Lodge hotel which had an incredibly popular summer concert and art programs, but not a wellness series. She approached the hotel owner and now is the Wellness Director at the trendy hotel. Here, Marisa talks about her health journey and road to a new career.

Wellness Breakthrough:

I spent my first two years of undergrad at the University of Michigan and I often had to fly back to New York and I developed a fear of flying. The fear of flying triggered panic attacks and a full blown anxiety disorder. I transferred to NYU and eventually I was able to overcome the anxiety which gave me confidence that if I could tackle that, I could also face my weight issues. On my own through a healthy diet, research and exercise, I lost 75 pounds in one year and I have maintained that wellness lifestyle ever since.

New Path:

I lost my weight at a time when the wellness scene was kicking up and when Montauk was also making its transformation into becoming one of the hottest beach towns in the country. Lots of brands and workouts didn’t really have exposure there. I had grown up going out to Montauk so I started doing marketing for some of these wellness companies and pop-ups for workouts. When I met the owner of The Surf Lodge, Jayma Cardoso, I explained my vision of building a wellness program at the hotel. There was already an amazing concert series and art series and I thought wellness should be built out in a similar way. She was into the idea and the rest is history. Since then, I have also headed up partnerships for The Surf Lodge bringing some of the leading names in the health and wellness space. I also started my own wellness consulting and branding agency.

Currently working on:

We have The Surf Lodge Art Basel coming up in a few weeks so it has been a lot of fun curating the programming for that and seeing it all come together. Additionally, I have my own wellness consulting company, MJH Wellness where I consult, forge partnerships etc. for wellness brands including Be Well.

Motivation:

So often I get messages from people around the world telling me that they’ve read my story and because of me they were motivated to turn their lives around and live healthier lives. Some young girls even told me they were so depressed, but that my story gave them hope. My motivation are those people. I cannot let them down.

Mantra:

Aspire to Inspire.

Food philosophy:

I try and stay away from everything processed and only eat clean. I shop the outer rims/aisles of the supermarket (inner aisles are almost always processed foods). I load up on good protein and fats, for example, salmon and almonds and fiber by eating lots of vegetables and fruit. I never miss having breakfast as I am a firm believer that this keeps your appetite under control for the day.

Strength:

My mom who tragically passed away a little over a year ago. She dedicated her life to funding a cure for cancer as one of the world’s most brilliant molecular biologists only to be told out of the blue that she had lung cancer (she never smoked a day in her life). She never said it was unfair or complained in her three years of fighting the disease and she stayed strong. I remember her strength and her fight every time that I feel weak, and I stay strong.

Beauty from the inside out:

Celery Juice on an empty stomach. I thought this trend was crazy until I tried it. Right away I noticed that I had more energy but also that my skin was glowing and my cystic acne was gone! I also eat lots of salmon which is high in Omega 3’s and I believe helps with my skin as well. I drink lots of green tea and Matcha which is loaded with antioxidants and and Catechins which help to improve your skin in many ways including protection against sun damage and by creating more skin elasticity.

Product obsession:

I have switched over to clean beauty products. I love the Goop three-Minute Facial. It literally makes me look as though I just had a chemical peel and leaves me with an instant refreshing glow for an event or dinner date. I also love the Moon Juice Beauty Shroom Exfoliating Acid Potion. This all natural, sulfate, paraben and phthalates free potion is a quickie facial that resurfaces and restores to reveal tighter, brighter, smoother skin. I have recently become obsessed with my rose quartz crystal facial roller. I swear just using this for a few minutes in the morning and evening, my puffy eyes go away and my cheekbones become more defined! It is so great for lymphatic drainage. I highly recommend it.

Words of wisdom:

For years I went to nutritionists and had trainers but none of these people were able to help me to lose my weight, until I myself made up my mind that I needed to do it for me. Once you make that conscious decision that this weight loss is for you then you will succeed.