Margaret LaPlante

EX Coach Lead

Margaret collaborates with the live chat team to ensure protocols are always current and research based. She trains the EX Coaches to get participants the help and medication support they need for a successful quit. Margaret has been delivering tobacco cessation coaching since 2004, helping others get the personalized help they need.

Articles

Man smoking in an urban setting, illustrating the connection between quitting smoking and weight loss in workplace wellness efforts.

Quitting Smoking and Weight Loss: Cost Benefits Employers Need to Know

The relationship between quitting smoking and weight loss is complex, with both challenges and benefits to consider. For employers aiming to curb the rising costs of GLP-1 medications while supporting employees in achieving a healthy weight, it’s essential to recognize the strong connection between quitting smoking and weight loss. Smoking […]

closeup of man vaping as he ponders what employers need to know about e-cigarettes

Solving Secondhand “Vape Smoke” at Work—and at Home

Like the advice column Dear Abby, we regularly answer etiquette questions on how to handle tobacco-related issues at work and at home. Below are delicate questions we hear about secondhand vape aerosol, also known as “vape smoke,” with responses based on my 15+ years of experience in treating tobacco addiction. […]

What Does It Mean to Be Trauma Informed?

What does it mean to be trauma informed and why is this important for people who coach tobacco users? Let me explain. What does it mean to be trauma informed? Being trauma informed means that you recognize exposure to trauma elevates an individual’s risk for mental health and substance use […]

the people and the types of tobacco they use are different, so tailored coaching is essential to help people quit

Should Coaching Vary by Types of Tobacco?

There are many different types of tobacco: Cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco are some of the most common. But is coaching for all types of tobacco the same? To get to the answer, ponder these parallel questions: Would you ask snowboarders what kind of ski poles they use? Would you […]

young family experiencing one of the many benefits of tobacco cessation

How the Benefits of Tobacco Cessation Extend Beyond Employees

When it comes to the benefits of tobacco cessation, employees and employers aren’t the only ones with something to gain. As an employer thinking about 2022 benefits, you want employees to have a proven solution for changing tobacco use, but what about their family members? It tends to be an […]

hands holding letters that symbolize why someone would want to become a quit-smoking coach

My “Why” for Becoming a Quit-smoking Coach

When I was growing up, I often heard how challenging it had been for my mother and father to quit smoking prior to me being born. My mom, especially, had a difficult time because she stayed home with 5 kids, all very close in age, and smoking was her stress […]

health plan buyer guide to nicotine cessation programs

Engaging the Disengaged with Quit-smoking Incentives

The enormous cost of insuring tobacco users, due to health conditions caused by smoking, has employers and health plans offering quit-smoking incentives to encourage users to quit. The Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans found that 22% of large employers (500 or more employees) use tobacco surcharges. Among employers with 20,000 […]

head showing the resilience in the workplace includes multiple factors like safety, wellbeing, and stress management

How We Help Build Resilience in the Workplace

As employers bring back workers, a focus on safety, resilience, and wellbeing in the workplace is paramount. Safety to contain the spread of COVID-19. Wellbeing to support the whole health of employees. And resiliency to help employees develop the capacity to recover quickly, time and time again, from difficulties. As […]

6 Common Questions About Tobacco Cessation Counseling Via Live Chat

6 Common Questions about Tobacco Cessation Coaching Via Live Chat

If you’re an employer looking for the “CliffsNotes” version of what tobacco cessation coaching via live chat is all about, you’ve come to the right place. Most chats I complete as an EX Coach are with actual members in the EX Program but I also chat with potential clients as […]

Truth Initiative study found that smoking cessation live chat can broaden the reach of tobacco treatment specialists to deploy evidence-based counseling skills and behavior change techniques.

Delivery of Smoking Cessation Treatment via Live Chat: An Analysis of Client-centered Coaching Skills and Behavior Change Techniques

Abstract Objective: This qualitative study explored whether evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment components can be deployed via web-based live chat coaching. Methods: N = 100 randomly selected chats were coded. Researchers […]