PRIVACY POLICY

Kae-Ar, Inc. ("Kae-Ar," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you visit https://www.karenretardo.com (the "Website"), subscribe to our communications, complete an assessment or form, schedule a call, purchase or use a product or service, participate in coaching or an event, or otherwise interact with us.

By using the Website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by law, we will request it separately.

1. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

  • Contact information, such as your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, business name, job title, and social-media information.

  • Account, transaction, and billing information, such as products or services purchased, transaction history, billing address, and payment status. Payments are processed by third-party payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal. We generally do not receive or store your complete payment-card number.

  • Scheduling and communication information, such as appointment details, messages, email correspondence, call notes, and customer-service requests.

  • Coaching, assessment, and intake information that you choose to provide through Coaches Console, Google Forms, assessments, questionnaires, coaching sessions, or other communications. This may include goals, strengths, business circumstances, professional background, personal reflections, or information about your well-being.

  • Audio, video, and transcript information when you participate in a Zoom session or meeting that is recorded or transcribed through Zoom, Fathom, or another tool. We will seek notice and consent before recording or transcribing where required. You may decline recording or transcription unless it is essential to a specifically disclosed service.

  • Marketing information, including newsletter subscriptions, communication preferences, lead-magnet requests, survey responses, and engagement with our emails.

  • Website and device information, including IP address, browser type, device information, referring pages, pages viewed, links clicked, approximate location, timestamps, and interactions with the Website and embedded content.

  • User-submitted content, such as comments, reviews, testimonials, survey responses, or materials you send to us.

Please do not submit patient information, protected health information, medical records, Social Security numbers, financial-account credentials, or other highly sensitive information through ordinary Website forms, email, or coaching intake forms. Kae-Ar, Inc. is not acting as your healthcare provider through this Website, and its coaching services are not represented as HIPAA-covered healthcare services.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information:

  • Directly from you when you subscribe, submit a form, schedule, purchase, communicate with us, or participate in a service.

  • Automatically through Squarespace, cookies, analytics, server logs, and similar technologies.

  • From service providers and platforms you use to interact with us, such as Coaches Console, Calendly, Stripe, PayPal, Google Analytics, Google Forms, Zoom, and Fathom.

  • From publicly available sources or professional platforms when you voluntarily engage with us there.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

  • Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Website.

  • Provide coaching, assessments, programs, courses, workshops, digital products, and other services you request.

  • Process transactions, send receipts, administer purchases, and prevent fraud.

  • Schedule and manage appointments and communicate about services.

  • Deliver newsletters, resources, and marketing communications you requested or otherwise lawfully agreed to receive.

  • Personalize content and understand how visitors use our Website and communications.

  • Respond to questions, support requests, privacy requests, and disputes.

  • Maintain business, tax, accounting, contractual, and legal records.

  • Protect our rights, safety, property, systems, clients, and users.

  • Comply with applicable law, legal process, professional obligations, and enforceable governmental requests.

  • Carry out another purpose disclosed when the information is collected, with your consent when required.

4. Legal Bases for EU and UK Visitors

If the European Economic Area or United Kingdom data-protection laws apply, we process personal data under one or more of the following legal bases:

  • Contract: processing is necessary to provide a product or service you requested or to take steps before entering a contract.

  • Consent: you have given permission, such as for optional marketing, recording, transcription, or nonessential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.

  • Legitimate interests: processing is reasonably necessary to operate, secure, improve, and communicate about our business, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

  • Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with a law that applies to us.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Website uses cookies and similar technologies. These may include:

  • Strictly necessary cookies, which support security, navigation, forms, preferences, and essential Website functions.

  • Analytics and performance cookies, including Squarespace Analytics and Google Analytics, which help us understand Website traffic and use.

  • Functional cookies, which support enhanced functions and third-party features.

  • Advertising or social-media cookies which may be placed by embedded or linked third-party services depending on the content and integrations active on a page.

Embedded YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, podcast, and other third-party content may allow the provider to collect information about your device or interaction, even when you do not have an account with that provider. Those providers control their own technologies and information practices.

Where required, nonessential cookies will be restricted until you make a choice. You can select Accept All, Decline All, or Manage Cookies through our cookie banner. You can revisit your selection using the cookie-preferences control on the Website. You may also adjust your browser settings, although blocking certain cookies may affect Website functions.

6. Analytics

We use Squarespace Analytics and Google Analytics to understand Website activity. These services may collect device, browser, approximate location, IP-address, page-view, referral, click, and interaction information. Where required, we activate analytics only after consent. You may decline analytics cookies through our cookie settings.

Our Website may respond to browser-based privacy signals to the extent supported by Squarespace and our configured tools. Because industry responses to "Do Not Track" signals are not uniform, we do not independently respond to all Do Not Track signals. Where legally required and technically supported, we will honor recognized opt-out preference signals, such as Global Privacy Control, for the browser or device sending the signal.

7. How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to:

  • Website and business-platform providers, including Squarespace and Coaches Console.

  • Scheduling, forms, communications, and meeting providers, including Calendly, Google Forms, Zoom, and Fathom.

  • Payment processors, including Stripe and PayPal.

  • Analytics, hosting, security, and technical providers, including Google Analytics.

  • Email and marketing providers used to deliver communications and manage subscriptions.

  • Professional advisers, such as attorneys, accountants, insurers, contractors, and consultants who need information to provide services to us and are expected to safeguard it.

  • Governmental, regulatory, or legal recipients when disclosure is required or permitted by law, necessary to respond to legal process, or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, and security.

  • A successor or transaction participant in connection with a merger, financing, reorganization, sale, transfer, or proposed transfer of all or part of the business, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

    • Other recipients at your direction or with your consent.

    We do not sell personal information for money. We do not knowingly share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. If our practices change, we will update this Policy and provide any legally required choices before using personal information in that way.

    8. Third-Party Links and Services

    The Website links to or embeds services controlled by third parties, including Calendly, Coaches Console, Stripe, PayPal, Google, Zoom, Fathom, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and podcast platforms. Their privacy policies govern information they control. We encourage you to review those policies. We are not responsible for third-party websites, services, security, or privacy practices.

    9. Email Marketing

    We send marketing emails only as permitted by applicable law. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in an email or contacting hello@karenretardo.com. Even if you opt out of marketing, we may send non-promotional messages concerning purchases, appointments, contracts, or our ongoing business relationship.

    10. Retention

    We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide services, maintain appropriate business and coaching records, comply with tax and legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and protect against fraud or abuse. Retention periods vary by the type of information, our relationship with you, legal requirements, and operational need. When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete, anonymize, or securely archive it.

    11. Security

    We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we maintain. However, no website, email, transmission, or storage system is completely secure. You provide information online at your own risk, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

    12. International Data Transfers

    Kae-Ar, Inc. is based in California, United States. If you access the Website or provide information from another country, your information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in the United States and other locations where our service providers operate. Those locations may have different data-protection laws than your home country. Where required, we and our service providers use appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

    13. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

    Depending on where you live and which law applies, you may have the right to:

    • Ask whether we process your personal information and request access to it.

    • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

    • Request deletion of certain information.

    • Ask us to restrict or object to certain processing.

    • Withdraw consent for future processing when we rely on consent.

    • Request a portable copy of certain information.

      • Opt out of marketing communications.

      • Appeal a decision or complain to an applicable privacy regulator.

      • Receive equal service and pricing without unlawful discrimination for exercising a privacy right.

      These rights are not absolute. Applicable law may allow or require us to retain or continue processing certain information. To submit a request, email hello@karenretardo.com with the subject line Privacy Request. Describe your request and the email address associated with your interaction with us. We may need to verify your identity before completing the request. Authorized agents may submit requests where applicable, but we may request evidence of their authority and verification from the individual concerned.

      California residents may also request information about certain disclosures of personal information for third parties' direct-marketing purposes under California's "Shine the Light" law, if applicable. Kae-Ar, Inc. does not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing without permission.

      EU and UK visitors may have the right to lodge a complaint with the data-protection authority where they live or work. Canadian visitors may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the applicable provincial regulator. We invite you to contact us first so we can try to address your concern.

      14. Children’s Privacy

      The Website and our products and services are intended for adults age 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided personal information to us, contact hello@karenretardo.com so we can review and, where appropriate, delete it.

      15. Changes to This Policy

      We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically. We will post the updated version on this page and change the "Last Updated" date. If changes are material, we may provide additional notice through the Website or email when required. Your continued use of the Website after an updated policy becomes effective signifies acknowledgment of the revised policy, but we will obtain consent when required by law.

      16. Contact Us

      For privacy questions or requests, contact:

    • Kae-Ar, Inc.

    • Email: hello@karenretardo.com

    • Website: https://www.karenretardo.com