Privacy Policy

1. A plain-language summary

We collect information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, form responses, and communications.

We also receive limited technical information needed to operate and protect the website. We use Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity only when you affirmatively consent to analytics.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not currently use advertising or retargeting trackers.

You may decline analytics without losing access to the website, research, forms, downloads, or other Second Ascent content.

You may review or change your analytics preference at any time by selecting Privacy Choices in the website footer.

2. Information you provide directly

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Second Ascent.

Contact and subscription information

We may collect:

• your name;
• your email address;
• your telephone number, when requested;
• your communication preferences;
• information you include in an email or other message; and
• information needed to respond to a question or request.

Resource requests and email communications

When you request an Executive Summary, subscribe to updates, or ask us to resend a resource, we may collect your name, email address, subscription status, source information, and information needed to deliver the requested material.

Expressions of interest and program information

When you express interest in Founding Circle or another Second Ascent experience, we may collect:

• contact information;
• information about your interest in the experience;
• availability or scheduling information;
• responses you choose to provide through the form;
• information relevant to preparing for a Discovery Call;
• consent and communication preferences;
• referral or attribution information; and
• operational notes related to follow-up, fit, availability, or cohort placement.

Submitting an expression of interest is not a payment, enrollment, or acceptance step.

Calls and direct communications

When you schedule or participate in a call, we may collect scheduling details, information you provide during the conversation, and limited follow-up notes needed to respond to you or administer the relationship.

We do not record calls unless you are informed in advance and any legally required consent is obtained.

Research and survey information

Second Ascent may invite people to participate in surveys, interviews, or other research.

Depending on the research, you may choose to provide information about midlife, work, relationships, wellbeing, personal experiences, or other subjects that may be sensitive.

When we conduct research, we will explain the purpose of the collection and any material research-specific terms at or before the point of collection.

We may use aggregated or de-identified research findings in reports, articles, presentations, or other public materials. We will not intentionally identify you in public research materials without separate permission.

3. Sensitive and health-related information

Some Second Ascent forms, research activities, or conversations may involve personal information about wellbeing, life experiences, or health-related concerns.

Second Ascent is not a healthcare provider and does not provide medical care through the website. Please do not submit medical records, insurance information, government identification numbers, financial account information, or other highly sensitive information unless we specifically request it and explain why it is necessary.

Information you voluntarily provide through an ordinary website form or communication may not receive the same legal protections as information maintained by a healthcare provider.

We do not send form answers, free-text responses, Discovery Call information, cohort notes, or other directly identifying sensitive information to Google Analytics.

We require sensitive form fields and embedded form regions to be masked from Microsoft Clarity recordings and related usability tools.

4. Information collected automatically

Strictly necessary technical information

When you visit the website, our hosting, security, and technical providers may automatically process limited information needed to deliver and protect the site, such as:

• Internet Protocol address;
• browser and device type;
• operating system;
• requested pages and files;
• date and time of a request;
• referral information;
• server, security, and error logs; and
• information needed to prevent abuse, diagnose failures, and maintain the website.

This processing may occur even when you decline analytics because it is necessary to operate, secure, and deliver the website.

Analytics information

When you affirmatively accept analytics, we may collect information about how you use the website, including:

• pages viewed;
• approximate traffic source;
• campaign parameters;
• general device and browser information;
• links or calls to action selected;
• navigation through the research report;
• form-start and form-completion events;
• resource-download events;
• embed failures and recovery actions; and
• general interaction and performance information.

Analytics information is intended to help us understand whether the website is useful and functioning properly. It is not intended to create a detailed personal profile of you.

5. Cookies, local storage, and privacy choices

The website may use cookies, browser storage, or similar technologies for the following purposes.

Strictly necessary technologies

These technologies may be used to:

• remember your privacy selection;
• maintain website security;
• support essential website or form functionality;
• prevent abuse;
• balance traffic; and
• diagnose technical problems.

Strictly necessary technologies cannot always be disabled through our privacy interface because the website may not function correctly without them.

Analytics technologies

Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity are disabled unless and until you affirmatively accept analytics.

If you decline analytics:

• Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity will remain disabled;
• declining will not block or reduce access to the website;
• forms and downloads will remain available;
• calls to action will remain available; and
• we will not intentionally pressure you to reverse your decision.

We store limited first-party information needed to remember and apply your privacy selection. This information is not intended to create an identifiable history of your website activity.

You may change or withdraw your analytics consent at any time by selecting Privacy Choices in the website footer. Your new selection will apply going forward.

Advertising technologies

Second Ascent does not currently activate advertising cookies, advertising pixels, retargeting technologies, or cross-site behavioral advertising.

Advertising remains disabled unless we separately approve and disclose a change to that practice.

6. Google Analytics

With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 to measure general website use and understand how visitors find and move through Second Ascent content.

We configure our implementation so that Google Analytics is not intentionally sent:

• names;
• email addresses;
• telephone numbers;
• form answers;
• free-text responses;
• Discovery Call information;
• cohort notes; or
• other information that directly identifies you.

Google may process analytics information according to its own privacy terms and contractual obligations to us.

You can withdraw analytics consent through Privacy Choices at any time.

7. Microsoft Clarity

With your consent, we use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors experience the website. Clarity may produce aggregated heatmaps, interaction information, and masked session-replay data.

We require the strongest practical masking for areas where personal or sensitive information could appear, including:

• Kit forms;
• Tally forms;
• embedded form regions;
• email fields;
• free-text areas;
• Discovery Call information; and
• future fields that may contain sensitive information.

We do not intentionally provide Clarity with a custom user identifier.

No masking system is infallible. We test the implementation and limit access to Clarity, but you should avoid entering highly sensitive information into any website field unless it is requested and necessary.

You can withdraw analytics consent through Privacy Choices at any time.

8. How we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

• operate, maintain, secure, and improve the website;
• provide requested reports, downloads, and resources;
• respond to questions and communications;
• administer email subscriptions and preferences;
• send communications you requested or consented to receive;
• process an expression of interest;
• prepare for and conduct Discovery Calls;
• assess availability and potential cohort placement;
• administer Second Ascent programs and relationships;
• conduct and publish research in aggregated or de-identified form;
• understand website performance when analytics consent has been provided;
• identify and correct technical failures;
• prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents;
• maintain appropriate business and operational records;
• enforce applicable agreements;
• comply with law and lawful requests; and
• establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

9. Email communications

We use Kit to maintain subscriber records, deliver requested resources, and send approved email communications.

You may unsubscribe from promotional or editorial emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email.

Even after you unsubscribe from general communications, we may send limited non-promotional messages necessary to:

• deliver something you requested;
• respond to you;
• administer an active relationship or program;
• provide important privacy or security information; or
• comply with legal obligations.

10. How we disclose personal information

We disclose personal information only as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

Service providers

We may provide information to companies that perform services on our behalf, including:

• Vercel, for website hosting and technical infrastructure;
• Kit, for forms, subscriber records, and email delivery;
• Tally, for expression-of-interest and other approved forms;
• Notion, for limited operational and relationship-management records;
• Google Analytics, for consented website analytics;
• Microsoft Clarity, for consented and masked usability analytics;
• scheduling and videoconferencing providers displayed when you arrange a call;
• email, security, technical-support, and professional-service providers; and
• other providers required to deliver a service you request.

These providers may process information only to provide services to us or as otherwise permitted by their own terms and applicable law.

Legal and safety reasons

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

• comply with law, regulation, court order, or lawful government request;
• protect the rights, safety, and security of Second Ascent, our visitors, participants, or others;
• investigate fraud, abuse, or a security incident;
• enforce an agreement; or
• establish, exercise, or defend a legal claim.

Business changes

If Second Ascent is involved in a merger, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, information may be disclosed as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal protections.

With your direction or consent

We may disclose information when you ask us to do so or give us specific permission.

11. No sale or targeted advertising

Second Ascent does not sell personal information.

Second Ascent does not currently share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or use personal information for targeted advertising.

We do not exchange personal information for money.

Should these practices change, we will update this policy and provide any choices required by applicable law before activating the new practice.

12. De-identified and aggregated information

We may create or use information that has been aggregated or de-identified so that it cannot reasonably be linked to a particular person.

We may use this information for research, reporting, program development, website improvement, and other lawful purposes.

When information is maintained as de-identified information, we will not intentionally attempt to re-identify it except as permitted by law to test whether our de-identification measures are effective.

13. Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to:

• deliver requested resources;
• manage an active subscription or relationship;
• respond to inquiries;
• administer expressions of interest and program participation;
• maintain appropriate research and operational records;
• protect the website and investigate technical or security issues;
• comply with legal, accounting, or reporting obligations;
• resolve disputes; and
• enforce agreements.

Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the information, the reason it was collected, the status of the relationship, legal requirements, and whether the information can be securely deleted or de-identified.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary, we will delete it, de-identify it, or allow it to remain only in protected backups until those backups are overwritten under normal retention practices.

14. Data security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information.

These measures may include:

• restricting access to approved users;
• using provider access controls;
• protecting credentials and technical secrets;
• limiting information collected and logged;
• masking sensitive form content from usability analytics;
• using secure transmission where available;
• reviewing permissions; and
• maintaining processes for technical and security incidents.

No website, transmission method, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. You provide information through the internet at your own risk.

15. International processing

Second Ascent is based in the United States.

Our providers may process or store information in the United States and other jurisdictions. Those jurisdictions may have privacy laws that differ from the laws where you live.

Where legally required, we and our providers will use appropriate measures for international transfers of personal information.

16. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live and subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• request access to personal information we maintain about you;
• request information about how we use or disclose it;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of information;
• receive a portable copy of certain information;
• withdraw consent;
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information;
• opt out of targeted advertising or certain profiling;
• limit certain uses of sensitive personal information;
• appeal the denial of a privacy request; and
• receive equal service without unlawful discrimination for exercising a privacy right.

Second Ascent does not currently sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use it for targeted advertising.

To submit a privacy request, email:

ashley@secondascent.co

Use the subject line:

Privacy Request

Please describe your request and identify the email address or other information associated with your interaction with Second Ascent.

We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. We will use verification information only to evaluate and respond to the request.

You may use an authorized agent where applicable. We may request evidence that the agent is authorized to act for you and may ask you to verify your identity directly.

Some information may be exempt from a request when retention or use is required or permitted by law. We will explain any material limitation in our response.

17. Additional information for visitors in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland

Where applicable, Second Ascent processes personal information under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent, including for analytics and optional email communications;
• Performance of a contract or steps requested before entering a contract, including responding to requests and administering a program relationship;
• Legitimate interests, including operating, securing, and improving the website, responding to communications, and maintaining appropriate business records, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights;
• Compliance with legal obligations; and
• Establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Where applicable, you may have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, or object to processing; receive certain information in portable form; withdraw consent; and complain to the data-protection authority where you live.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before withdrawal.

18. Third-party websites and services

The website may link to Substack, Instagram, Facebook, or other third-party websites and services.

We do not control the privacy practices of those third parties. Information you provide directly to them is governed by their privacy policies and terms.

A link from Second Ascent does not mean that we control or endorse every data practice of the linked service.

19. Children’s privacy

Second Ascent is intended for adults and is not directed to children.

We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to Second Ascent, contact us so that we can investigate and delete the information where appropriate.

20. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Second Ascent evolves or as legal, technical, or operational requirements change.

When we update the policy, we will revise the “Last updated” date above. If a change materially affects how we use previously collected personal information, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent where required.

21. Contact us

Questions, privacy requests, and concerns may be sent to:

Second Ascent
Second Ascent LLC
Email: ashley@secondascent.co
Website: www.secondascent.co