Privacy Policy

1. About this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how The Simplified Self collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information when you visit our website, join our email list, contact us, purchase a Digital Product or otherwise interact with us.

The Simplified Self is operated by:

Chloe Newson trading as The Simplified Self
ABN: 40 798 146 686
Email: admin@thesimplifiedself.com
Post: PO Box 7034, Warrnambool VIC 3280, Australia
Where applicable EU or UK data-protection law applies, Chloe Newson trading as The Simplified Self is the controller of personal data where TSS determines the purpose and means of processing.

2. Australian privacy position

The Simplified Self currently has annual turnover below $3 million. Many Australian small businesses at or below that threshold are exempt from parts of the federal Privacy Act 1988, although important exceptions apply, including in some circumstances where a business provides a health service and holds health information. Whether the Privacy Act applies can depend on the nature of a business’s activities and the information it handles. We monitor our obligations as our services, turnover and information-handling practices change. Regardless of whether the federal Privacy Act applies to a particular activity, The Simplified Self voluntarily uses the Australian Privacy Principles as a guide to responsible information handling. Other privacy and information laws may also apply independently.

3. Victorian health information

Because TSS operates in Victoria, identifying health information handled in Victoria may be subject to the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and its Health Privacy Principles. The Health Records Act does not have a general small-business exemption. It can apply to organisations that hold identifying health information even where they are not themselves providing a health service. For example, a customer may voluntarily mention a diagnosis, treatment or health history in a support email. TSS does not need detailed health information to sell or support its standard Digital Products. Please do not send us medical records, detailed diagnoses or other sensitive health material unless that information is genuinely necessary for the issue you are contacting us about. Where health information is received, we aim to minimise its use, protect it appropriately and delete or de-identify it when it is no longer reasonably required, subject to any legal, complaint, insurance or dispute-related need to retain it.

4. Information we may collect

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

  • Contact information, such as your name and email address.

  • Purchase information, such as the Digital Product purchased, amount, transaction status, billing information made available to us and order history.

  • Account and access information, where a Digital Product or course requires an account.

  • Email and marketing information, such as subscription status, consent records and interactions with emails.

  • Support and correspondence information, including information you choose to provide when contacting us.

  • Review information, where you choose to leave a review or where a review invitation service is used.

  • Technical information, which may include IP address, browser, device information and website activity collected through our website or relevant technologies.

  • Cookie and advertising information, where these technologies are enabled and their use is permitted.

We aim to collect only information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

5. Sensitive information

TSS provides general wellbeing education rather than individual health treatment. We do not ask customers to provide medical records, detailed health histories or diagnoses to purchase standard Digital Products. Please avoid including unnecessary sensitive or health information in ordinary product-support messages. If sensitive information is voluntarily provided, we will use it only as reasonably necessary for the communication or another lawful purpose. We will not intentionally repurpose health or other sensitive information for unrelated advertising or profiling. Where additional consent or another legal basis is required, we will comply with the applicable requirement.

6. How we collect information

We may collect information:

  • directly from you when you complete a form, purchase, subscribe, contact us or create an account;

  • through our website, checkout, email or Digital Product platforms;

  • through a payment provider;

  • through review or feedback platforms;

  • automatically through essential technical systems and, where permitted, analytics or advertising technologies; or

  • from another source where you have authorised the disclosure or collection is otherwise lawful.

7. Why we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

  • process and record purchases;

  • deliver Digital Products and provide account access;

  • send receipts and transactional communications;

  • respond to support questions, complaints and refund requests;

  • maintain financial, tax and business records;

  • prevent fraud, misuse and security incidents;

  • operate and improve our website and delivery systems;

  • administer our Terms of Sale and Personal Use Licence;

  • send marketing communications where we have an appropriate basis to do so;

  • administer reviews and review invitations where used;

  • understand website performance where relevant technologies are lawfully enabled;

  • measure advertising where applicable tracking has been lawfully enabled; or

  • comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, insurance or dispute-management obligations.

We do not intend to collect information merely because it might become useful later. We do not sell your personal information.

8. EU and UK lawful bases

Where the EU GDPR or UK GDPR applies, our legal basis depends on the relevant processing. We may rely on:

  • Contract, where processing is necessary to take an order, provide a purchased Digital Product or administer contractual access.

  • Consent, particularly for marketing and non-essential tracking where consent is required.

  • Legitimate interests, where reasonably necessary for matters such as security, fraud prevention, responding to ordinary enquiries, maintaining proportionate business records or improving services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

  • Legal obligation, where processing or retention is required by law.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not make processing lawfully undertaken before the withdrawal unlawful.

9. EU and UK representatives

TSS is established in Australia and does not maintain an establishment in the European Union or United Kingdom. Where EU or UK data-protection law applies to TSS, rules concerning appointment of a local representative may also apply, subject to any exemption available under that law. Where TSS is legally required to appoint a representative, the representative's contact details will be made available as required.

10. Email marketing

Purchasing a Digital Product does not, by itself, mean you have agreed to receive ongoing marketing emails. Where you voluntarily join our email list, we record your subscription through the relevant signup process. Marketing emails identify The Simplified Self and include a way to unsubscribe. We aim to action unsubscribe requests promptly and within any legally required timeframe. Transactional communications relating to an order, account, download, refund or support request are separate from marketing. We may retain a minimal suppression record after you unsubscribe so that your preference can continue to be respected.

11. Our service providers

We use third-party services to operate the business.

These may include:

  • Systeme.io, for website, funnels, forms and email functions. Systeme.io currently states that its platform data is hosted through Amazon Web Services in Ireland.

  • ThriveCart, for checkout and, where used, Digital Product or course access.

  • Stripe and other payment providers presented at checkout, for payment processing, fraud prevention, refunds and payment disputes.

  • Trustpilot, where review services or review invitations are used.

  • Accounting, security, hosting and other technology providers reasonably necessary to operate the business.

We aim to provide service providers only with information reasonably necessary for the relevant service. These providers operate under their own legal, privacy and security obligations and may use approved subprocessors.

12. ThriveCart, Stripe and payment processing

ThriveCart hosts checkout pages on behalf of merchants and processes information used to administer purchases. Stripe and any other payment providers made available at checkout process payment information and provide payment-related services. The checkout may collect information such as your name, email address, billing details and other information requested for the relevant purchase. Full payment card details are processed by the applicable payment provider and are not ordinarily received or stored directly by The Simplified Self. We may receive transaction information reasonably necessary to administer your purchase, such as your name, contact details, product purchased, transaction amount, payment status, transaction identifier and information relating to refunds or payment disputes. Where reasonably necessary to process payments, manage refunds, prevent or investigate fraud, or respond to a payment dispute or chargeback, relevant information may be shared with ThriveCart, Stripe, other payment processors, acquiring banks, card issuers, card networks, fraud-prevention providers and other parties involved in processing or resolving the transaction. This information may include transaction and order details, records of digital delivery, download or access, the terms that applied to the purchase, and relevant communications with you. We limit such disclosures to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose or otherwise required or permitted by law.

13. Reviews and Trustpilot

Where TSS uses Trustpilot review invitations, customer information may be provided to Trustpilot where reasonably necessary to send or manage the invitation. This may include your name, email address and order reference. For review-invitation data processed on our instructions, Trustpilot's current business terms describe TSS as controller and Trustpilot as processor. When you create a Trustpilot profile or voluntarily publish a review, Trustpilot may separately determine how information you provide directly to its platform is handled under its own privacy terms. Leaving a review is voluntary. We do not require a positive review or condition an incentive on giving a particular rating. We do not use private customer correspondence as a public testimonial without appropriate permission.

14. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies for essential functions, security, forms, checkout or account operation. We may also use analytics, advertising pixels or other non-essential technologies where enabled. Where applicable law requires prior consent, the relevant technology will not be used until the required consent has been obtained. Where applicable law allows a particular low-risk statistical or functional technology to operate without prior consent, we may rely on that permission while meeting applicable transparency or choice requirements. The cookies and tracking technologies running on the website may change when integrations are added, removed or updated. Our website cookie consent controls provide further information and choices where required.

15. Advertising technologies

Where Meta Pixel or another advertising or measurement technology is enabled, it may process information about website activity, browser or device information and advertising interactions. We use advertising tracking only in accordance with applicable consent and privacy requirements. Refusing non-essential advertising tracking will not prevent you from accessing ordinary TSS website content or purchasing a Digital Product.

16. Generative AI and customer information

TSS uses generative AI tools to assist with aspects of business and content development. We do not intentionally provide identifiable customer support messages, health information, medical information or other sensitive personal information to general-purpose generative AI tools for content creation. Where information is used for AI-assisted internal work, our default approach is to use de-identified, aggregated or synthetic information rather than identifiable customer material. Any future use of identifiable or sensitive personal information with an AI service would first need to be lawful, necessary, appropriately secured and transparently addressed under the privacy requirements applying at that time.

17. Overseas processing and disclosure

The Simplified Self is based in Australia but uses international technology providers. Depending on the provider and service involved, personal information may be processed or accessible outside Australia. For example:

  • Systeme.io currently states that its main platform data is stored in Ireland;

  • Trustpilot uses subprocessors and corporate entities in a number of countries, including Australia, the European Union, United Kingdom and United States; and

  • ThriveCart, payment providers and other technology providers may process information in locations disclosed in their applicable privacy or data-processing terms.

We do not assume that a provider stores or processes information only in the country where its company is incorporated.

Where EU or UK personal data is transferred internationally and applicable law requires a recognised transfer mechanism or contractual safeguard, we aim to use providers that make appropriate mechanisms available. We review international processing when our material provider stack changes.

18. How long we keep information

We aim to keep identifiable information only for as long as reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected or another lawful purpose. Our general approach is:

  • Purchase, financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable Australian taxation, accounting or other law, generally at least five years for relevant Australian business records, then deleted or de-identified when there is no continuing legal or business need.

  • Active email-list information: retained while you remain subscribed.

  • Marketing consent records: retained as reasonably necessary to administer and demonstrate consent.

  • Unsubscribe records: minimal information may be retained so your opt-out continues to be respected.

  • Ordinary support enquiries: generally retained for up to two years after resolution unless a shorter or longer period is reasonably appropriate.

  • Unnecessary health or sensitive information received in correspondence: deleted or de-identified as soon as reasonably practicable after it is no longer needed, unless retention is reasonably required for a complaint, dispute, insurance matter, legal obligation or legal right.

  • Complaints, refunds and disputes: generally retained for up to five years after resolution where reasonably necessary for consumer, legal, insurance or business-record purposes.

  • Account or course information: retained for the period reasonably necessary to provide and administer the access purchased and for an appropriate period afterwards.

  • Cookie and analytics information: retained according to the settings and purposes applying to the relevant technology.

We may retain information for longer where required by law or reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

19. Security

We take reasonable steps appropriate to a small digital business to protect personal information against misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Measures may include appropriate access controls, reputable hosted services, provider security protections, backups and limiting access to people or providers who reasonably require it. No online system can guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a data incident, we will assess and respond to it according to the privacy, contractual, insurance and notification obligations applying at the time.

20. Access and correction

You may contact us if you would like to:

  • ask what personal information we hold about you;

  • request access where you have a legal or applicable policy right to it;

  • ask us to correct inaccurate or out-of-date information;

  • raise a concern about our handling of your personal information; or

  • exercise another privacy right available to you under applicable law.

Email admin@thesimplifiedself.com. We may need to verify your identity before providing or changing personal information.

21. EU and UK privacy rights

Where EU or UK data-protection law applies, you may have rights including:

  • access to your personal data;

  • correction of inaccurate information;

  • erasure where the law provides that right;

  • restriction of processing;

  • data portability;

  • objection to certain processing;

  • objection to direct marketing;

  • withdrawal of consent where consent is the legal basis; and

  • rights relating to certain solely automated decisions that significantly affect you.

TSS does not currently use customer information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Privacy rights are not absolute and may be subject to lawful exceptions. Where applicable, you may also complain to the relevant data-protection supervisory authority.

22. Privacy and health-information complaints

If you have a concern about how TSS has handled your personal or health information, please contact us first at:

admin@thesimplifiedself.com. We will consider the issue and aim to respond within a reasonable period. Where the federal Privacy Act applies to TSS or to the relevant matter, you may have the right to raise a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Where the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) applies to health information handled in Victoria, you may have rights under that Act and may be able to raise a complaint with the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner. Nothing in this Policy limits a complaint right available under applicable law.

23. Children

The website and Digital Products are intended for adults. We do not knowingly design our services to collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us.

24. Collection notices

This Privacy Policy provides general information about our information-handling practices. Where appropriate, we may also provide shorter notices at the point where information is collected. For example, an email signup may explain what you are signing up to receive, a checkout may link to this Privacy Policy, and another form may explain why particular information is requested.

25. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy when our systems, providers, business practices or legal obligations change. The current version and effective date will be published on our website. Publishing an updated Privacy Policy does not replace consent where applicable law requires us to obtain consent separately.

26. Contact

Chloe Newson trading as The Simplified Self
PO Box 7034
Warrnambool VIC 3280
Australia

Email: admin@thesimplifiedself.com

ABN 40 798 146 686

Version 1.0 | Effective 20 August 2026