Privacy & Cookie Policy

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I take your privacy seriously. When you work with me, you may share personal information that is private and important to you. I am committed to treating your information with care, respect and confidentiality. 

This Privacy & Cookie Policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and protect it, who I may share it with, and the rights you have in relation to your information. It also explains how cookies and similar technologies are used on my website. 

Open Gate Coaching is operated by Charlotte Labalette, who is responsible for how your personal information is collected and used. 

If you have any questions about this policy or how I handle your personal information, please contact me: 

Email: charlotte@opengatecoaching.co.uk

Who this policy applies to 

This policy applies to people who: 

• visit the Open Gate Coaching website; 
• contact me with an enquiry; 
• book a discovery call or coaching session; 
• receive coaching services from me; or 
• communicate with me in connection with my coaching services. 

How I use your information depends on how you interact with me. 

I only collect information that is relevant and necessary for the way you interact with Open Gate Coaching. 

Depending on the circumstances, this may include: 

Contact and personal information 

• your name; 
• email address; 
• telephone number, if you provide it; 
• emergency contact details; 
• Information you choose to provide when you contact me and during coaching sessions 

Coaching information 

When you enquire about or receive coaching, you may choose to share information about: 

• your coaching goals and needs; 
• your circumstances and experiences; 
• your preferences; 
• your progress and agreed actions; 
• feedback about your coaching experience; 
• your health and wellbeing. 

Financial information 

If you purchase coaching services, I may process: 

• details of the services you have purchased; 
• payment and transaction information; 
• information needed for invoicing, accounting and tax purposes. 

Website information 

When you visit my website, some technical information may be collected automatically by my website provider. This may include information about your device, browser and how you use the website. 

More information about this can be found in the Cookies section below. 

I use your information only where I have a lawful basis to do so and for purposes connected with my coaching practice. 

This may include: 

• responding to your enquiries; 
• arranging discovery calls and coaching sessions; 
• providing and managing coaching services; 
• communicating with you about your coaching; 
• understanding your needs so that I can provide an appropriate coaching service; 
• keeping appropriate records of the services I provide; 
• processing payments and managing invoices; 
• reviewing feedback and improving my services; 
• dealing with complaints or concerns; 
• protecting the safety and wellbeing of clients where necessary; 
• meeting legal, accounting, tax or insurance requirements; and 
• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims where necessary. 

My lawful bases for using your information 

UK data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for collecting and using your personal information. 

Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on: 

Contract – where I need your information to enter into or carry out an agreement with you, such as providing coaching or arranging your sessions. 

Legitimate interests – where using your information is necessary for me to run and improve my coaching practice, manage enquiries and bookings, communicate with clients, maintain appropriate records and provide an effective service. I will only rely on legitimate interests where this does not unfairly override your rights and interests. 

Legal obligation – where I need to use or retain information to comply with a legal requirement, for example accounting, tax or other legal obligations. 

Consent – where I ask for your consent for a particular use of your information. Where I rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. 

Health and wellbeing information 

Coaching conversations can sometimes involve information about your physical or mental health or wellbeing. Health information is considered special category data under UK data protection law and receives additional protection. 

You are not required to share more information than is necessary for your coaching. If you choose to share health or wellbeing information with me, I will treat it with particular care and only use it where there is an appropriate lawful basis and special category condition under UK data protection law. 

Where explicit consent is the appropriate condition, I will ask for your explicit consent. 

In exceptional circumstances, information may also need to be used where this is necessary to protect someone's vital interests, protect a person from serious harm, or comply with a legal or safeguarding requirement.

I do not sell your personal information. 

I use a variety of systems to run my business, provided with trusted organisations that help me operate Open Gate Coaching. These organisations process information on my behalf and are expected to keep it secure. 

My current service providers include: 

GoDaddy – website hosting, website management and online booking. 

Microsoft – email, cloud services and Microsoft Teams for communication and online coaching. 

Zoom – For Discovery calls and online coaching. 

QuickBooks – accounting, invoicing and financial record keeping. 

I may also share information where necessary with: 

• my insurance provider, broker or professional advisers; 
• organisations where I am legally required to provide information; or 
• relevant authorities where disclosure is necessary and lawful to protect someone from serious harm. 

I only share information that is relevant and necessary for the particular purpose. 

Confidentiality 

I understand that coaching can involve sharing personal, professional and sometimes sensitive information. 

I will treat information you share with me as confidential. I will not normally disclose it to another person unless: 

• you have given me permission to do so; 
• disclosure is necessary to provide a service you have requested; 
• I am required or permitted to do so by law; or 
• disclosure is necessary and lawful to protect you or another person from serious harm. 

Where appropriate, I will discuss any need to disclose information with you first.

I keep personal information only for as long as I reasonably need it for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as I am required to keep it by law. 

Coaching records are kept for up to three years after your final coaching session, after which they are securely deleted or destroyed. 

Some financial and business records may need to be kept for longer to meet legal, tax or accounting requirements. 

When information is no longer needed, I will securely delete or destroy it. 

Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. 

Depending on the circumstances, these include the right to: 

• ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you; 
• ask me to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete; 
• ask me to delete your information where there is no good reason for me to continue using it; 
• ask me to restrict how I use your information in certain circumstances; 
• object to certain types of processing; 
• ask for certain information to be transferred to you or another organisation; and 
• withdraw your consent where I rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing. 

These rights are not absolute and some legal exceptions may apply. 

If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact me at: 

charlotte@opengatecoaching.co.uk 

Cookies are small text files or similar technologies that are stored on or accessed from your device when you visit a website. They can help a website function properly, maintain security, remember preferences and, where enabled, provide information about how the website is used. 

My website is hosted and operated using GoDaddy's website services. Some cookies or similar technologies may therefore be necessary for the website to function properly or to provide services you have requested. 

Cookies I currently use 

At present: 

• I do not use Google Analytics; 
• I do not use GoDaddy's optional Advanced Tracking functionality; 
• I do not use advertising cookies; and 
• I do not use social-media tracking pixels. 

I therefore do not currently use optional tracking technologies to build advertising profiles about visitors to my website. 

If I introduce optional cookies or similar tracking technologies in the future, I will update this policy and, where required, ask for your consent before using them. 

Managing cookies 

Where optional cookies are used, you will be given an appropriate choice about whether to allow them. 

You can also manage or delete cookies through your web browser settings. 

Please note that disabling cookies that are essential to the operation of a website may affect how some features work.

Online booking 

My website provides an online booking facility for discovery calls via Zoom. 

The booking service is provided through GoDaddy. When you make a booking, you may provide information such as your name and email address (phone number optional) so that I can arrange and manage your appointment. 

Microsoft Teams 

I use Microsoft Teams to provide online coaching sessions. 

Microsoft may process information when you use its services. This processing is subject to Microsoft's own privacy information and terms. 

The use of Microsoft Teams for online coaching does not mean that I use Microsoft tracking technologies for general visitors to my website. 

Contact form and reCAPTCHA 

My website uses Google's reCAPTCHA service to help protect my contact form from spam and abuse. 

When you use the contact form, reCAPTCHA may process information about your interaction with the website and your device to determine whether the interaction is likely to be legitimate. 

Google's own privacy information applies to its processing of this information. 

Some of the service providers I use may process or store personal information outside the UK. 

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, I will ensure that an appropriate safeguard or other lawful mechanism is in place as required by UK data protection law. 

For example, GoDaddy may process information in the United States in connection with its website hosting, website management and online booking services. 

I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. 

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but I take reasonable steps to protect the information I hold.

If you have any questions or concerns about how I use your personal information, please contact me first so that I have the opportunity to address them. 

Charlotte Labalette
Open Gate Coaching
Email: charlotte@opengatecoaching.co.uk 

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal information. 

You can find information about making a complaint on the ICO's website: 

Information Commissioner's Office – Make a complaint

I may update this Privacy & Cookie Policy regularly to reflect changes to my services, the technology and service providers I use, or applicable data protection requirements. 

The date at the top of this policy shows when it was last updated.