Privacy Policy

Effective October 1, 2026

Guiding Light Recovery Services LLC, doing business as Guiding Light Coaching ("we", "us"), is a life coaching practice based in Scotts Valley, California. This policy explains what personal information we collect through glcoachingsc.com, our phone, text and email, our coaching services, and the client portal and booking and payment system we use to run the practice ("our services"), and what we do with it.

The short version. We collect what we need to reach you, coach you and get paid. We don't sell your information. We use Google's tools to measure our website and ads. You can ask us to see, correct or delete your information at any time.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

When you get in touch: your name, email, phone number, the service you're interested in, the best time to call, anything you write in your message, and whether you agree to receive texts.
When you become a client: your contact details, date of birth (to confirm age), emergency contact if you choose to give one, the services and packages you buy, your session schedule, and messages between you and your coach.
Coaching information: notes your coach keeps about your sessions and goals, and anything you choose to share in sessions or in the portal. This can include sensitive information about your life, relationships, work or wellbeing.
Agreements and signatures: the coaching agreement and other documents you sign electronically, with your name, the date and time, and the device information recorded with your signature.
Payment information: payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. We keep the card brand, last four digits and expiry date so you know which card is on file, and a record of what you paid.
Parents, guardians and payers: if someone else pays for or consents to coaching for a client (for example a parent), we collect their name, contact details and payment information too.

Information collected automatically

Website: the pages you visit, the site you came from, your browser and device type, approximate location from your IP address, and, if you arrived from one of our ads, the ad click identifier.
Cookies and similar technology: we use Google Analytics, Google Ads and Google Tag Manager to understand how the site is used and whether our ads lead to real inquiries (see section 4).
Client portal: sign-in times, security events and device information, used to keep your account secure.

Information from others

From Google Ads, when you click one of our ads; from people who refer you to us; and from a parent, guardian or payer connected to your account.

2. How we use it

To reply to you and arrange a first conversation.
To provide coaching, schedule and remind you of sessions, and keep your coaching record.
To take payment, keep a card on file when you've authorised it, send invoices and receipts, and keep financial records.
To send service messages by email or text (confirmations, reminders, receipts, changes to your sessions).
To run, secure and improve our website, portal and services.
To measure which pages and ads work.
To meet legal obligations and protect our rights.

We only use your coaching information to coach you. We never use it for advertising.

3. Confidentiality of coaching

What you share in coaching is kept in confidence. Coaching is not therapy or health care, we do not bill insurance, and we are not a "covered entity" under the federal health privacy law (HIPAA). We still treat your coaching information as private: only your coach and the people who run the practice can see it, and we don't share it without your permission, except where the law requires it, or where we believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, including concerns about the safety of a child.

For family coaching, what each person says in their own session stays with that person unless everyone agrees otherwise, as described in the family coaching agreement.

4. Analytics, advertising and cookies

We use Google Analytics and Google Ads through Google Tag Manager. They use cookies and similar technology to record things like which page you visited, which ad you clicked (if any), and whether you got in touch. When you send us your details through the website, we may send Google a hashed (scrambled, one-way) version of your email address or phone number so Google can match it to an ad click and tell us the ad led to a real inquiry. Google can't use the hashed value to read your original details.

We do not use your coaching information or payment details for advertising.

Your choices: you can turn off personalised ads at Google's My Ad Center (myadcenter.google.com), install Google's Analytics opt-out add-on, or block cookies in your browser. If your browser sends the Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of sharing for advertising and don't use advertising cookies for your visit. Our site does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, because there is no common standard for them; we honour Global Privacy Control instead.

5. Texts and calls

If you tick the box to receive texts, we'll text you about your inquiry and, if you become a client, about your sessions and payments. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop texts at any time, or HELP for help. Agreeing to texts is never a condition of buying anything. We don't share your phone number with anyone for their own marketing.

We don't sell your personal information. We share it only with:

Service providers who help us run the practice, under contracts that limit them to doing that work: Mainstay (our client management, booking, document and payment platform), Stripe (payments), Google (Workspace email, Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager and cloud services), Railway (website and platform hosting), Resend (sending email), and our phone and text provider.
People you ask us to share with, such as a parent, guardian or payer on your account, or another professional you ask us to coordinate with.
When the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety, our rights, or to prevent fraud.
If the business changes hands, in which case this policy keeps applying to your information.

We don't share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing (California Civil Code § 1798.83).

7. How long we keep it

We keep personal information only as long as we need it to provide our services and meet legal obligations, and we delete it when you ask us to.

You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see section 9); we'll do so unless we have to keep it by law.

8. Security

We use encryption in transit, access controls, two-step sign-in for staff, and reputable providers to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your information, we'll tell you as the law requires.

9. Your choices and your rights

You can ask us to:

tell you what personal information we have about you and give you a copy;
correct it;
delete it;
stop using or sharing it for advertising ("do not sell or share"), and limit how we use sensitive information;
stop sending you marketing emails or texts.

To make a request, email info@glcoachingsc.com or call or text (510) 770-6169. We'll confirm your identity, reply within 10 business days to confirm we've received it, and complete it within 45 days. You can use an authorised agent. We won't treat you differently for using these rights. California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act; we honour these requests for everyone.

10. Children and minors

Our website isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information online. We coach people under 18 only with a parent or guardian's consent, as described in our coaching agreement.

11. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll update the effective date above, and if the change is significant we'll let current clients know by email.

12. Contact

Guiding Light Recovery Services LLC, doing business as Guiding Light Coaching · Scotts Valley, California · info@glcoachingsc.com · (510) 770-6169