Grounded Voices — Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Grounded Voices (operated by Alora Consulting T/A Grounded Voices, registration details below) is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to it.

By using our website at groundedvoices.co.za or submitting any form on our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Who We Are

Grounded Voices is a communication coaching and training practice operated by Alora Consulting T/A Grounded Voices, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Contact details:

  • Email: info@groundedvoices.co.za
  • Website: groundedvoices.co.za
  • Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Company / registration details: Alora Consulting, registration number 2021 / 757055 / 07

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you provide directly to us when you:

  • Submit an enquiry, contact, or coaching form on our website
  • Register for a workshop, programme, or event
  • Book a discovery call via Calendly
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Make a purchase through the Grounding Store
  • Submit a payment confirmation form
  • Enquire about The Story Inside Me children’s programme

The types of personal information we may collect include:

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Organisation name and job title (for corporate enquiries)
  • Location or city
  • Details of your enquiry or communication challenge
  • Payment confirmation information (proof of payment — not card details)
  • For children’s programme enquiries: child’s first name, age, school grade, and relevant support or access requirements

We do not collect sensitive personal information (as defined in POPIA) unless it is directly necessary to provide a safe and appropriate service — for example, relevant support or access requirements for children’s programme participants.

3. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use the personal information you provide to:

  • Respond to your enquiry or booking request
  • Manage and deliver coaching sessions, workshops, and training programmes
  • Confirm payments and process orders through the Grounding Store
  • Send you the newsletter and communication updates you have subscribed to
  • Prepare training proposals or quotations for team and corporate clients
  • Improve our services and website experience

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following bases under POPIA:

  • Your consent — when you tick a consent checkbox and submit a form on our website
  • To fulfil a contract or take steps at your request before entering into a contract — for example, to process a booking or deliver a service you have purchased
  • Our legitimate interests — for example, to respond to general business enquiries and maintain records of our services

5. Newsletter and Email Communication

If you subscribe to the Grounded Voices newsletter, we will use your email address to send you updates, resources, event information, and relevant offers. We use Mailchimp to manage our mailing list.

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you, or by contacting us at info@groundedvoices.co.za.

6. Sharing Your Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

We may share your information with the following trusted third parties, only to the extent necessary to deliver our services:

  • Calendly — for booking and scheduling discovery calls
  • Mailchimp — for newsletter delivery
  • PayFast and Yoco — for processing payments (PayFast is the default checkout option, supporting card and Instant EFT; Yoco is offered as an alternative). 
  • Xneelo — for secure hosting and storage of form data

Where we share personal information with third-party service providers, we ensure that they maintain appropriate standards of data security and only process your data on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions.

7. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures include:

  • Secure form submission and data routing
  • Access controls limiting who can view your information
  • Use of reputable, security-audited third-party platforms for form processing, payment, and email communication

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to deliver our services, comply with our legal obligations, and resolve any disputes. In practice:

  • Enquiry and contact form submissions: retained for 12 months after last contact
  • Booking and session records: retained for 3 years for business record-keeping purposes (aligned with South Africa’s standard prescription period for contractual disputes)
  • Newsletter subscribers: retained until you unsubscribe
  • Payment confirmation records: retained for 5 years for financial record-keeping purposes (aligned with SARS record-keeping requirements)

When we no longer require your information, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

9. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), you have the right to:

  • Be notified that we are collecting your personal information
  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Request deletion of your personal information, where we are not legally required to retain it
  • Object to the processing of your personal information
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@groundedvoices.co.za. We will respond to all requests within a reasonable time and in accordance with our obligations under POPIA.

Information Regulator contact details:

10. Children’s Personal Information

We treat personal information relating to children (persons under 18) with heightened care. For The Story Inside Me and other children’s programmes, we collect only the minimum information necessary to manage enquiries and deliver safe, appropriate sessions.

Personal information relating to children is not added to marketing lists and is not shared beyond what is necessary to manage the programme. Parent and guardian consent is required before any child participates in a Grounded Voices programme. Please refer to the Children’s Programme Terms for more detail.

11. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to support basic functionality and to understand how visitors use the site. Please refer to our Cookie Notice for full information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

  • Email: info@groundedvoices.co.za
  • Website: groundedvoices.co.za
  • Location: Johannesburg, South Africa