Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Connected Heart Healing (ABN: 95679883607), operated by Jodie Cruz as a sole trader registered in South Australia, handles your personal information. It applies to all visitors to this website and to all clients of Connected Heart Healing services.

Connected Heart Healing is committed to handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). As a provider of energy healing services, this business is classified as a health service provider under the Privacy Act and is bound by the APPs regardless of annual turnover.

By using this website or engaging the services of Connected Heart Healing, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this policy.

1. What information we collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

Contact details — your name, email address, phone number, and general location or time zone
Booking and scheduling information — your preferred session dates and times, session history, and correspondence related to your bookings, packages, or gift card redemptions
Health and wellbeing information — information you share about your physical or emotional health, the concerns you bring to a session, and notes made during or after your session. This is classified as health information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and is handled with the highest level of care.
Animal information — where you book a session for an animal, information about the animal's species, name, age, health history, and behaviour
Payment information — transaction records for payments made through Acuity Scheduling. Payments are processed via Stripe or PayPal as backend processors connected to Acuity. Clients may optionally create an Acuity account and choose to save their payment card details within Acuity for future bookings — this is not required and is entirely at the client's discretion. Connected Heart Healing does not store your payment card details.
Workshop and event information — registration details, certificate uploads (for repeat student discounts), and participation records for Quantum-Touch workshops and healing circles
Website usage data — information collected automatically when you visit this website, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site (see Section 5)
Communications — emails, enquiry form submissions, and any other correspondence you send us

2. How we collect your information

We collect personal information directly from you when you:

Use the Acuity Scheduling booking system to book a session, purchase a session package, purchase or redeem a gift card, or register for a Quantum-Touch workshop or healing circle
Submit an enquiry via the contact form on this website
Send us an email or other direct communication
Participate in a session or workshop and share relevant health, wellbeing, or animal information
Subscribe to email communications, such as workshop announcements or promotional updates, where you have provided your express consent to do so

We may also collect information indirectly through your use of this website via cookies and analytics tools. Please see Section 5 for details.

3. Why we collect and use your information

We collect and use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, or for a directly related purpose. These purposes include:

Providing distance energy healing sessions (for people and animals), session packages, gift cards, Quantum-Touch workshops, and healing circles
Managing your bookings and sending you booking-related communications, including confirmations, reminders, cancellation and rescheduling notifications, and post-session follow-up emails
Processing payments securely through our payment providers
Sending post-session feedback and follow-up via email or text — these communications may be retained as part of your client correspondence history
Sending workshop welcome emails, workshop reminders, and workshop announcements
Sending promotional emails about new services or special offers, where you have given your express consent
Responding to your enquiries and providing general support
Improving this website and understanding how visitors use it (via Google Analytics)
Complying with our legal obligations under Australian law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Consumer Law

We will not use your health information for any secondary purpose without your consent, unless required or permitted by law.

4. Disclosure of your information

Connected Heart Healing does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

We may disclose your personal information to third-party service providers who assist us in operating this website and delivering our services. These providers are listed in Section 5. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers handle your information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

We may also disclose your information where required or authorised by law, or in connection with legal proceedings.

5. Third-party platforms and overseas data transfers

Connected Heart Healing uses the following third-party platforms to operate this website and deliver services. All platforms listed below may store and process data in the United States and other countries outside Australia.

In accordance with APP 8 of the Australian Privacy Principles, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle your personal information in a way that is consistent with the APPs. By using this website and our services, you acknowledge that your information may be transferred to and stored in overseas jurisdictions.

Squarespace

Website hosting and content management.

Acuity Scheduling

Bookings, packages, gift cards, and automated client emails (confirmations, reminders, cancellations, rescheduling, post-session follow-up, workshop communications). Clients may optionally create an Acuity account and choose to save payment card details within Acuity — this is at the client's discretion.

Stripe

Payment processing connected to Acuity Scheduling as a backend processor. Clients transact via Acuity.

PayPal

Payment processing connected to Acuity Scheduling as a backend processor. Clients transact via Acuity.

Google Workspace

Email communications and business administration.

Google Analytics

Website traffic and usage analytics. See below for details on cookies and how to opt out.

Zoom

Video sessions, workshops, and healing circles.

Automated communications

Acuity Scheduling uses automated processes to send booking confirmations, appointment reminders, cancellation notices, rescheduling notifications, gift card confirmations, and package purchase confirmations. These automated emails are triggered by your own booking actions and do not involve any discretionary decision-making about you as an individual. You can manage your communication preferences directly through your Acuity booking confirmation emails.

Google Analytics and cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymised information about how visitors use the site. Google Analytics uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to collect data such as pages visited, time spent on the site, and general geographic location. This information is aggregated and does not identify you personally.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. You can also manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

Email marketing

We currently use Google Workspace to send direct client communications and early-stage marketing emails. We may in future use a dedicated email marketing platform such as Squarespace Email Campaigns or Mailchimp. If we adopt a new platform, this policy will be updated accordingly and you will be notified.

All marketing emails are sent only with your express consent. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and all unsubscribe requests are honoured within five working days at no cost to you, in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

6. Health information

Because Connected Heart Healing provides energy healing services, we are classified as a health service provider under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Health information is a sensitive category of personal information and is handled with additional care.

Health and wellbeing information you share with us — including information about your physical or emotional health, or your animal's health — is used only for the purpose of providing our services to you. It is not disclosed to third parties except as described in this policy or as required by law.

You are not obligated to share health information with us. However, relevant information about what you are experiencing or seeking support with helps us provide a more focused and appropriate session.

7. How we store and protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:

Using reputable, security-certified third-party platforms for booking, payment processing, and communication (see Section 5)
Limiting access to personal information to the practitioner only
Using password-protected accounts and two-factor authentication where available
Not storing your payment card details — if you choose to save card details within your Acuity account, that data is held by Acuity Scheduling and governed by their privacy policy

While we take reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet or electronic storage system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with our legal obligations. As a sole trader in Australia, financial records must be kept for a minimum of five years.

8. Notifiable data breaches

As a health service provider, Connected Heart Healing is covered by the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals — for example, unauthorised access to your health or personal information shared with us — we are required to notify both the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the affected individuals as soon as practicable.

If you have reason to believe a data breach involving your information has occurred, please contact us immediately using the details in Section 12.

9. Your rights under the Australian Privacy Principles

You have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

Access (APP 12) — you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond to access requests within 30 days.
Correction (APP 13) — if you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, you have the right to request that we correct it.
Anonymity (APP 2) — where practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym. Note that this may limit our ability to provide certain services, such as booking sessions or processing payments.
Complaints — you have the right to make a complaint about how we handle your personal information (see Section 11).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 12.

10. Children's privacy

This website and our services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information about a child, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

11. Privacy complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance using the details in Section 12. We will respond to your complaint within 30 days and work with you to resolve it.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

12. Contact us

For any questions, concerns, access requests, or complaints relating to this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact:

Jodie Cruz
Connected Heart Healing
ABN: 95679783607
Email: jodie@connectedhearthealing.com.au
Website: connectedhearthealing.com.au

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we update this policy, we will revise the 'Last updated' date at the top of the page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of this website or our services after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

Connected Heart Healing · Privacy Policy · Last updated March 2026 · This document does not constitute legal advice.