Privacy Policy & Cookies

Second Start Podcast ("we," "us," "our") is operated by Tennessee Le Du, a sole trader based in London, United Kingdom. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at secondstartpodcast.com.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data transparently, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

Data controller: Tennessee Le Du

Website: secondstartpodcast.com

Contact: hello@secondstartpodcast.com

What personal data we collect and why

Newsletter signup

Data collected: your name and email address

Purpose: to send you one email per new episode, with a short note about the guest and topic

Legal basis: your consent (you actively subscribe)

Stored by: Kit (formerly ConvertKit), a US-based email marketing service

Suggestion form (Contact page)

Data collected: first name, last name, email address, subject category, and your message

Purpose: to receive and respond to your episode or guest suggestions

Legal basis: your consent (you actively submit the form)

Processed by: Formspree, a US-based form handling service, which forwards submissions to hello@secondstartpodcast.com

Be a Guest form

Data collected: first name, last name, email address, website or LinkedIn profile, area of expertise or story, and your message

Purpose: to evaluate and respond to guest applications for the podcast

Legal basis: your consent (you actively submit the form)

Processed by: Formspree

Website analytics

Data collected: anonymised usage data such as pages visited, time on site, and general geographic region

Purpose: to understand how visitors use the site and improve the experience

Legal basis: legitimate interest

What we do not collect

We do not collect payment information, sensitive personal data (such as health data, political opinions, or biometric data), or data about children. Our website and podcast are not directed at individuals under the age of 16.

How we use your data

We use your personal data only for the purposes described above. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. We will never send you unsolicited emails beyond the newsletter you subscribed to.

Third-party services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — handles our newsletter list and email delivery. Privacy policy: kit.com/privacy
• Formspree — processes and forwards form submissions. Privacy policy: formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy
• YouTube (Google) — we embed YouTube videos on individual episode pages. When you play a video, YouTube may set cookies on your device and collect data about your viewing. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy

International data transfers

Kit and Formspree are US-based services. Newsletter and form data is therefore transferred to and stored on servers in the United States. Both services comply with applicable data protection frameworks (Standard Contractual Clauses and, where applicable, the EU-US and UK-US Data Privacy Framework) to ensure adequate protection for international transfers.

How long we keep your data

• Newsletter subscribers: managed through Kit. Retained until you unsubscribe, at which point your data is removed from our list.
• Form submissions: forwarded to our inbox by Formspree. Formspree retains submission copies on their servers according to their own retention policy (typically 30 days on the free tier). We retain form correspondence in our inbox for up to 24 months, then delete it. If you become a guest on the podcast, relevant correspondence may be retained for the duration of the episode being published.
• Analytics data: anonymised and aggregated; retained according to standard data retention policies.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify any inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erase your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restrict the processing of your data
• Object to the processing of your data
• Withdraw consent at any time (e.g., unsubscribe from the newsletter)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you believe your data has been mishandled

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@secondstartpodcast.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Data security

Our website uses SSL encryption (HTTPS) to protect data transmitted between your browser and our site. We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, but no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

Cookies

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the website function properly, remember your preferences, and understand how you use the site.

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function. They enable basic features like page navigation and secure access. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. You cannot opt out of these cookies as they are necessary for the site to work.

Analytics cookies

We may use built-in analytics to collect anonymised data about how visitors use the site (pages visited, time on site, general location). This data is aggregated and cannot be used to identify you personally.

Cookies we do not use

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or third-party marketing cookies. Kit and Formspree do not set third-party tracking cookies on visitors to our site; they only process data when you actively subscribe or submit a form.

YouTube cookies (third-party)

We embed YouTube videos on individual episode pages. When you load or play a video, YouTube (operated by Google) may set cookies on your device to track video interactions, remember preferences, and collect analytics. These cookies are set by YouTube, not by us. For more information on how YouTube uses cookies, see Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy. If you do not wish YouTube to set cookies, you can block third-party cookies in your browser settings, though this may prevent the video player from working.

Managing cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or delete existing ones. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the website. For more information on managing cookies, visit aboutcookies.org.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at hello@secondstartpodcast.com.