Privacy Policy

Last updated: 15 July 2026

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal data when you visit accord-method.com, purchase or access The Accord Method, join its community, subscribe to emails, or contact me.

The data controller is:

Oisín Mulcahy, trading as The Accord Method
Business address: Blackrock, Cork. T12F6HF
Email: oisin@accord-method.com
Country of establishment: Ireland

This policy applies to my processing of personal data. Podia, Stripe and other service providers may also process certain information under their own privacy policies.

2. Personal data I collect

Depending on how you interact with The Accord Method, I may collect:

Identity and contact information

This may include your:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Country of residence

  • Billing address or postcode

  • Account and profile information

Purchase and transaction information

This may include:

  • The product you purchased

  • Amount paid

  • Date and status of the transaction

  • Discounts, refunds or cancellations

  • Relevant invoice and tax information

Payments are processed through Stripe. I do not receive or store your complete payment-card details.

Course and account information

This may include:

  • Course enrolment and access information

  • Lesson progress and completion

  • Downloads and interactions with course materials

  • Profile information

  • Responses, comments or content you submit

  • Community posts and other material you choose to share

Content posted in community spaces may be visible to other members of those spaces.

Communications

I may retain information you provide when you:

  • Contact me by email

  • Request support

  • Respond to a survey or questionnaire

  • Submit feedback

  • Communicate through Podia or the course community

Technical and usage information

Podia and its service providers may automatically collect technical information such as:

  • IP address

  • Device and browser type

  • Login and access times

  • Pages viewed

  • Course and website usage

  • Cookies and similar technologies

  • Security and fraud-prevention information

Marketing preferences

I may record whether you have agreed to receive marketing communications and whether you have subsequently unsubscribed.

3. How I use personal data

I may use your personal data to:

  • Process and administer purchases

  • Create and manage your account

  • Deliver The Accord Method and related materials

  • Provide access to course and community features

  • Respond to questions and provide customer support

  • Send essential information about your purchase or course access

  • Maintain financial and tax records

  • Prevent fraud, misuse and security incidents

  • Improve the course and customer experience

  • Administer surveys or collect feedback

  • Establish, exercise or defend legal claims

  • Send marketing emails where I have a lawful basis to do so

  • Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations

I do not sell your personal data.

4. Lawful bases for processing

Under data-protection law, I must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. I rely on the following bases:

Performance of a contract

I process personal data where necessary to:

  • Complete your purchase

  • Provide access to the course

  • Manage your account

  • Deliver materials and services

  • Respond to service-related requests

Without this information, I may be unable to provide the course or fulfil your purchase.

Legal obligations

I may process and retain information where required for purposes such as:

  • Taxation

  • Accounting

  • Consumer law

  • Responding to lawful requests from public authorities

Legitimate interests

I may process information where reasonably necessary for my legitimate interests, including:

  • Running and administering the business

  • Providing customer support

  • Securing the course and website

  • Preventing fraud and misuse

  • Understanding how the course is used

  • Improving products and services

  • Managing complaints and legal claims

I only rely on legitimate interests where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Consent

I rely on consent where required, including for:

  • Marketing emails where no other lawful basis applies

  • Non-essential cookies or tracking technologies

  • Any other processing for which you are specifically asked to consent

You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

5. Marketing communications

I may send you marketing communications where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

You can stop receiving marketing emails at any time by:

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent you from receiving essential service messages concerning your purchase, account, course access or changes to the service.

I may retain a minimal record of your email address on a suppression list to ensure that your marketing preference continues to be respected.

6. Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe.

Stripe may collect payment details, billing information, device information and information required for fraud prevention and regulatory compliance. Stripe processes this information according to its own privacy policy.

I generally receive transaction information such as your name, email address, purchase amount, payment status and limited payment-method details. I do not receive your complete card number.

Stripe states that it may retain information after a transaction where necessary for regulatory, fraud-prevention, tax, accounting and financial-reporting obligations.

7. Podia

The course, checkout, customer accounts, community and some email communications are provided through Podia Labs, Inc.

Podia processes personal data necessary to host and operate these services. In some circumstances, Podia acts as a processor on my behalf. In other circumstances, Podia may process personal data as a separate controller for its own legitimate purposes.

Podia provides a GDPR data-processing agreement for EU customers and states that it addresses controller–processor obligations and international transfers.

Podia may collect information including account details, purchase information, device and IP data, course activity, cookies and communications submitted through its services.

8. Other recipients and service providers

Personal data may be disclosed to service providers where necessary to operate The Accord Method, including:

  • Podia, for hosting, accounts, course delivery, community and emails

  • Stripe, for payment processing and fraud prevention

  • Email and communication providers

  • Website, domain and security providers

  • Accountants, tax advisers, solicitors or other professional advisers

  • Public authorities where disclosure is legally required

These organisations only receive information relevant to the services they provide, subject to applicable law and contractual obligations.

I may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation or court order

  • Protect customers or members of the public

  • Investigate fraud, misuse or security incidents

  • Establish, exercise or defend legal claims

  • Complete a future sale or transfer of the business, subject to appropriate safeguards

9. International transfers

Some service providers, including Podia and Stripe, operate internationally and may process personal data outside Ireland or the European Economic Area.

Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, the transfer will be made using an appropriate legal safeguard where required. These safeguards may include:

  • An adequacy decision

  • European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses

  • An applicable data-transfer framework

  • Another lawful transfer mechanism

Podia states that it may process EU customer data in the United States and provides contractual provisions addressing international transfers. Stripe states that it may transfer data internationally and uses safeguards including adequacy decisions and Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

10. Cookies

The website and Podia platform may use cookies and similar technologies.

These may include:

Essential cookies

These are necessary for functions such as:

  • Account login

  • Checkout

  • Course access

  • Security

  • Remembering essential settings

Functional cookies

These may remember preferences and improve how the service operates.

Analytics cookies

Where enabled, these may help measure website visits, course usage and the performance of pages or communications.

Marketing cookies

Where enabled, these may be used to measure campaigns or provide more relevant advertising.

Where consent is required, non-essential cookies should not be placed until you have made a choice. You can manage available preferences through the cookie controls displayed on the relevant website or through your browser settings.

Disabling essential cookies may prevent parts of the website, checkout or course from working correctly.

11. Data retention

I retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

The following general periods apply:

  • Purchase, invoice and accounting records: retained for the period required under applicable Irish tax and accounting laws.

  • Course and account information: retained while your account or course access remains active and ordinarily for up to two years after access ends or the account is closed.

  • Support enquiries and correspondence: ordinarily retained for up to two years after the matter is resolved.

  • Community contributions: retained while the relevant community or account remains active, unless deleted earlier or retention is required for moderation, security or legal reasons.

  • Marketing information: retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent, after which a minimal suppression record may be retained.

  • Legal disputes: relevant information may be retained until the applicable claim or limitation period has expired.

Information may be retained for longer where necessary to comply with law, resolve a dispute, prevent fraud or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Service providers such as Podia and Stripe may apply their own documented retention periods.

12. Data security

I take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal data against:

  • Unauthorised access

  • Loss

  • Misuse

  • Alteration

  • Disclosure

  • Destruction

These measures include using reputable service providers, account security controls and limiting access to information where appropriate.

No internet transmission or electronic-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should use a strong, unique password for your account and keep your login details confidential.

13. Your data-protection rights

Subject to applicable law and certain exceptions, you may have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal data

  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information

  • Request deletion of your personal data

  • Request restriction of processing

  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests

  • Object to direct marketing

  • Receive certain information in a portable format

  • Withdraw consent at any time

  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

These rights are not absolute. For example, I may need to retain information to comply with tax law or to establish or defend legal claims.

To exercise your rights, email:

oisin@accord-method.com

I may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify your identity before responding to a request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission in Ireland. I would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first, but you are not required to contact me before making a complaint.

14. Children and age restrictions

The Accord Method concerns alcoholic beverages and is intended only for adults who have reached the legal drinking age in their country.

I do not knowingly offer the course to, or collect personal data from, anyone under the age of 18. If you believe that a person under 18 has provided personal data, contact me at oisin@accord-method.com so that the matter can be investigated.

15. Automated decision-making

I do not use personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects concerning you.

Service providers may use automated systems for purposes such as payment security and fraud prevention under their own policies.

16. External websites

The website or course may contain links to third-party websites. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of websites or services that I do not operate.

You should review the privacy information supplied by those third parties before providing personal data.

17. Changes to this policy

I may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to the course, service providers, business practices or legal requirements.

The current version will be published with a revised “Last updated” date. Where a change materially affects how personal data is processed, I will provide additional notice where appropriate.

18. Contact

Questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy can be sent to:

Oisín Mulcahy
Trading as The Accord Method
Email: oisin@accord-method.com
Address: Blackrock, Cork. T12F6HF
Ireland