Privacy policy

This privacy policy explains how The Divergent Leader (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data when you visit our website, subscribe to updates, download or purchase a resource, submit a form, apply to join the podcast, register Marketplace interest, or contact us about speaking, workshops, or consulting.

We aim to collect only what we need, explain why we need it, and keep marketing choices separate from service enquiries.

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at inquiries@thedivergentleader.com

1. Who we are

Brand: The Divergent Leader
Business address: 2428 Trailside Ln, Wauconda, IL 60084

For the personal data described in this policy, The Divergent Leader is the data controller unless another organization tells you that it is responsible for a particular service.

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to people who:

Browse The Divergent Leader website
Subscribe to podcast or email updates
Submit a speaking, workshop, or consulting enquiry
Apply to be a guest on The Divergent Leader podcast
Register interest in the future Marketplace or contribute to Marketplace research
Download, access, or purchase a resource
Communicate with us by email, phone, social media, or another channel
Represent a client, supplier, guest, partner, or prospective partner

A third-party website or service linked from our website may have its own privacy policy. That provider’s policy applies to data it collects directly from you.

3. Personal data we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use the website.

3.1 Information you provide

You may provide:

Your name and contact details, including email address and phone number
Your job title, organization, role, or professional profile
Information about an event, audience, organizational need, or proposed engagement
Your preferred format, such as speaking, a workshop, consulting, or an undecided enquiry
Newsletter and marketing preferences
Information included in a podcast guest application, including your proposed topic, perspective, experience, and ways of working
Marketplace interests, needs, role, or research responses
Resource orders, download requests, or fulfillment information
Messages, feedback, questions, and other information you choose to share
Records of your communication and relationship with us

Required and optional fields should be identified on the relevant form.

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you use the website, we and our service providers may collect:

IP address and approximate location derived from it
Browser, device, operating system, and screen information
Pages viewed, links clicked, downloads, scrolling, and time spent on pages
Referring and exit pages
Form interactions, submission time, and source page
Cookie identifiers, consent choices, and similar technical information
Diagnostic, security, and error information

Non-essential analytics or behavioral tracking should operate only in line with your cookie choices where consent is required.

3.3 Information from other sources

We may receive limited information from:

Podcast, video, email, scheduling, event, payment, or resource-delivery platforms you choose to use
Social networks when you interact with our public accounts
A colleague or organization that introduces you or contacts us on your behalf
Public professional sources when reasonably necessary to understand or respond to a business enquiry

4. Sensitive personal data and neurotype information

The Divergent Leader does not ask website visitors, employees of client organizations, event participants, or form users to identify, prove, or disclose a diagnosis, condition, disability, or neurotype.

Because our work discusses neurodiversity, you may choose to include health, disability, diagnosis, or other sensitive information in an open-text field or message. Please do not share this information unless it is relevant and you are comfortable doing so.

If you voluntarily provide sensitive information, we will:

Use it only for the purpose for which you supplied it
Avoid inferring a diagnosis or neurotype from your behavior or answers
Limit access to people who need the information
Not use it for unrelated marketing or audience profiling
Apply any additional legal basis or condition required by applicable law
Delete or de-identify it when it is no longer needed

If you submit information about another person, make sure you are permitted to do so and share only what is necessary.

5. How we use personal data

We may use personal data to:

Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the website
Respond to questions and general enquiries
Review speaking, workshop, and consulting enquiries
Understand an event, audience, organizational context, and potential fit
Prepare proposals, scopes, agreements, and engagement communications
Review podcast guest applications and contact applicants about possible next steps
Plan, record, edit, publish, and promote podcast participation after separate arrangements and permissions are agreed
Receive and analyze Marketplace interest or research responses
Deliver resources, purchases, or requested materials
Send service messages connected to an enquiry, application, order, or engagement
Send newsletters and marketing where you have opted in or another lawful basis applies
Record and honor consent, unsubscribe, and communication preferences
Understand website use and improve content, navigation, accessibility, and performance
Detect misuse, protect our systems, and establish or defend legal rights
Meet accounting, tax, contractual, and other legal obligations

Submitting a service enquiry, podcast application, or Marketplace response does not automatically subscribe you to marketing.

6. Lawful bases

Where data protection law requires a lawful basis, we rely on one or more of the following:

Consent: for optional marketing, non-essential cookies, and other processing where we ask for your permission
Steps before a contract or contract: to respond to a request, prepare an engagement, and deliver an agreed service or resource
Legitimate interests: to operate and secure the website, respond to appropriate business enquiries, maintain business records, improve our services, and communicate with professional contacts where those interests do not override your rights
Legal obligation: where we must keep, use, or disclose information to comply with the law
Legal claims or another permitted condition: where sensitive personal data is involved and applicable law allows the processing

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.

7. Forms and specific website journeys

7.1 Speaking, workshop, and consulting enquiries

We use the information you submit to review your request, understand the event or organizational context, communicate with you, and decide whether to discuss an engagement. An enquiry starts a conversation and does not create a booking.

7.2 Podcast guest applications

We use application information to assess whether a proposed conversation may fit the podcast and to contact you about the application. We will not publish your name, image, biography, voice, or application content merely because you submitted the form. Publication and promotion will be covered by separate arrangements if an application progresses.

7.3 Marketplace interest and research

Marketplace forms currently gather research and expressions of interest. We use responses to understand potential needs and help shape the future Marketplace. A response is not an application, seller profile, queue position, or promise of access.

Marketing consent is optional and separate from other forms. If you subscribe, we may use your email address and relevant preferences to send the updates you requested. You can unsubscribe using the link in any marketing email or by contacting us.

7.5 Resources and external fulfillment

A resource may be delivered by us or through a third-party platform. If you follow a link to another provider, that provider may collect payment, account, delivery, or usage information under its own privacy policy. We receive only the information that provider makes available to us and that we need for the relevant purpose.

8. Cookies, analytics, and similar technologies

We use necessary cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember your choices, keep forms working, and protect the site.

Where enabled and permitted by your choices, we may also use analytics or behavioral tools to understand how visitors use the website. The launch plan currently identifies the following tools, which must be confirmed before this policy is published:

HubSpot: website hosting, forms, CRM records, email subscriptions, consent records, and journey reporting
Google Analytics 4: website traffic and usage analytics
Google Tag Manager: deployment and management of website tags
Microsoft Clarity: behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay

Google Tag Manager manages tags but does not determine what those tags collect. The tools loaded through it must follow your cookie choices.

Where Microsoft Clarity is enabled, sessions should be configured to mask form fields and sensitive content. We do not intentionally use session replay to capture information entered into forms.

More information, including cookie names, providers, purposes, and durations, should appear in our Cookie Policy.

9. Embedded content and external platforms

Our pages may contain podcast players, videos, social links, scheduling tools, forms, payment links, or other embedded services. When you load or interact with embedded content, the provider may receive technical and usage information and may set cookies in accordance with your choices and its own privacy policy.

Where practical, we will identify the provider before you interact with it. You should review the provider’s privacy information if you want to understand its independent use of your data.

We do not sell personal data.

We may share personal data with:

Website, CRM, hosting, form, email, analytics, and security providers
Podcast hosting, recording, editing, transcription, distribution, and publishing providers
Scheduling, event, resource-delivery, and payment providers
Professional advisers, such as legal, accounting, insurance, and technical advisers
Contractors supporting our website, content, communications, or client work under appropriate obligations
A client organization where you are its nominated contact or participant and sharing is necessary for the engagement
Authorities, regulators, courts, or other parties where required by law or necessary to protect legal rights
A buyer, investor, or successor if the business is reorganized, sold, or transferred, subject to appropriate safeguards

Before publication, The Divergent Leader should confirm and list the material processors that receive personal data.

11. International transfers

Some providers may store or process personal data outside the country where you live or where The Divergent Leader is established.

Where data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we will use an approved transfer mechanism, such as an adequacy decision, contractual protections, or another lawful safeguard. You can contact us for more information about the safeguards relevant to your data.

12. How long we keep personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, security, or dispute requirements.

Retention is determined by:

The nature and sensitivity of the information
The reason it was collected
Whether our relationship with you remains active
Whether you have unsubscribed, withdrawn consent, or asked us to delete it
Contractual, tax, insurance, limitation, and regulatory requirements
Security and fraud-prevention needs

Before publication, The Divergent Leader must approve specific retention periods for:

General and speaking enquiries
Podcast guest applications and accepted guest records
Marketplace research and interest responses
Newsletter subscribers and inactive contacts
Resource orders and fulfillment records
Client, supplier, financial, and contractual records
Website analytics, consent records, and security logs

When information is no longer required, we delete, anonymize, or securely archive it as appropriate.

13. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live and which law applies, you may have the right to:

Ask whether we process your personal data
Request access to your personal data
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Ask us to delete personal data in certain circumstances
Ask us to restrict certain processing
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent
Request a portable copy of certain information
Appeal or complain about how a request has been handled, where applicable
Lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country or region

To exercise a right, contact inquiries@thedivergentleader.com. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

If UK data protection law applies, you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

14. Marketing choices

You can stop marketing emails at any time by:

Selecting the unsubscribe link in a marketing email
Updating your preferences where that option is available
Contacting us at inquiries@thedivergentleader.com

We may retain a minimal suppression record so that we can honor your request. Stopping marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary messages about an enquiry, application, transaction, or active engagement.

15. Automated decision-making

We do not make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you solely through automated processing.

Forms may use automation to route a submission, record a preference, send a confirmation, or notify our team. A person reviews podcast guest applications and speaking, workshop, and consulting enquiries.

16. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Measures may include access controls, secure connections, account protections, backups, processor agreements, staff or contractor confidentiality, and review of the information collected through forms.

No system can be guaranteed completely secure. If you believe information you supplied has been compromised, contact us at inquiries@thedivergentleader.com .

17. Children’s privacy

The website and services are not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children through general website forms.

If you believe a child has submitted personal data without appropriate permission, contact us so we can review and delete it where required.

18. Third-party links

The website may link to third-party websites, podcast services, social platforms, resources, and tools. We do not control their privacy practices. Review the privacy policy of the relevant third party before providing information to it.

19. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our website, services, providers, or legal obligations change. The latest version will appear on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.

If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will provide any notice or request any consent required by applicable law.

20. Contact us

For questions, requests, or concerns about privacy, contact inquiries@thedivergentleader.com