Women Make Waves

Terms, Conditions and Waiver

These terms apply to everything Women Make Waves offers: this website, our podcast and free content, online courses, live classes, mentorship, workshops, events and retreats. By using our website, booking, or ticking the box on a booking form, you agree to them. Please read them, especially the health and safety section and the waiver.

1. Who we are

Women Make Waves (ABN 16 186 659 698) is based in New South Wales, Australia. In these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Women Make Waves, and "you" means anyone who uses our website, content or offers.

2. Our website, podcast and free content

• Our website, podcast (Curious With Sonia), social media, newsletters, free practices and free masterclasses share general information and inspiration. They are not personal advice.
• Podcast guests share their own views and experiences, which are not necessarily ours.
• Please only practise what feels safe for you, and read the health and safety section below before trying any breathing practice.
• Links to other websites are for your convenience. We are not responsible for their content.

3. What we offer

Our offers include online courses (such as The Regulated Woman), live online classes and workshops, one-to-one mentorship (The Free Woman mentorship), in-person workshops, ceremonies and ocean sessions, retreats, and talks and programs for organisations.

Each offer page explains what is included, the price, dates and any terms specific to that offer. If an offer page and these terms differ, the offer page applies for that offer. Work with organisations is covered by a separate written agreement.

4. Bookings and payment

• Prices are in Australian dollars (AUD) unless stated. If you pay in another currency, your bank or Stripe sets the exchange rate and any fees.
• Payments are processed securely by Stripe. We never see or store your card details.
• Your place is confirmed once payment (or your first instalment or deposit) is received and you get a confirmation email.
• Events, workshops and retreats: the full price must be paid before the event, no later than the day it starts.
• Courses and programs paid in instalments: the full price must be paid no later than the day of the last session. If a payment fails and isn't fixed within 7 days, we may pause your access until it is.
• Early bird and founding prices apply only to bookings made before the date shown. Prices may change for future dates, but never for a booking you have already paid for.

5. Online courses and live programs

• Live sessions run online at the times shown on the offer page. If a session has to move, we will tell you by email as early as possible, and a recording will be available.
• Access to recordings and materials lasts for the period stated on the offer page (for example, 3 months for The Regulated Woman).
• Your access is personal. Please don't share your links, recordings or materials with anyone else.
• We may move a course to a different platform. If we do, we will send you new access details for the rest of your access period.

6. Mentorship

• The Free Woman mentorship is one-to-one. The program length and access period are set out on the mentorship page and in your welcome email.
• If you need to reschedule a session, please give at least [24] hours' notice. Sessions missed without notice may not be rescheduled.
• If you pay in instalments, the full price must be paid no later than the day of your last session.
• Our work together is confidential, except where the law requires otherwise or where we believe you or someone else is at serious risk.

7. Workshops, events and retreats

• Please arrive on time. For safety, late arrivals may not be able to join a practice already in progress.
• We may need to change a venue, time, facilitator or itinerary for reasons outside our control (for example weather, ocean conditions or venue issues). We will always aim to offer something of equal value.
• Retreats: you are responsible for your own travel, visas, travel insurance and getting to the venue. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation and medical costs.
• Retreat deposits are non-refundable.
• Retreat cancellations: if you cancel 61 or more days before the retreat starts, we refund 70% of what you have paid (excluding the deposit). If you cancel 31 to 60 days before, we refund 50%. If you cancel 30 days or less before, there is no refund.
• Retreats held outside Australia may also be subject to local laws, and you may be asked to sign a local waiver.
• Ocean sessions depend on conditions. If we decide conditions are unsafe, we will reschedule or move the session to land.

8. Refunds and cancellations

• Unless an offer page says otherwise, we don't offer refunds for change of mind once a program, course or event has started.
• If we cancel an offer, you can choose a full refund or a place on another date.
• Refunds go back to your original payment method within 14 business days.
• Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

The Regulated Woman guarantee

Feel the difference, or your money back. Do the full 4 weeks: join or watch every session and do your daily practice. If by the end you've felt no benefit, email me within 7 days of the last session and I'll refund you in full.

9. Health and safety

Breathwork, somatic practices, meditation and ocean activities are gentle and safe for most people, but they do change your body's chemistry and can bring up strong emotions. Your safety comes first.

Please talk to your doctor before taking part if you:

• are pregnant
• have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or have had a stroke
• have epilepsy or a history of seizures
• have glaucoma, a detached retina or recent eye surgery
• have asthma or another respiratory condition
• have had recent surgery or a serious injury
• have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, PTSD or another mental health condition, or are currently in crisis
• take medication that may interact with a practice (for example, please check with your doctor before a cacao ceremony if you take antidepressants or heart medication)

Every time you practise:

• Go at your own pace. Every practice is optional, and you can stop at any time.
• If you feel dizzy, light-headed, tingly, unwell or overwhelmed, stop, breathe normally and rest, and tell the facilitator if you are with us in person.
• Never practise breathing exercises or breath holds in or near water, in the bath, while driving, or anywhere fainting could hurt you, unless you are in a supervised water safety session with a qualified instructor.
• For ocean sessions, you must be able to swim and follow the instructor's safety directions at all times.
• Tell us about any health condition when you book, and let us know if anything changes.

10. Waiver and release

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights.

What you confirm

By booking or taking part in any of our offers, online or in person, you confirm that:

• you have read the health and safety section and answered any health questions honestly and fully;
• you understand that any health or wellbeing issue you don't disclose to us is at your own risk;
• you have checked with a doctor where that section asks you to, or you choose to take part without doing so at your own responsibility;
• you take part voluntarily, you are responsible for your own wellbeing, and you will stop any practice that doesn't feel right for you; and
• you are 18 or over. Our offers are for adults only.

Assumption of risk

You understand that breathwork, breath holds, somatic, meditation, movement, cacao, and ocean activities (including swimming, surfing and apnea training) carry risks. These include dizziness, light-headedness, tingling, fainting, hyperventilation, changes in heart rate or blood pressure, falls, muscle or joint injury, nausea, allergic reactions (for example to cacao), emotional distress or the surfacing of difficult memories, and in water: shallow water blackout, loss of consciousness, cold exposure, waves, rips and currents, marine life, collisions with boards or other people, and drowning. In rare cases, these can lead to serious injury or death. Some risks are obvious, some are not, and some cannot be removed even with the greatest care. You choose to accept these risks.

Release and waiver

• Recreational activities: for ocean, surf, apnea, movement and other recreational activities, this release is intended to exclude liability to the full extent allowed by section 5N of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) and, for recreational services, section 139A of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
• No claims: you agree not to bring any claim or legal action against Women Make Waves for anything covered by this release.
• Indemnity: you agree to indemnify Women Make Waves against any claim, loss or cost to the extent it is caused by your breach of these terms (including withholding health information) or by your deliberate or careless conduct towards other participants, but not to the extent it is caused by our own negligence.
• Who it binds: this release binds you, your heirs, executors, administrators and anyone claiming on your behalf.

Health issues you don't tell us about

This includes any information you withhold, conceal, or give incompletely or inaccurately, and any change in your health during an offer that you don't let us know about. If we later learn of a condition that makes a practice unsafe for you, we may adapt or stop your participation. Where that information would have changed whether you could safely take part, this may be without a refund.

What this release does not cover

Nothing in these terms excludes any liability or right that cannot be excluded by law, including liability for reckless or intentional conduct, and your non-excludable rights under the Australian Consumer Law. If any part of this release is found to be invalid, it will be read down to the extent needed to make it valid, and the rest of it continues to apply.

Some in-person and ocean activities may also ask you to sign an additional waiver on the day.

11. Our circle

• What people share in our sessions, circles and retreats stays there. Please don't record, photograph or repeat other participants' stories.
• Please treat everyone with kindness and respect. We may remove anyone who makes the space unsafe for others. If we do, we will refund the unused portion of what you have paid, unless the removal is for violence, harassment or threatening behaviour.
• Please don't attend any session under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

12. Recordings, photos and testimonials

• Online live sessions may be recorded. By joining a live session, you consent to it being recorded, and we will also remind you at the start of each recorded session. Recordings are shared only with participants of that offer. Keeping your camera on is optional, you can change your display name, and you can ask questions privately instead of out loud.
• We may take photos or video at in-person events. If you don't want to appear, just tell us and we will make sure you don't.
• We only use your image, your words or your name publicly (for example, as a testimonial) with your permission.

13. Intellectual property

All content on our website, podcast, courses and programs, including recordings, practices, workbooks, The Houria Method and our branding, belongs to Women Make Waves. It is for your personal use only. Please don't copy, share, resell or teach it to others without our written permission.

14. Privacy

We collect the details you give us to deliver our offers, keep you safe and stay in touch. Your health answers are kept confidential and only used to support you. We use trusted services such as Jotform, Stripe, Mailchimp and Google to process your information, and we never sell it. You can unsubscribe from emails at any time. Read our full Privacy Policy.

15. Liability

Subject to the Waiver and release section, and to the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for anything related to an offer is limited to the amount you paid for it. We are not liable for indirect loss, or for things outside our control, such as internet outages, platform issues, weather or travel disruption.

16. General

• We may update these terms from time to time. The terms that apply to a booking are the ones in place when you made it.
• Events outside our control: we are not responsible for delays or cancellations caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as natural disasters, extreme weather, illness, pandemics, or internet and platform outages. Where this affects an offer, we will reschedule it or offer you a credit or refund for the part not delivered.
• If you live in the EU or UK: you may have a 14-day right to cancel online purchases. By booking an offer that starts within 14 days, you ask us to start straight away. If you cancel after it has started, you pay for what has already been provided, and once it has been fully provided, the right to cancel no longer applies.
• Disputes: if something goes wrong, please email us first so we can try to fix it together. If we can't, we both agree to try mediation in New South Wales before going to court.
• If part of these terms is invalid: it will be read down or removed to the extent needed, and the rest continues to apply.
• Our rights: if we don't enforce a term straight away, we haven't given up the right to enforce it later.
• These terms, together with the offer page and your booking confirmation, are the whole agreement between us for that offer.
• These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. This doesn't take away any mandatory consumer rights you have under the laws of the country where you live.