Your privacy, explained clearly.

1. Who we are

The Formative Path is the personal platform of Chukwuemeka Benjamin Eke and is operated from the Netherlands. For the purposes of applicable data-protection law, The Formative Path is the controller of personal information collected through this website.

Privacy questions and requests can be submitted through the Contact page.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use the website, we may collect:

• Contact information, such as your name and email address.
• Information you submit through contact, mentorship, resource, newsletter, or enquiry forms.
• Technical information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, requested pages, timestamps, security events, and server logs.
• Cookie and consent preferences recorded by the website’s consent-management tools.
• Correspondence when you communicate with us.

Please do not send unnecessary medical, crisis, financial, identification, or other highly sensitive information through general website forms.

3. How and why we use information

We use personal information only where there is an appropriate lawful basis. This may include:

• Responding to questions and administering requests, based on our legitimate interest in communicating with visitors.
• Reviewing mentorship applications and taking steps requested before entering into an agreement.
• Providing mentorship, resources, or other agreed services under a contract.
• Sending Formative Letters or similar communications where you have consented. You may unsubscribe at any time.
• Protecting the website, preventing misuse, diagnosing faults, and maintaining reliable operation, based on legitimate interests in security and administration.
• Meeting accounting, tax, legal, or regulatory obligations where applicable.

We do not use personal information for solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

4. Spiritual and other sensitive information

A mentorship enquiry may voluntarily reveal information about beliefs, spiritual life, wellbeing, or personal circumstances. We use such information only to consider or provide the service requested, limit access to people who need it, and apply an appropriate lawful condition, including explicit consent where required. Mentorship is not medical care, psychotherapy, crisis support, or another regulated health service.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

The website uses essential technologies needed for security, language preferences, consent records, and core functionality. Optional analytics, embedded-media, or marketing technologies will be activated only where permitted and, when required, after consent.

You can accept, reject, or change optional-cookie choices through the cookie settings made available on the website. Functional cookies may operate without consent where the law allows, but visitors are still informed about their use.

6. Service providers and sharing

We do not sell personal information. Information may be shared only as necessary with trusted providers supporting hosting, email delivery, security, backups, forms, consent management, payments, digital delivery, and print fulfilment. These providers currently include Hostinger, WooCommerce service components, PayPal, Payhip, and Lulu Direct.

Providers act under their own terms and privacy practices and, where applicable, data-processing arrangements. Information may also be disclosed where required by law, to protect legal rights, or to prevent serious misuse.

7. Book and eBook purchases

When you purchase a paperback through this website, WooCommerce records order and customer information such as your name, email address, billing and shipping address, telephone number, purchased items, payment status, and delivery method. PayPal or another displayed payment provider processes the payment; The Formative Path does not receive your complete payment-card details.

For Lulu Direct paperbacks, the information required to print and deliver the order—including recipient name, shipping address, telephone number, product, quantity, and shipping method—is shared with Lulu Direct. eBook purchases are completed through Payhip, which independently processes payment and digital delivery under its own privacy policy. Transaction and accounting records may be retained where required by law.

8. International transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the European Economic Area. Where GDPR transfer rules apply, we use providers and safeguards intended to protect the information, such as adequacy decisions or approved contractual protections.

9. How long we keep information

Information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected:

• General enquiries and unsuccessful mentorship applications are retained long enough to respond, assess the request, and manage reasonable follow-up, then deleted or anonymised unless a longer period is required.
• Newsletter information is retained until you unsubscribe, subject to keeping a minimal suppression record so the request is respected.
• Service, contractual, accounting, and transaction records are retained for the periods required by applicable law.
• Security, consent, and technical records are retained according to operational need and configured retention periods.

10. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information, including controlled administrative access, encrypted connections where available, software maintenance, backups, security monitoring, and reputable service providers. No online system can be guaranteed completely secure.

11. Your privacy rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• be informed about the processing of your information;
• request access to and a copy of your information;
• correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• request deletion or restriction of processing;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• receive portable information where the right applies; and
• withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.

Submit a request through the Contact page. We may ask for information needed to verify identity and protect the privacy of others.

You may also complain to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the concern.

12. Children

This website is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information through general forms. A parent or guardian who believes a child has submitted information may contact us to request its removal.

13. External links and embedded services

The website links to social-media platforms, booksellers, and other external services. Those organisations control their own data practices. Embedded content, if enabled, may place cookies or collect technical information subject to your consent choices and the provider’s privacy terms.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the website, services, providers, or legal requirements change. The date at the top identifies the latest revision. Material changes will be communicated where appropriate.

15. Contact

For privacy questions, objections, consent withdrawal, or requests to exercise your rights, use the Contact page and include “Privacy request” in your message.