PRIVACY POLICY
Effective September 5, 2026 · Last updated September 5, 2026
RealWell is published by RealWell LLC. This policy explains what we collect when you visit realwell.fit, why we collect it, and what you can do about it. We’ve written it in plain language on purpose.
THE SHORT VERSION
We collect very little. We don’t sell or share your data. We use analytics to understand which articles are useful, and we collect your email address only if you choose to give it to us.
WHAT WE COLLECT
Information you give us directly
- Your email address and phone number (optional), if you subscribe to The Hype. That’s the only required field.
- Your name, email address, and message, and phone number (optional) if you use our contact form.
Information collected automatically when you visit
Our analytics provider records standard technical information: the pages you view, how long you stay, the site or search that referred you, your approximate location (city-level, derived from IP address), and your device and browser type.
We use Google Analytics 4 for this. We have turned off Google Signals, the setting that would let Google connect your visit to a cross-site advertising profile, and we don’t use Google’s advertising features. Google’s own privacy policy governs their handling of what remains, at policies.google.com/privacy.
Information collected when you read our email
If you subscribe to The Hype, our email platform records whether you opened an issue, which links you clicked, and your approximate location and device from the connection. We use this to see which stories land, not to build a profile of you.
Podcast listening
The RealWell Podcast is distributed through YouTube, Spotify and other podcast apps. We don’t receive your identity from them, only aggregate counts. What those platforms collect is governed by their own privacy policies, not this one.
How we use it
- To send you The Hype, if you subscribed
- To respond to messages you send us
- To understand which content is useful so we can make more of it
- To keep the site working and secure
We do not sell or share your personal information. We do not share it with advertisers. We don’t run behavioral advertising.
Who else touches your data
We use a small number of service providers, each of which handles data on our behalf:
| Provider | What they do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Email delivery | Sends The Hype, stores your subscription, records opens and clicks |
| Google Analytics 4 | Site analytics | Tells us which pages get read |
| WP Engine | Web hosting | Serves the site and keeps server logs |
Each maintains its own privacy policy. We choose providers we’re comfortable with, but we don’t control their practices. All three are based in the United States, so if you’re outside the US your information is processed here.
Cookies
We use cookies for analytics and basic site function:
- Google Analytics sets cookies to recognize returning visitors and measure sessions.
- Beehiiv sets cookies through our email signup form.
- WordPress sets functional cookies the site needs to work.
You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, and the site will still work. If you’d rather Google Analytics not collect your visits at all, Google publishes a browser opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
If you’re in the EU or UK: we set analytics cookies when you visit, and we don’t currently show a consent banner. You can prevent analytics collection entirely using your browser settings or the opt-out add-on above, and you can email us to have anything associated with you deleted. RealWell is a small US publication without EU operations. If that changes, so will this section.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser or extension sends one, we treat it as an opt-out request. Because we don’t sell or share personal information in the first place, there isn’t much for it to switch off — but we honor it regardless.
Subscribing to The Hype is entirely voluntary. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing takes effect immediately. We don’t sell, rent, or share our subscriber list.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you may ask us to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Correct anything inaccurate
- Delete your information
- Port a copy of it in a usable format
- Opt out of marketing emails at any time
- Object to or restrict certain processing
To exercise any of these, email hello@realwell.fit. We’ll respond within 30 days. We won’t treat you differently for asking, and we won’t charge you.
If you’re in the EU or UK, the GDPR gives you these rights. Our lawful basis is your consent for email, and legitimate interest for analytics, site security, and server logs. You can withdraw consent at any time, and you have the right to complain to your national data protection authority.
If you’re in California, the CCPA as amended by the CPRA gives you similar rights, including the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out of sale or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes requiring an opt-out.
If you’re in Indiana, where we’re based, the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act took effect January 1, 2026. RealWell is below the thresholds that make that law mandatory for us, but we extend the same rights to Indiana readers voluntarily. The same goes for readers in other states with comparable laws.
Children
RealWell is intended for adults. We don’t knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us their information, email hello@realwell.fit and we’ll delete it.
How long we keep things
- Subscriber emails: until you unsubscribe, plus a short period to honor the unsubscribe
- Contact form messages: up to two years
- Analytics data: no more than 14 months
Security
We use HTTPS across the site and choose providers with reasonable security practices. No system is perfectly secure, and we won’t pretend otherwise.
If a breach ever affects your personal information, we’ll notify you and any required authority without undue delay, and we’ll tell you what happened rather than issuing a statement that says nothing.
Changes
If we change this policy we’ll update the dates at the top. Material changes will be announced in The Hype.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or about your data:
hello@realwell.fit
RealWell LLC