Terms of Service
Last updated 28 July 2026
Welcome to The Grounded Expat. These terms are an agreement between you and The Grounded Expat (“we,” “us,” “I”) for your use of thegroundedexpat.com, The Circle membership, and our app. By using them, you agree to these terms. Please read the section just below carefully.
Important: this is not therapy or crisis care
The Grounded Expat, The Circle, the reflection tools, and all of our content are for education, self-reflection, and peer support. They are not psychotherapy, counseling, medical care, diagnosis, or mental-health treatment.
Stephanie is a licensed clinical social worker, but using this service does not create a therapist–client or any professional treatment relationship between you and her, and nothing here is professional advice for your particular situation. The AI reflection feature is an automated tool, not a clinician, and it can be wrong.
This is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, thinking about harming yourself, or worried about your safety, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line right away — in the US call or text 988; anywhere in the world, find a helpline at findahelpline.com.
1. Who can use the service
You must be at least 18 years old to use The Grounded Expat and to join The Circle.
2. Your account and sign-in
Access to the app is tied to your email address. We sign you in with a one-time code sent to that email, so keep access to your inbox secure. Your membership is personal to you — please don’t share your access or sign-in codes with others.
3. The Circle membership and billing
- The Circle is a subscription of $19 per month, billed through Stripe.
- Your subscription renews automatically each month until you cancel.
- You can cancel anytime. When you cancel, your membership stays active through the end of the period you’ve already paid for, and then access ends.
- Because The Circle is a digital service you can use right away, monthly payments are generally non-refundable, except where required by law or offered at our discretion. If something went wrong, email us — we’ll always try to make it right.
- We may change the price in the future, but we’ll give members notice before any change affects them.
4. What’s included, and what you can do with it
Your membership gives you access to the community, workshops, reflection tools, selected journals, and a member discount on the rest of the library, for as long as your membership is active. Journals you buy individually are yours to keep.
All of our content — workshops, journals, writing, audio, and the app itself — is owned by us or our licensors and is provided for your personal, non-commercial use. Please don’t copy, share, resell, or redistribute it, or use it to provide services to others.
5. The community: being a good member
The Circle only works because it’s a kind, safe space. When you post, you agree to:
- Treat other members with warmth and respect.
- Keep what others share confidential — what’s shared in The Circle stays in The Circle.
- Not harass, threaten, demean, or discriminate against anyone.
- Not post spam, advertising, or solicitations, or share others’ private information.
- Not give medical, legal, or clinical advice to other members, or present yourself as their therapist.
You own what you post, but you give us permission to display it within the community. You’re responsible for what you share. We may remove any content and suspend or remove any member who breaks these rules or harms the safety of the space.
6. No guarantees
The service is provided “as is.” We care deeply about it, but we can’t promise it will always be available, error-free, or that it will produce any particular result for you. The reflection tool’s responses are generated automatically and may be inaccurate or not right for your situation — use your own judgment.
7. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent allowed by law, The Grounded Expat and Stephanie will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service, and our total liability to you will not exceed the amount you paid us in the past twelve months. Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have that cannot be limited by law.
8. Ending the agreement
You can stop using the service and cancel your subscription at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you violate these terms or if we need to for legal or safety reasons.
9. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. When we make significant changes, we’ll update the date above and let members know. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the updated terms.
10. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any disputes will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Washington, unless the law where you live requires otherwise.
11. Contact
Questions about these terms? Email [email protected].
See also our Privacy Policy. This document reflects how the service works today; it isn’t legal advice.