Terms of Service
The agreement between you and Ascent Metabolic Coaching. Written to be read, not to hide things.
I am a health and wellness coach, not a doctor, dietitian, or any other regulated health professional. I do not diagnose, treat, prescribe, or provide medical or medication screening or clearance. Coaching supports the changes you and your healthcare team decide are right for you.
You can cancel and get money back under the terms set out in the Refund and Cancellation Policy, and nothing here takes away rights you have under Ontario consumer protection law.
1Who you are contracting with
These Terms govern coaching services and this website, operated by Graham Robert Kingma, carrying on business as Ascent Metabolic Coaching, a sole proprietorship registered in Ontario (Business Identification Number 1001709714) (“we,” “us,” “I”).
Contact: ascentmetaboliccoaching.ca/contact
The contact form is the fastest way to reach me and the address of record for anything formal. It comes straight to my inbox and I reply from there.
By booking, paying for, or taking part in any program, you agree to these Terms.
2What coaching is, and what it is not
Coaching is education, structure, accountability and behaviour-change support. We work on habits, food choices, planning and follow-through.
Coaching is not:
- Medical care, diagnosis, treatment, or a second opinion
- Dietetics, clinical nutrition, or a therapeutic diet prescription
- Psychotherapy, counselling, or treatment for any mental health condition, including eating disorders
- A substitute for your physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, dietitian or therapist
- A medical or medication screening, assessment, or clearance service of any kind
I hold a Health and Wellness diploma from McMaster University and a Functional Therapeutic Diets Specialist certification from Primal Health. Neither is a licence to practise a regulated health profession in Ontario, and I do not hold one.
I will never ask you to start, stop, or change the dose of any medication. Only your prescriber does that.
3Your responsibilities
You are responsible for your own health decisions. By enrolling you confirm that:
- You are 18 or older.
- You have consulted your doctor or pharmacist if you take any medication, or have any health condition, that could be affected by a change in how you eat. That includes insulin, sulfonylureas, SGLT2 inhibitors, blood pressure medication, type 1 diabetes, kidney or liver disease, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or a history of disordered eating.
- The information you give me is accurate and complete, and you will tell me if it changes.
- You will stop and seek medical attention if you feel unwell.
4Prices, payment and taxes
All prices are in Canadian dollars and are shown on the program pages. Payment is taken through Practice Better (card processing by Stripe). Payment is due before your program begins unless we agree otherwise in writing.
Taxes. Ascent Metabolic Coaching is not currently registered for GST/HST, so no tax is added to the prices shown. If that changes, prices will be updated here and on the program pages before it applies to you. Any tax that applies will be shown before you pay.
Prices may change, but never for a program you have already paid for.
5Sessions, scheduling and expiry
| Item | Terms |
|---|---|
| Session length | 45 minutes unless stated otherwise on the program page |
| Format | Virtual, by secure video through Practice Better |
| Rescheduling | Free with at least 24 hours’ notice, through your client portal. Rebooked at no charge, no questions asked. |
| Late cancellation | Less than 24 hours’ notice counts as a completed session from your program |
| No-show | Counts as a completed session. I will wait 15 minutes. |
| Grace | One late-cancel grace per program, for the truly unexpected. It resets with each new program, so a Full Climb client has one in each of the three. |
| If you arrive late | We use the time remaining; the session still ends on schedule |
| Program expiry | Four weeks after your program’s scheduled end date, which is 12 weeks from your start date for Base Camp and 16 weeks for The Lookout and The Peak |
| If I cancel | Rescheduled at no cost, or refunded in full if we cannot find a time |
Your session time is held on the rope for you and for your coach. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please do so through your client portal at least 24 hours before your session, and we will rebook you at no charge, no questions asked.
Life throws weather, though, and every climber gets one late-cancel grace per program for the truly unexpected, because a slip is not a fall. The grace resets with each program you start, so climbing the Full Climb gives you one in Base Camp, one in The Lookout and one in The Peak.
These are the default rules, not a set of traps. If something serious comes up, tell me and we will work it out.
6Confidentiality, and its limits
What you tell me stays between us, and is handled as described in the Privacy Policy. I may need to break confidence, without your consent, if I believe there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, if a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk, or if I am required by law or a court order.
I am not a regulated health professional, so our conversations do not carry the legal privilege that applies to a physician or psychotherapist. Please keep that in mind when deciding what to share.
7Intellectual property
The guides, worksheets, videos and written material I provide are mine, and are licensed to you for your own personal use during and after your program. Please do not copy, resell, publish or share them, or use them to run your own coaching. You keep ownership of anything you write or record yourself.
8Limitation of liability
Coaching outcomes depend on many things I do not control, most of all what you actually do. I do not promise any particular result, and nothing on this website is a guarantee of weight loss, blood-sugar improvement, medication reduction, or any other health outcome. Individual results vary.
To the fullest extent the law allows, my total liability to you for any claim connected to coaching or this website is limited to the amount you actually paid me for the program the claim relates to.
9Ending the agreement
You may cancel under the Refund and Cancellation Policy.
I may end coaching if a program is not a safe or appropriate fit, if you need care outside my scope, or if behaviour toward me is abusive. If I end it for a reason that is not your conduct, you get a pro-rated refund for sessions not yet used. Referring you elsewhere is sometimes the most useful thing a coach can do.
10Governing law and your statutory rights
These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.
If you are a consumer in Ontario, the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 gives you rights that cannot be signed away, and nothing here reduces them. That includes rights to cancel in certain circumstances and to a refund where the Act requires one. If anything in these Terms conflicts with that Act, the Act wins.
11Changes to these Terms
I may update these Terms. The version that applies to you is the one published when you bought your program. If a change would materially affect a program you have already paid for, I will email you and you may cancel for a pro-rated refund.
Questions? Send them through the contact page.