Terms of Service

Who We Are

JoinStories ("we," "us," or "our") operates joinstories.com and related products. We provide a peer support platform built around Story Circles: small, private groups of people navigating shared life transitions such as retrenchment, health journeys, grief, and burnout through structured narrative practices.

JoinStories is a technology company. We are not a healthcare provider, therapy service, clinical practice, or licensed mental health service. Participation in JoinStories does not create any therapeutic, clinical, or professional relationship between you and JoinStories.

Eligibility & Accounts

To use JoinStories, you must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a legally binding contract. By creating an account and using our platform, you affirmatively represent and attest that you meet these age requirements.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at hello@joinstories.com if you become aware of any unauthorised use.

You may not create more than one personal account, impersonate another person, or provide false information during registration.

Story Circles Rules

Story Circles are the heart of JoinStories: private groups of 5–8 members who share a common experience over a structured 12-week arc. By joining a Story Circle, you agree to the following:

Confidentiality. What is shared in a Circle stays in the Circle. You agree not to share, screenshot, reproduce, or disclose the personal stories, identities, or disclosures of other Circle members outside the platform.

Respect & Safety. You agree to engage with other members with dignity and respect. Harassment, discrimination, threats, or abusive conduct of any kind will result in immediate removal from your Circle and termination of your account.

Honest Participation. You agree to participate authentically. Creating a false impression of shared experience or identity to gain access to a Circle is a breach of these Terms.

Circle Facilitators. Some Circles may be facilitated by a trained JoinStories facilitator. Facilitators are not therapists or clinical professionals unless separately and explicitly stated. Their role is to hold space and guide the narrative arc, not to provide clinical care.

Your Content

You own your story. Any content you submit to JoinStories, including written responses, journal entries, and prompt replies ("Your Content"), remains yours. We do not claim ownership of it.

By submitting content to JoinStories, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display, and process Your Content solely to operate and improve our platform. We do not sell your personal stories to third parties or use them for advertising.

Anonymised research. We may use anonymised, aggregated insights from platform usage to improve our product and publish research on the effectiveness of narrative peer support. This data will never be linked back to you as an individual.

You represent that Your Content does not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights, violate any law, or contain content that is unlawful, defamatory, or harmful.

Payments & Subscriptions

Some features of JoinStories require a paid subscription. By subscribing, you authorise us (or our payment processor) to charge the applicable fees to your selected payment method on a recurring basis.

Pricing. Current pricing is displayed on our website at the time of purchase. We reserve the right to change pricing with at least 30 days' advance notice to existing subscribers.

Cancellation. You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period; we do not offer pro-rated refunds for partial periods unless required by applicable law.

Refunds. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at hello@joinstories.com within 14 days of the charge.

Free trials. Where we offer a free trial, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid plan at the end of the trial unless you cancel beforehand.

Not Therapy or Crisis Support

JoinStories is a peer support and narrative wellness platform. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care, therapy, counselling, medical advice, or clinical treatment. Participation in a Story Circle does not constitute a therapeutic relationship.

If you are dealing with a serious mental health condition, we strongly encourage you to seek support from a qualified healthcare professional in addition to, or instead of, using JoinStories.

Privacy

Our Privacy Policy, available at joinstories.com/privacy, explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using JoinStories, you agree to our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

In brief: we do not sell your personal data. We use your data to operate and improve the platform, and we implement appropriate security measures to protect it. Given the sensitive nature of the experiences shared on our platform, we take data privacy with particular seriousness.

Limitation of Liability

JoinStories provides its platform on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We are not responsible for the actions, content, or conduct of other users within Story Circles or otherwise, including any unauthorised disclosure, sharing, or reproduction of Circle content outside the platform by other users.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, JoinStories' total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the fees you paid to JoinStories in the 3 months preceding the claim.

In no event shall JoinStories be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, or special damages, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

Termination

You may close your account at any time by contacting us or using account settings. Closing your account will remove your access to active Story Circles.

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, engage in conduct that harms other users or the platform, or for any other reason with reasonable notice where practicable. In cases of serious breach (including confidentiality violations or abusive conduct toward other members), we may terminate immediately.

Upon termination, content you have submitted may be retained in anonymised or aggregated form as described in Section 4. You may request the full deletion of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy by contacting privacy@joinstories.com.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to notify you by email or in-platform notice at least 14 days before the changes take effect.

If you continue to use JoinStories after updated Terms take effect, you accept the revised Terms. If you do not agree with a change, you may close your account before the effective date.

Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Singapore, without regard to its conflict of law principles. However, if you are a consumer residing in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with strict consumer protection laws, nothing in these Terms deprives you of the mandatory statutory rights granted to you by your local laws.

Informal resolution first. Before initiating any formal dispute, you agree to contact us at hello@joinstories.com and give us 30 days to try to resolve the matter informally.

Disputes. If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, it shall be submitted to binding arbitration under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in Singapore, conducted in English. This arbitration clause applies to the fullest extent permitted by the laws in your country of residence.

Class action waiver. You agree to resolve disputes with JoinStories on an individual basis only. You waive any right to bring or participate in a class action or representative proceeding.

Nothing in this section prevents you from lodging a complaint with a relevant consumer protection authority or regulator in your jurisdiction.

Contact

JoinStories is an early-stage platform. These Terms will evolve as we grow. We are committed to being transparent with our community about any changes, and to always putting the safety and dignity of our members first.