Terms of Service

About Līfstead

Līfstead is a personal development and navigation methodology operated by Brian Caruso in Greenville, South Carolina, US. Līfstead products are educational and developmental in nature. They are not a substitute for licensed medical, psychological, psychiatric, legal, or financial advice. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a licensed mental health professional or crisis line.

Products and Services

Līfstead offers a three-stage passage system consisting of orientation (Wayfinder), navigation (The Compass Work), and integration (Open Terrain) products, as well as ancillary products including Bearings and the Navigation Cohort.

All products are delivered digitally. Wayfinder includes a PDF orientation guide and a live Zoom session. The Compass Work includes a Bearing document, Zoom onboarding, and an ongoing SMS-based practice system. Open Terrain includes monthly group Witness Circle sessions and a structured self-assessment framework.

Refund and Satisfaction Policy

Wayfinder Orientation Guide. If you complete the Intake Form, receive your Guide, attend your Orientation Zoom, and conclude that the Guide did not deliver a convergent read of your actual terrain — meaning the systems did not agree on anything recognizable about your situation — contact us within 14 days of your Zoom. We will review the case and, at our discretion, offer either a revised Guide or a full refund. We do not offer refunds based on dissatisfaction with what the systems revealed, or because the guidance was uncomfortable to receive.

The Compass Work. Due to the significant custom preparation required for each engagement, The Compass Work is non-refundable after the delivery of the Bearing document. If you have purchased the full Compass Work and the Bearing has not yet been delivered, you may cancel for a full refund within 7 days of purchase.

Open Terrain. Open Terrain is non-refundable after the first Witness Circle session. If you withdraw before that session, you will receive a refund of the remaining unused months, minus a one-month administrative fee.

Full Passage. If you have purchased the full Līfstead Passage and have not yet received your Wayfinder Guide, you may cancel for a full refund within 7 days. After Guide delivery, the Wayfinder component is considered delivered and the remaining balance is non-refundable as a lump sum; however, monthly installment payments may be paused once per engagement by written agreement.

Bearings. Non-refundable once the session has been delivered.

To request a refund or discuss your situation, write to brian@lifstead.com. We will respond within 5 business days.

No Guarantee of Outcomes

Līfstead does not guarantee specific outcomes, results, or transformations. The methodology is designed to build internal navigation capacity. What you do with that capacity is your responsibility and your authorship. This is not a disclaimer made to protect us from accountability. It is a structural feature of the methodology: the client is the author of their own life. Līfstead teaches map-reading. The terrain, the decisions, and the consequences remain yours.

Not a Licensed Professional Service

Brian Caruso is not a licensed therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, financial advisor, or legal advisor. Līfstead products are not therapy, counseling, medical treatment, or professional advice of any kind. They are educational and developmental. If your situation requires licensed professional support, you are responsible for seeking that support. Līfstead can coexist with, but does not replace, licensed professional care.

Intellectual Property

All Līfstead materials including the Wayfinder Orientation Guide, Bearing document, Fieldwork prompts, website content, and methodology documentation are the intellectual property of Brian Caruso / Līfstead. Your purchase grants you a personal, non-transferable license to use these materials for your own development. You may not reproduce, distribute, resell, or create derivative works from any Līfstead material without written permission.

Confidentiality

Brian treats the contents of your Intake Form, your Bearing, your Fieldwork responses, and the content of your Zoom sessions as confidential. This information will not be shared with third parties except where required by law. In group formats (Navigation Cohort, Witness Circle), participants are expected to maintain the confidentiality of what other participants share. Brian cannot guarantee the confidentiality behavior of other participants.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Līfstead’s total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of our products or this website shall not exceed the amount you paid for the specific product giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental damages.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes will be resolved in the courts of Greenville County, South Carolina, unless otherwise required by applicable consumer protection law in your jurisdiction.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The current version will always be available at lifstead.com/terms. Continued use of Līfstead products after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact

Brian Caruso — Līfstead — Greenville, South Carolina, US — brian@lifstead.com