Our Team.
Future-focused career support, grounded in strategy, professional expertise, and
real-world experience
At Pick a Path, we bring together strategy, insight, and real-world experience to support people through change — whether you’re rewriting your career story, stepping into leadership, moving on from a senior role, or navigating what’s next after redundancy.
Our team draws on diverse backgrounds in recruitment, coaching, career development, innovation, education, and AI. We work with clients from all walks of life — from students and emerging professionals to senior leaders and organisations seeking tailored outplacement support.
What unites us is our commitment to strategic and personalised career support. No cookie-cutter advice. No generic templates. Just thoughtful guidance to help people move forward with clarity and confidence — wherever they’re starting from.
_edited_edited_ed.jpg)
_edited_edited_ed.jpg)
Get To Know Us
Sonja
Passmore
Co-founder
Career Strategist
Sonja blends strategy, creativity, and deep listening to help people find direction and make confident career decisions. With over a decade of experience in recruitment, coaching, and professional CV writing, she founded Pick a Path to offer support that’s personal, practical, and future-focused.
She works across all career stages but has a particular focus on supporting mid-career and executive professionals through periods of change, whether they’re navigating redundancy, stepping into leadership, or shifting direction entirely. Her work includes advanced CV development, strategic LinkedIn optimisation, and tailored career planning — always grounded in where the client is at, and where they want to go.
As host of the Pick a Path Podcast, Sonja brings together voices from recruitment, leadership, and innovation to explore how careers are evolving. She’s a licenced Career Intelligence practitioner and brings a future-of-work lens to everything she does — helping clients make decisions that are both values-aligned and strategically smart.
"I believe in strategy over guesswork, and in careers that evolve with you not ones you have to fit yourself into"
Tony
Pleace
Innovation & Strategy Consultant for Leaders & Change-Makers
With 25+ years leading teams and delivering large-scale change in the tech and business sectors, Tony understands how to navigate disruption while staying anchored in purpose. His work sits where people, systems, and technology intersect, always with an eye toward building more meaningful work environments.
Tony brings a strategic, systems-thinking lens to every conversation, drawing on deep experience in digital innovation, enterprise leadership, and organisational transformation. His strength lies in distilling complexity, reframing challenges, and helping others make grounded, future-focused decisions.
He is Co-founder of Pick a Path, where he leads business strategy, platform innovation, and long-term growth. He also chairs the Business South AI & Innovation Working Group in Dunedin and continues to lead digital capability for a global telecommunications provider.
"Clarity doesn’t come from more noise. It comes from stepping back, seeing the system, and asking: what’s really driving this decision?"
Penny
Kershaw
Career Coach
Navigating Change & Progression
Penny brings a calm, practical, and person-centred approach to career coaching. With extensive experience across education, employment and government services, she supports clients at all stages - from students exploring first steps to professionals reimagining what’s next.
She is a qualified career development practitioner (Level 7) and a full member of CDANZ, with a strong foundation in coaching, education, and labour market insight. While Penny continues to support students and early-career clients, she is increasingly working with mid-career professionals and emerging leaders navigating transitions, realignment, or return to work after time away.
At Pick a Path, Penny blends thoughtful coaching and career theory with strategic direction helping clients reflect, reset, and move forward with clarity, whether they’re building momentum or leading through change.
"Everyone deserves the space to reflect, realign, and move forward — no matter what stage they’re at."
Sophia
Penner
Professional Resume Writer
Career Storyteller
Sophia brings a thoughtful, research-informed approach to every CV she writes. Currently completing her Master of Applied Science in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Otago, she blends academic rigour with real-world experience to help clients articulate their strengths with clarity and impact.
With a background in cognitive science and a strong foundation in writing, tutoring, and academic support, Sophia has worked across sectors — from AI and data classification to university-level teaching and writing mentorship. This diverse experience informs her ability to craft personalised, well-structured documents that align with each client’s next move.
She works with clients at various stages, from students and early-career professionals to those returning to work or pivoting into something new. Whether it’s a CV, cover letter, or professional summary, Sophia focuses on storytelling that’s honest, strategic, and future-facing — helping people step forward with confidence.
_edited_edited_ed.jpg)
"Good career storytelling bridges what you’ve learned, what you value, and what’s next."
Our Journey .
Pick a Path was never about following the rules. It started with a simple idea: careers aren’t linear, and support shouldn’t be either.
We saw too many career services offering generic advice, templated CVs, and surface-level guidance. So we built something else -a place for people rethinking direction, making quiet pivots, starting fresh, or navigating change they didn’t choose.
Our work is rooted in empathy, strategy, and real-world momentum. We don’t hand you a plan, we help you shape your own, with tools that are human-led, context-aware, and future-facing. From CVs and career strategy to AI integration and leadership reinvention, we back people to own their path, even when it’s messy.
Because picking a path isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about knowing you have options and backing yourself to take the next step.
_edited.png)
Our Manifesto.
We believe careers aren’t linear and they’re not one-size-fits-all.
We believe in messy pivots, quiet confidence, second starts, and bold leaps.
We believe career development should be human-led honouring context, energy, culture, accessibility, and season of life.
We believe in using technology to support people, not replace them.
Innovation should help us adapt, not overwhelm us.
We’re not here to tell you what to do. We’re here to help you see what’s possible.
Whether you’re returning, rethinking, starting again or starting fresh
This is your path to pick.
Professional Memberships & Collaborations
