Twelve years in retail. Six in travel. Twenty in local government. One compass, four ways forward.
Founder of Tonim Wayfinding; premium travel advisory, journalling, coaching, and business systems consulting, built from a career that turned out to be one long apprenticeship for this.
What I actually do
I'm Alison, the person behind all four pillars of Tonim Wayfinding. Most people meet me through one door (usually Voyages, if you found this site through a location guide) and are surprised to learn the others exist. They're not separate businesses wearing a shared logo; they're four expressions of the same underlying belief — that the right structure, the right story, and the right encouragement at the right moment change what's possible for someone.
I almost hate to admit how many years I've been at this — thirty-five plus, across a strange mix of industries. Accounting, retail, hospitality, shipbuilding, IT, project management, asset management, and a Master Coach Certification in NLP on top of all of it. I've put every bit of that into practice along the way, and now I'm doing something different with it: bringing what looks like an eclectic set of skills together into one place, instead of leaving them scattered across separate jobs. It's the one fact that explains why all four pillars belong to the same person.
Why Voyages exists
There's a difference between someone who books travel and someone who's lived it from both sides of the gangway. As a former Hotel Officer on Princess Cruises, I know how ships work from the inside. Now sailing as Princess Elite — the line's highest loyalty tier — I've crossed the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, Baltic, Caribbean and beyond. But my experience doesn't stop at one line or one way of travelling. I've sailed multiple cruise lines and explored destinations independently and with a range of tour operators — which means I know when a guided tour is worth every cent, and when you're better off with a good map and your own instincts.
I've worked out which deck faces the sunrise, which shore excursions are worth the money, and which "must-see" stops aren't.
There are many locations guides on this site come out of that travel. They have been written from what actually happened on the day, not reordered from a top-ten list.
Voyages · Journals · Coaching · Systems
Each pillar is a different door into the same way of working — structure made visible, applied to whatever someone actually needs.
Voyages
Premium cruise & travel advisory, port guides written from first-hand experience.Journals
Journalling and creative workshops — pen on paper, hands in clay, no rush.Coaching
NLP Master Coach-certified transformational coaching for real outcomes.Systems
Odoo & business systems consulting — structure made visible.From Sundial Innovation to Tonim Wayfinding
Before Tonim Wayfinding, I co-founded Sundial Innovation, a boutique career and leadership coaching practice, with Nicki Ursu. That work was about helping individuals, teams, and leaders step into their potential — using real-life experience, not just frameworks, to get people unstuck. I draw on a wealth of practical leadership experience to coach individuals, teams and leaders to step into their potential and create real benefits, using a passion for systems, goal-setting, and accountability to help people "work smarter, not harder."
That same instinct — find the structure underneath the mess, then help someone actually use it — is the thread that runs through every Tonim Wayfinding pillar today.
"My unwavering belief in the potential of my clients is contagious — it ignites the passion and belief to step into your ideal future."
WHEN I'M NOT TRAVELLING
Home base is Melbourne — though base is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
When I'm not on a ship or researching a destination, I'm usually in my art studio, experimenting. Weaving, crochet, painting — whatever the current obsession is. Creativity isn't a hobby I keep separate from the business; it's the same muscle I use in coaching sessions and workshop design, just expressed differently.
Most weeks also involve walking. Melbourne has no shortage of good ones, and it's become the way I keep my location guides current — less desk research, more just showing up and seeing what's actually there.
My clients don't book around my travel schedule — I build my travel around them. I work remotely across time zones, fitting around what my clients need, whether that's a coaching session, a systems implementation, or planning the trip of a lifetime. Being on the road makes me better at what I do. It doesn't make me harder to reach.
Want to know more, or just say hello?
Whichever pillar brought you here, there's no wrong door to knock on first.
Get in touch