ABOUT ME - The Story Behind Strong Shoulders
I know what it feels like when your life collapses in a way you cannot
explain to anyone.
Not the surface version. The one underneath — where you are functioning, hitting targets, turning up, performing, while something below all of that is running a completely different program.
Terry Worsfold
Founder · COACH & NLP Practitioner · Melbourne
Bullying. Arguments at home.
A nervous system wired for threat.
I was bullied badly as a kid. I grew up in a house full of arguments and hostility - not through any malice on my parents' part. They were unhappy, they were under pressure, they were doing what they could. I understand that now. But the environment I absorbed those years in wired my nervous system for threat, disconnection, and self-destruction before I had any language for what was happening.
I had multiple suicide attempts across different stages of my life. I spent the better part of two decades carrying thoughts I could not talk about with anyone, while presenting a version of myself to the world that never quite fit.
I could barely make eye contact with a woman I found attractive. I had no real confidence in who I was underneath the performance. Social anxiety ran my behaviour in ways I didn't understand and couldn't control.
"That kind of uncertainty about your own perception is its own specific hell. You can't trust your read on situations, you can't trust your read on people, and you definitely can't trust your read on yourself."
Tony Robbins. A decision.
Grow, or fall apart.
In 2014 I started working for the Australian event organisers behind Tony Robbins. That was the beginning of understanding that what I was experiencing wasn't permanent. That the brain rewires. That the patterns driving my behaviour had been installed, and could be uninstalled.
I made a decision at that point: grow, or fall apart. I chose to go all in on understanding why I felt the way I felt and what it would actually take to change it - not manage it, not cope with it, change it at the root.
That process took me years. That process took years. What I built from it works much faster.
South America. A marriage.
A false AVO. Court for over a year.
In March 2017, at 30 years old, I moved to South America for a relationship. We'd met while I was backpacking in 2014, spent 3 amazing months together, did distance for a while, flew to see each other 1-2 times a year, started a business together.... I went through the painful and expensive visa process, brought her to Australia, built a life with someone I believed in completely.
It fell apart. Badly. She was violent. I wasn't.
In early 2021 I was served with a false AVO. Police involvement. Court proceedings that ran for over a year while I was still legally married, still navigating what the dissolution of that life looked like, still waking up every morning and choosing to function. But it wasn't easy.
The case was withdrawn. Not because we settled, not because I compromised - because the allegations had no evidence. Because it didn't exist.
I walked out of that process with my name intact and a very clear understanding of what men are capable of enduring when they have no internal structure to stand on - and what they become capable of when they build one.
But I also realised that many men don't have the tools to navigate their situations. I wondered how many men just don't make it because of that...
Three weeks after being served.
A deliberate project of reconstruction.
Three weeks after being served with a false AVO, still legally married, I decided that who I was becoming mattered more than what was being done to me.
I started dating for the first time in my life at the age of ~34. I was completely open about my situation with every woman I met. I went on over a hundred dates. I got fit. I got clear on who I was and what I wanted.
"Everything is a mental choice. That sentence is easy to dismiss until you have actually had to make it in the worst circumstances of your life."
Two businesses. Melbourne.
Complete belief in myself.
I run two businesses out of Melbourne. I have 15 years in senior commercial and digital roles at some of Australia's largest media companies - News Ltd, Carsales, APN News and Media, LiSTNR - including two national sales rep of the year awards.
The difference between who I am now and who I was at my lowest is not discipline. It is not willpower. It is not a better morning routine.
It is that the subconscious patterns that were running my life have been identified, processed, and resolved at the level where they lived - below conscious thought, in the nervous system, in the stored emotional charge of memories that hadn't been properly integrated.
I can be anything now. I believe in myself completely. Not because I simply say affirmations (which do help, but aren't for everyone), but because the work was put in - and continues to be to this day. The truth is, there is no silver bullet but there definitely is room for exponential growth.
The gap between understanding
and actual change.
Because the version of me that needed this work had no one who could explain it in language that made sense to a man who had already tried the standard approaches and found them insufficient.
Most of the men I work with have read the books. Some have done years of therapy. They understand their patterns intellectually. They cannot shift them.
That gap between understanding and change is exactly where this methodology operates. Memory reconsolidation. Polyvagal theory. NLP applied with precision, not performance. A three-tier protocol matched to your nervous system, not a fixed program designed for someone else.
I am not a counsellor. I am not a therapist. I am a man who went to the worst places a person can go, built a systematic understanding of why humans can get stuck and how they can get unstuck, and refined that into something that works fast and can create lasting change.
If you are reading this and something in it is familiar - not the specific details, but the feeling underneath them - then you already know whether this conversation is worth having.
The Transformative Approach
We employ a unique approach tailored to accessing the subconscious mind for profound change.
Subconscious Dive
We delve deep into the subconscious mind to release negative emotions and limiting beliefs that hinder personal growth and accessing the life you want and deserve.
Pattern Disruption
By disrupting negative thought patterns at the subconscious level, we pave the way for lasting transformation and positive change.
Holistic Transformation
A holistic approach addresses mental, emotional, and physical well-being to ensure comprehensive and sustainable transformation.
The first session is free.
30 minutes. No obligation.
If something in this story is familiar - not the specific details, but the feeling underneath them - then you already know whether this conversation is worth having.
No obligation · 100% virtual
EXCELLENT
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WHAT MEN SAY
From the Men Who Did the Work
After experiencing over a decade of bullying for being short and brown my confidence was at an all time low affecting every part of my life from standing up for myself to building meaningful relationships. I found myself driven by deep rooted insecurities always needing to prove myself in ways that ultimately felt unhealthy. Despite all my accomplishments, I still struggled with feeling truly loved and heard, which led to many sleepless nights and many bad life decisions. Working with Terry completely changed my understanding of these challenges. Through his 6 week program I discovered that it wasn't the bullying itself, but rather the story I had been telling myself that was holding me back. This realisation completely changed my perspective and uncovered big things about me that I genuinely did not know. Today my confidence has significantly improved and I finally feel I'm on the right path. If you're tired of feeling down and lacking confidence you need to do the program ASAP!
Really enjoyed being coached by Terry, he’s been great to work with !
I had the pleasure of working with Terry for a limited time, and even in that short period, I was incredibly impressed by his approach. Terry is an immensely dedicated and compassionate coach. He brings a rare combination of genuine vulnerability, honesty, and transparency, making him instantly relatable. There’s no ego with Terry—just a deep commitment to helping men unfuck their minds and break free from the bullshit we all carry. Terry’s friendly demeanour and understanding nature make it easy to open up, but don’t mistake his compassion for leniency. He holds you accountable in the most constructive way possible, ensuring you stay on track with your goals. His devotion to his work and his clients is evident in every interaction, and I have enormous respect for his character and the genuine intention he brings to his mission. If you’re considering Terry’s breakthrough program, I can only imagine that your experience will be even more profound and transformative than mine. Highly recommend.
I was in such a dark place and working with Terry helped me move through really significant blocks. With his help I have managed to shift my mindset and reset myself. Highly recommend.
Terry has exceptional knowledge and skills when it comes to life coaching and 'letting go'. His extensive depths of awareness in this field was impeccably liberating. During my time with Terry he was very knowledgable and aware of exactly what he needed to do with me. I was so stubborn at first but he managed to understand exactly what to do and give me that breakthrough. I released all of my childhood trauma i'd been carrying my whole life and projecting it through anger. Thank you so much for everything Terry you truly have reshaped a huge part of me, I'm really looking forward to working with you again. God bless you x
I did a masters breakthrough with Terry! And the massive changes I was left with were impossible for me to see before I started! If doing the work has been a thought in the back of your mind for awhile or your sick of the way you feel and know there’s better in store for you! I can’t recommend strong shoulders higher to achieve all you battle put onto this world for!
I've been struggling with substance abuse my entire life and it has gotten gradually worse the last couple of years. Paired together with the loss of my mother, sent me into a very bad period of drinking and other substances. I was incredibly sad and sat in the sorrow every day. I needed help badly and reached out to Strong Shoulders since i know Terry from my remote work. The gestalt method was very new to me, and I haven't had much therapy before hand. After just 2 sessions with Terry, where we went deep into where emotions stem from, such as sadness, guilt, anger. The timeline method was particularly beneficial for me, since I have difficulty remembering. With the help from Strong Shoulders, I'm now free from the sadness and substance abuse patterns that have controlled my life for a long time. It feels like stones have been lifted off my shoulders and I'm moving forward with the intent of living the best life possible and being the best version of myself. Don't hesitate to reach out to Strong Shoulders. It feels very safe and it works! - Mikkel
Subconscious blocks and business "After the session the fear and anxiety turned into excitement and I was able to complete tasks that had taken me months in a matter of days. I'd recommend working with Terry if you know you're capable of so much more but finding it hard due to fears and limiting beliefs.
I recently had the privilege of working with Terry, and I can confidently say it was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. From the moment I had my initial chat with Terry about my situation, I felt a sense of warmth, understanding and confidence that Terry would be able to help remove some past traumas I was hanging onto in my subconscious which was affecting how I responded to life events, especially the current situation in my life that led me to connect with Terry. We were able to remove trauma stemming from anger, sadness, regret, guilt and grief. This was all baggage I was unknowingly carrying around for years that were lifted from my shoulders. What I feel sets Terry apart was his genuine empathy and dedication towards my well being. I always felt supported and encouraged throughout our sessions, unlike normal therapists where I am just vomiting information to only leave with issues brought to the service and no real tools or solution. Terry has provided me with invaluable tools to navigate life’s ups and downs with resilience and self-assurance. If you are ready to embark on an emotional journey of self discovery and personal growth then Terry is your man.
Evidence-based life coaching for men in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Australia-wide. Subconscious reprogramming, trauma release and NLP timeline techniques.
Trauma Release
Divorce Recovery
Confidence Rebuild
Career Performance
NLP Coaching
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