About the creator

Cheryl's Story

From Navy Chief to Nurse to Reinvention

Cheryl Bryant

@cowabunga1966_

My name is Cheryl Bryant, and if there is one thing my life has taught me, it's that no matter how many times life knocks you down, you can always get back up and reinvent yourself. Today people know me as Cowabunga1966 on TikTok — but long before social media, I was building a life that was anything but easy.

Service, then care

I spent 20 years serving in the United States Navy, eventually retiring as a Navy Chief. The military taught me discipline, resilience, leadership, and how to keep moving forward even when circumstances were difficult.

After retiring, I became a Registered Nurse. For more than 15 years I've cared for patients in hospitals, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, dementia units, and hospice. Nursing deepened my understanding of resilience, compassion, and human strength.

The parts most people don't see

Life was not always easy. I've struggled with mental health challenges, addiction, body image issues, and periods where I felt completely lost. At one point I experienced homelessness while raising my two sons.

But every setback taught me something. Healing is not linear. Recovery looks different for everyone. Asking for help is not weakness. And your past does not determine your future. I rebuilt my life more than once — and every time, I became stronger.

Being a mom

Of all the titles I've held, being a mother is the one I am most proud of. I have two incredible sons who have witnessed every chapter of my journey — the successes, the struggles, and the rebuilds.

Today both of them work in healthcare and are pursuing their own paths in nursing. No matter how difficult life becomes, you keep moving forward for the people you love.

My body, my journey

For much of my life I struggled with my relationship with my body — weight, fitness standards, body image, eating disorders, and the emotional ups and downs of major change. At my heaviest, I weighed over 250 pounds.

I eventually underwent gastric bypass surgery and later a breast reduction. They improved my health, but also came with hard lessons about self-worth. My message today is simple: you do not have to hate yourself into becoming healthier. You can improve your life while still loving yourself through the process.

How showing up changed everything

What started as a simple experiment turned into something I never expected. I began posting just to have fun and express myself — a retired Navy Chief, a nurse, a mom, a woman who decided she wasn't done living life out loud. I danced, I laughed, I shared stories about mental health, recovery, aging, and body confidence. I showed up exactly as I was.

And people responded. My community grew into hundreds of thousands of followers around the world. What surprised me most wasn't the growth — it was the connection. People weren't following because I was perfect. They were following because I was real. So many tell me they feel seen, and that watching someone reinvent themselves later in life gives them hope. That means more than any view count ever could.

“People didn't follow because I was perfect. They followed because I was real.”

What I believe

It's never too late to change your life.

Recovery is possible.

Aging does not mean becoming invisible.

Women should never be ashamed to take up space.

Happiness is something we create through daily choices.

Setbacks are not failures — they are chapters.

Everyone deserves the chance to rewrite their story.

My mission

My mission is simple: to help people realize that they are not stuck. Whether someone is struggling with confidence, career setbacks, aging, loneliness, or simply feeling lost, I want them to know that change is possible.

I am living proof that you can start over. You can rebuild. You can reinvent yourself. You can become someone you are proud of — at any age.

Today, I continue working in healthcare while building a growing online community through storytelling and content creation. My journey has taken me from military service, to nursing, to motherhood, to recovery, to social media creator. Every chapter shaped who I am. And the best part? I'm still writing the next chapter.

— Cheryl Bryant (Cowabunga1966)

Her story is the strategy. Here's the system.

The Confidence Creator Kit turns the same real-story-first, confidence-first approach into a step-by-step system you can use to show up and build your own next chapter.

Get the Confidence Creator Kit

Stats shown from creator-provided screenshots; live counts may change. Results vary.Navy and nursing references are the creator's background only — not an official endorsement and not medical advice.