Phoenix : Finding My Way Back to Myself

Phoenix - A Gripping Psychological Journey Across Borders

What happens when the journey that changes your life isn't the one to the other side of the world, but the one back to yourself?


Exhausted by years of trying to be everything for everyone, the author arrives on a small Indonesian island disconnected from herself, quietly wondering whether there is still a way back. From the shadows of a past left behind in Romania, through the search for belonging in Sweden, to the sacred rituals of Bali, each place becomes more than a destination. It becomes a map of her own transformation.


During an eight-day therapeutic retreat, ancient temples, unexpected friendships, longing, anger, laughter, and buried memories intertwine in a deeply personal story of self-discovery. Written with disarming honesty, this literary memoir refuses easy answers, miracle cures, or promises of overnight transformation. Instead, it opens the door to a profoundly human experience, revealing that the deepest changes rarely arrive with grand revelations. More often, they begin with a quiet sigh of relief, a song, a conversation, or the simple decision to finally treat yourself with compassion.


Phoenix is more than a memoir. It is the courageous and incandescent confession of a woman who refuses to hide her scars any longer. It explores identity, motherhood, migration, marriage, depression, trauma, resilience, and the courage to reclaim your voice when you believe you have reached the end of your strength.


This book is for anyone who has ever stood at the edge of themselves and had to find their way back. It is a testament to truth, vulnerability, and courage, a moving and luminous memoir that reminds us that even after our deepest wounds, renewal is possible.

Because sometimes the bravest journey isn't the one that takes you thousands of miles from home.

It's the one that finally brings you back to who you have always been.



What early readers are saying

"I felt the need to send you a hug after finishing this book. It brought to the surface emotions I had hidden for years and somehow found the perfect words for them. I read a few pages at a time, underlining passages, crying, reflecting, and returning again and again. Thank you for taking me on this journey through your soul. I can't wait for the next book." - Adriana R.


"Phoenix touched me far more deeply than I ever expected. I didn't just read a story, I lived every emotion alongside Corina. Her honesty, courage, and vulnerability transform this memoir into something profoundly human. It is a book that reaches straight to the heart and stays with you long after the last page." - Renata S.

"I witnessed the birth of this book during a retreat in Bali, an almost initiatory journey in which I watched with admiration as Corina allowed herself to be held and transformed. With a rare delicacy and a deep respect for the reader’s inner world, she descended into her own truth and translated it into words with a clarity that cuts and heals at once. Phoenix is far more than a book written about a retreat in Bali or a healing journey, it is a rebirth lived fully and documented step by step, with honesty, vulnerability, and beauty. A living book, in which suffering gradually turns into understanding, and darkness becomes a source of light." - Petronela R.

"Written in a sincere voice, at times brutally transparent, Phoenix stands apart from conventional motivational literature. Corina Oancea does not offer universal solutions or promise ready-made formulas for healing. Instead, she offers the perspective of a person engaged in a process of reconstruction, inviting the reader to witness a complex inner journey marked by ruptures, falls, hesitations, and revelations. Phoenix reads like the journal of an intense period in the life that began during a retreat in Bali, an experience that became the catalyst for profound change. Far from an idealized narrative, the book speaks about vulnerability with responsibility and about strength with humility. It is a title addressed to those in a process of introspection, those undergoing significant transformations, or those simply seeking an honest and deeply human read." - Claudia S.



Also available in Romanian and Swedish editions.