Dear Friend,

There was a time in my life when I believed I was crossing oceans in search of love.

I didn’t know then that the greatest journey I would ever take wasn’t across the sea—it was the journey back to myself.

Like so many of us, I spent years searching for happiness in places outside myself. I searched through relationships, achievements, countries, and new beginnings, believing that somewhere beyond the next horizon I would finally find the peace and belonging my heart longed for.

Instead, life gently—and sometimes painfully—showed me another path.

It taught me that healing is not about becoming someone else. It is about remembering who we have always been beneath the layers of fear, trauma, conditioning, and self-doubt.

There were moments when I questioned whether I would ever feel whole again. There were moments when I lost faith, when I felt broken, and when I wondered if the wounds of the past would always define my future.

Yet somehow, every challenge carried within it a hidden gift.

Every heartbreak became a teacher.

Every loss became an invitation.

Every ending quietly prepared me for a new beginning.

Over time, I began to understand that life wasn’t happening to me.

It was unfolding for me.

This memoir was born from that realization.

People often ask me why I decided to share such a personal story.

The answer is simple.

Because I know I am not alone.

Behind every smile is a story that few people see.

Every person we meet is carrying invisible wounds, unanswered questions, unspoken grief, and hopes they may not even dare to express.

If my journey can help even one person feel less alone…

If it can offer hope to someone standing in the middle of their own darkness…

If it can inspire someone to believe that healing is possible…

Then every vulnerable page will have been worth writing.

This book is not about perfection.

It is about courage.

It is about choosing love over fear, forgiveness over resentment, wisdom over bitterness, and authenticity over pretending to be someone we are not.

Most of all, it is a reminder that no matter where life has taken us, we can always find our way home.

I Crossed the Ocean for a Heart of Gold is a deeply personal memoir of survival, resilience, and the lifelong journey of transforming trauma into wisdom.

It is a story of leaving my homeland, searching for belonging, navigating love and loss, rebuilding after heartbreak, and discovering that the greatest treasure we seek is never found outside ourselves.

Throughout these pages, I share not only the events that shaped my life but also the insights that emerged through them—the lessons that transformed pain into compassion, fear into courage, and uncertainty into trust.

This is more than my story.

It is an invitation to reflect upon your own.

Because while our experiences may be different, our longing to love, to heal, to belong, and to become fully ourselves is universal.

My hope is that somewhere within these pages you will recognize a part of your own journey and discover that the heart of gold you have been searching for has been quietly waiting within you all along.

In 2016, another unexpected chapter of my life began.

What started as a dream became Heaven To Earth Cruises—a vision of bringing together some of the world’s most inspiring teachers with people who share a sincere desire to grow, heal, and live more consciously.

I never imagined how profoundly these journeys would transform my own life.

Every cruise has its own unique theme.

Every speaker brings a different perspective.

Every group arrives with its own stories, challenges, dreams, and wisdom.

People come from every corner of the world, many as strangers.

They leave as lifelong friends.

And somehow…

every single voyage changes me too.

With each new cruise, another layer of my own heart opens.

Another old story falls away.

Another version of myself is born.

The sea has become one of my greatest teachers.

Its ever-changing tides remind me that life is not meant to stand still.

Healing is not a destination we arrive at once and for all.

It is a lifelong unfolding.

A continual invitation to grow into the person we were always meant to become.

In many ways, this memoir and Heaven To Earth Cruises are expressions of the same calling.

One is a journey through the pages of a book.

The other is a journey across the sea.

Both invite us to discover something far greater than beautiful destinations.

They invite us to discover ourselves.

There are certain stories that stay with you long after you put the book down. Bianca’s memoir is one of them.

“What moved me most deeply about I Crossed the Ocean for a Heart of Gold was not only the trauma she survived, but the consciousness with which she chose to revisit her life. This is not a story written from bitterness or blame. It is written from reflection, honesty, and a profound desire to understand how we lose ourselves and how, if we are willing, we can slowly find our way back.”

I have had the privilege of getting to know Bianca through our work together, and I have witnessed the depth of awareness and compassion she brings to everything she does. Her courage to explore inherited wounds, survival patterns, and the lifelong journey of healing is what makes this memoir so deeply moving.

Mariel’s complete foreword appears in the opening pages of the book, where her heartfelt reflections beautifully introduce the journey that follows.

“A tender, heartfelt and wisely drawn story of sufferings and

awakening.”

Jack Kornfield, PhD

“Every pair of eyes has a story of tragedy and triumph living in the journey of who that individual is and who they can become. In this courageous and compelling memoir, Bianca Childs’ life reveals the hard-earned discoveries of how to let go and let the universe flow through her, opening to the wondrous connections that are the birthright of us all. There are lessons for each of us in this love-inspired gift.”

Daniel J. Siegel, MD
Author of Mindsight, Mind, and Aware

“Bianca Childs’ memoir reminds us that we are not alone with our childhood wounds. Her difficult albeit hopeful story brings together

the universality of the loss of self and safety that happens in these childhood histories and the possibility of healing, against the

backdrop of her childhood at a tumultuous time in history.”

Ramani Durvasula, PhD

Psychologist and Author of It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing

from Narcissistic People

“This memoir will break your heart and open your eyes to the beauty of the human spirit. Fiercely honest and beautifully written,

it is a powerful reminder of how deepest pain and our wildest challenges shape who we become. It will spark your inner light.

This is a story that heals, inspires, and connects us all.”

Leona Paraminski

Croatian Film Actress

“From the sun-washed stones of a Croatian island to the concrete

blocks of Zagreb, this memoir follows a girl who learned to readdanger before she could read books. Compelling and hard to put

down, it is an unflinching account of three generations of women

shaped by silence — and the one who decided to break the

chain.”

Trudy Goodman, PhD

“The words, the sentences, the chapters of this beautiful book

become a bridge for loss, grief, love and hope. Death and life,

painful endings and hopeful beginnings announce themselves on

the pages. It connects Heaven and Earth. It gives the reader a

sense of belonging. It leaves a trace. In the hands of the readers

it becomes a heartwarming proof that we get hurt in connection

and we heal in connection.”

Andrea Szegedi, MD

Grief Recovery Specialist

“A gripping, raw, and beautifully triumphant memoir of survival and self-discovery. From the fractured landscape of Croatia to the

unfamiliar shores of America, this book captures a daughter’s harrowing journey through the shadows of abuse, alcoholism, and

a stunning family secret. It is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the relentless courage required to redefine home, family, and oneself.”

Jane Callen, MA, MSW, LCSW-C

“This book is more than a story. It is a reminder of the strength

within us, a source of hope, and an invitation to trust life and

especially to trust the power within us as women.”

Mia Bobrik, Dipl.-Psych.

Licensed Psychotherapist & Trauma Therapist

“A deeply evocative and beautifully written book. I was completely

invested from the very first pages. There is something within this

book that we can all relate to and learn from, as Bianca bravely

shares her powerful and moving account of trauma, self-

discovery, loss, healing, and transformation.”

Fiona Hancock

Medium & Founder of Earthmonk.guru

“A delicate and profound personal voyage that will help readers

cross to ‘the other side,’ whatever that means to you. Bianca

Childs shows in this book a powerful storytelling for the alchemy

of the heart.”

Francesc Miralles

Co-author of Ikigai

“I have known Bianca not only as my mother, but as a woman of extraordinary strength, resilience, and heart. Reading her story gave me an even deeper appreciation for the journey she traveled before becoming the person so many know today. This memoir is not just a story of survival — it is a testament to courage, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.”

Cameron Childs • Son of the Author

“I have always admired my mother’s extraordinary strength, resilience, perseverance, and deeply loving nature. Reading her story gave me an even greater appreciation for everything she endured and overcame long before we could understand it as children. Despite facing immense challenges and having little guidance herself at such a young age, she raised us through pure love, determination, and sacrifice. That love became the foundation of who we are today. Her journey is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, resilience can be inherited, and love truly has the power to transform generations.”

Tatiana • Daughter of the Author

Bianca Childs is an author, humanitarian, speaker, and co-founder of The Bridging Heaven & Earth Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to exploring the intersection of consciousness, healing, science, and spirituality.

For more than two decades, Bianca has collaborated with some of the world’s most respected spiritual teachers, scientists, physicians, psychologists, and thought leaders, helping bring transformative conversations to audiences around the world through the acclaimed television series Bridging Heaven & Earth.

LIST OF 322 Bridging Heaven & Earth Shows PDF here.

Her lifelong fascination with human potential—and the question of how we heal from trauma, reconnect with ourselves, and live more consciously—eventually inspired her to create Heaven To Earth Cruises in 2016.

These intimate week-long transformational voyages through the breathtaking Croatian islands bring together internationally renowned teachers and participants from around the world for a shared journey of learning, self-discovery, and meaningful connection. For Bianca, each voyage has become a reminder that healing is not a destination but a lifelong unfolding, and that every journey has the power to reveal another layer of who we truly are.

In addition to her work as an author and retreat creator, Bianca has spent more than three decades helping others through holistic wellness. From her practice in Santa Barbara, California, she offers Esalen® Bodywork and integrative skincare, creating a nurturing space where people can reconnect with their bodies, restore balance, and experience the healing power of compassionate touch.

At the heart of everything Bianca creates—whether through her writing, her foundation, her cruises, or her wellness practice—is a simple belief:

When we begin to understand ourselves with curiosity rather than judgment, healing becomes possible.

I Crossed the Ocean for a Heart of Gold is Bianca’s first memoir and her most personal work to date. It is the culmination of a lifetime of searching, healing, and awakening—and an invitation for readers to discover that the greatest journey is not the one that carries us across an ocean, but the one that leads us home to ourselves.

An Invitation – Begin Your Journey 

If these words resonate with your heart, I warmly invite you to continue the journey.

Whether you begin by reading this memoir or one day join us aboard a Heaven To Earth Cruise, my hope is the same.

That you remember your own strength.

That you trust your own inner wisdom.

That you discover the beauty hidden within every challenge.

And that you realize it is never too late to become who you were always meant to be.

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you.

May this story remind you that no matter how far you’ve traveled or how lost you’ve sometimes felt…

home has never been a place.

Home has always been waiting within you.

With gratitude and love,

Bianca Childs

📖 I Crossed the Ocean for a Heart of Gold –

A Memoir of Survival, Resilience, and Turning Trauma into Wisdom

Available in Hardcover • Paperback • Kindle

Coming up soon on  Amazon 

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you. I hope to welcome you someday—whether through the pages of this book or aboard a Heaven To Earth Cruise.