“We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize that we only have one.”
In her memoir, Gladys reveals what violence looks like through a healer’s eyes, and how love rebuilds what war destroys.
From Bello-Colombia to Jerusalem to New York.
From fear to peace. From chaos to change. In her memoir, Gladys shares what thirty-five years as a psychotherapist taught her beyond academia and what it means to fight for life, including her own.
Gladys’ memoir will resonate with readers who value true stories of survival, healing, and social impact, as well as clinicians, and educators seeking real-world perspectives.
Gladys Pérez-Di Vito, born in Colombia, is a psychologist with more than thirty-five years of experience. As Peace Advisor in Bello, she created the Human Vision Decontamination program, popularly known as “Shalom,” which took a group of at-risk teens from the Colombian drug trade to find peace in the desert of Israel.
Now based in New York, Gladys continues her work with adults, couples, and families, writing to honor life and the resilience of the human spirit.
For more than twenty years, Gladys has guided adults, couples, and families in different mental health clinics in New York and the last ten years at her private practice called U-Turn to Your Spark. Through that work she helped people reconnect with their inner light and discover new ways to heal and grow.
“When I say I am from Medellín, Colombia, many are quick to think about the stories of Narco Terrorism. I can’t lie, at times I feel a bit ashamed. But I am from there, from Bello, the city next to Medellín, where indeed many of these unfortunate stories did take place.
However, in this very same place, you’ll find the most beautiful emeralds, flowers, landscapes, and of course, the most delicious coffee…”
“After listening for 35 years, at times talking, I decided to write about what I learned, which goes beyond books and academia.”
Gladys welcomes conversation from editors, agents, and media. She is bilingual (English and Spanish) and open to speaking engagements, interviews, and collaboration.