Episode 184: Phelosha Collaros | America could end up like Colombia's violent 1950's civil war unless we change now!

Welcome back to the show, my beautiful listeners.

I’m so excited to share today’s conversation with you. My guest is Phelosha Collaros, the visionary founder of DepolarWise.com, a powerful community platform built with one purpose in mind: to bridge the ever-growing political and ideological divides that threaten to tear us apart—not just here in America, but across the globe. Phelosha’s mission is about making connections, one person at a time, to foster understanding, compassion, and common ground where we so desperately need it.

Phelosha's passion for this work comes from a deeply personal place. Her mother, born in Colombia, witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of a polarized society. During the violent period known as La Violencia, her own community turned on each other with such brutal fervor that they were willing to kill Phelosha’s grandfather simply because of his political beliefs. Over the course of nearly a decade, that civil war claimed more than 200,000 lives, leaving deep scars on the Colombian nation.

While the example I just shared is extreme—and thank goodness, we’re not there yet—it’s a stark reminder of the dangers when division turns into dehumanization. And make no mistake, we are seeing alarming signs of that same toxic divide here in the U.S. over the past decade or so. If we’re not careful, we could follow that same path. But here’s the thing: we don’t have to. The power is in our hands.

To heal, to shift the narrative, and to stop the cycle of hate that we’re trapped in, we need to get uncomfortable. We need to step outside our echo chambers and face the discomfort of truly learning about each other—especially about those who see the world differently than we do. It’s a process, but it’s a process that can begin today.

So, I encourage you to listen closely, because this conversation offers hope and practical ways we can be part of the solution. The miracle of unity isn’t as far off as it might seem—it just requires us to take the first step.

Let’s dive in.

 

COMMUNICATION, BOOKS and REFERENCES

DepolarWise.com - http://depolarwise.com/ Email - [e-mail] Phelosha's TED Talk - https://shorturl.at/JgHMa La Violencia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Violencia Braver Angels - https://braverangels.org/ I Never Thought of It That Way - Uncomfy Podcast - https://www.byuradio.org/uncomfy