When I first heard about this, I was shocked. How in the hell would anyone allow a convict to come live in their home with one small child and a pregnant wife? But then I knew Cubans are half crazy, so I never gave it much thought. Manny had also attended Wheaton College as a Chuck Colson scholar after being released from prison himself. The minute I spoke with Manny, it seemed as if I had known him for a million years. He was loud like me, laughed as hard as I laughed, and was also a former baseball player and convicted felon.  

In this episode, Dr. Valdes talks about a video that a priest named James Altman posted about how Democrats can never be Catholic.  Father Altman continues to spew hatred and ugliness, calling DACA children criminals, young men/women brought here against their will who have shed their blood defending our Freedom, that same freedom that allows a priest to spew hatred and horror condemning people to hell.  People like this are the reason why I love Jesus and hate Most of His so-called "believers."

In this episode Dr. Valdes talks about a video that a priest named James Altman posted about how Democrats can never be Catholic. Father Altman continues to spew hatred and ugliness, calling DACA children criminals, young men/women brought here against their will who have shed their blood defending our Freedom, that same freedom that allows a priest to spew hatred and horror condemning people to hell. People like this are the reason why I love Jesus and hate Most of His so-called "believers."

In this podcast, Dr. Valdes gets heated up with what he considers the hypocrisy among those they called themselves Christians, Catholics, and Protestants alike. Dr. Valdes understands clearly why people who have no faith want nothing to do with Christianity, it's not Jesus anyone has a problem with Its Jesus’ “so-called followers.” Dr. Valdes received an email from a very dear friend of his, who also happens to be one of the most famous swim/triathlon coaches in the world, who has been an atheist all his life and through the many years they have known each other, this person has started to have faith. This disturbs Dr. Valdes so much that this episode is part 1 of a 2 Episode series. You see Dr. Valdes understands these people so clearly because he too was an atheist, and then had an encounter with Jesus and decided to become a Christian, but when he entered in organized religion the deception is so great that Dr. Valdes also DOES NOT want anything to do with organized religion. Jesus, he will follow unto death, but the harm so-called Christians do to those who are hopeless looking for meaning is enormous and somehow someone has to have the guts to fight this. Stay tuned, very shocking episodes.

In this podcast, Dr. Valdes gets heated up with what he considers the hypocrisy among those they called themselves Christians, Catholics, and Protestants alike. Dr. Valdes understands clearly why people who have no faith want nothing to do with Christianity, it's not Jesus anyone has a problem with Its Jesus’ “so-called followers.” Dr. Valdes received an email from a very dear friend of his, who also happens to be one of the most famous swim/triathlon coaches in the world, who has been an atheist all his life and through the many years they have known each other, this person has started to have faith. This disturbs Dr. Valdes so much that this episode is part 1 of a 2 Episode series. You see Dr. Valdes understands these people so clearly because he too was an atheist, and then had an encounter with Jesus and decided to become a Christian, but when he entered in organized religion the deception is so great that Dr. Valdes also DOES NOT want anything to do with organized religion. Jesus, he will follow unto death, but the harm so-called Christians do to those who are hopeless looking for meaning is enormous and somehow someone has to have the guts to fight this. Stay tuned, very shocking episodes.

In this episode, Dr. Valdes talks about James Altucher's article on how New York was not coming back this time. Interestingly enough another New Yorker, Jerry Seinfeld attacked him vehemently in another opinion piece. Seinfeld did not refute Altucher’s very well laid out arguments, he simply attached the man personally with very ugly language. This is what is happening in America today there is no longer dialogue, it's simply camps of warriors waiting to attack those that think differently. We must bring civility back.

In the second half of the fascinating podcast with the former drug lord, Barry-John talk speaks to Jorge in-depth about Pablo Escobar, Griselda Blanco, El Chapo Guzman. They also speak about the relationships between organized crime groups in the US such as the Italian Mafia and the likes of the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels. Another topic is the shift in power in the narcotics trade between the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels and how these groups interact with each other today.

Show Notes...In this week's episode Barry-John speaks to Jorge Valdes who is one of the founding members of the infamous Medellin Drugs Cartel. In part 1 of this 2 part podcast, Jorge Valdes talks about how he went to prison in the United States after a plane that he was a passenger of crashed in the jungles of Panama while carrying over 200kg of cocaine worth over $7,000,000 USD. Jorge was then severely tortured while in a Panama prison. After paying several bribes to officials and even paying off General Noriega himself, he was handed over to Interpol and extradited to the United States where he went on trial and was imprisoned. He also speaks about his relationship with one of the history's most feared and recognized drug lord's, Pablo Escobar as well as the female Colombian drug queen known as the Black Widow, Griselda Blanco and their propensity for extreme violence. The podcast also covers the recent Black Lives Matter movement and lots more. 

Interview on the Eric Metaxas Radio Show.  Jorge Valdes relates an over-the-top personal story of his life as a cocaine drug lord and how he eventually left this brutal world of crime; Jorge also shares stories of his family's experience with Socialism in Cuba. 

In this episode, Dr. Valdes details how one of the most important principles he had to implement in building a multi-million dollar Drug Cartel and then a multi-million dollar company was he believed in a win/win mindset. He goes into detail about how he had a profit-sharing program in the cartel for his employees who were already making an enormous amount of money. This critical and most important principle was also implemented in his company and one of the main reasons he attests to his success.

Show Notes: In this episode, Dr. Valdes talks about how we can not make people like us but we surely can make people respect us. He depicts his struggles coming to America and being discriminated against. How he had to work three times as hard just to be accepted and recognized. Yet, for Dr. Valdes working three times as hard did not make him Angry instead it made him better. We are living in hateful times and perhaps it is a great idea if we start a civility movement where a person calls an old friend or relatives and invites him/her to dinner if they live in the same town and spend a night talking about everything but politics, perhaps remembering what made them close friends, or if they are relative remembering the times growing up and fun shared together. If we live far away then let us use technology to have an hour of sharing wine and cheese or coffee, and do the same. Somehow we must go back to being civil again.

Show Notes: In this episode, Dr. Valdes talks about how we can not make people like us but we surely can make people respect us. He depicts his struggles coming to America and being discriminated against. How he had to work three times as hard just to be accepted and recognized. Yet, for Dr. Valdes working three times as hard did not make him Angry instead it made him better. We are living in hateful times and perhaps it is a great idea if we start a civility movement where a person calls an old friend or relatives and invites him/her to dinner if they live in the same town and spend a night talking about everything but politics, perhaps remembering what made them close friends, or if they are relative remembering the times growing up and fun shared together. If we live far away then let us use technology to have an hour of sharing wine and cheese or coffee, and do the same. Somehow we must go back to being civil again.

In this episode, Dr. Valdes does a tribute to his wife.  Dr. Valdes shares how his wife went through depression and his lack of understanding about depression as a serious illness almost caused their divorce. After seeking two weeks of intensive counseling Dr. Valdes found the answer that saved their marriage and today celebrate twenty-four amazing years of marriage.

A discussion on how powerful people have a hard time listening to payroll people.

As a young man, before I joined the cartel, I looked at gangsters as the ultimate man. They had power, people feared them, lived a luxurious life, and it seemed that they had all the women. As an up and coming young executive with the Federal Reserve Bank, with immense potential, I also was fascinated by these people, and deep down inside I wanted to be like them, without the criminal element. So, I found myself rooting for the bad guy even though I knew they were horrible human beings that had caused a lot of pain to many people.

We live in a country where most citizens can not afford decent health care. Yet, our taxpayer dollars are spent to bankroll a corrupt criminal justice system that is not interested in rehabilitating anyone. Instead, their only mission is to warehouse men/women and children as inventory for massive corrupt schemes driven by greed and a lack of human empathy. Massive incarceration has devastated communities of color.

When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart! I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem like an animal to you, O God. But even so, you love me! You are holding my right hand! You will guide me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterward, receive me into the glories of heaven! Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you! My health fails; my spirits droop, yet God remains! He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever! But those refusing to worship God will perish, for he destroys those serving other gods.  But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have chosen him, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he rescues me.

        After being released from prison, twenty-five years ago, I began to speak to African American and Latino gangs across America. I saw the hatred among these young people, not only for those of the opposite color but also for many of their own. I began to hear their stories, and the one common denominator that most of them shared was being born in the wrong place to parents who were out of control, in jail, or addicted to drugs and no opportunity for an education. Their only form of schooling and ""parenting"" was provided by the gangs themselves. For many of these young men and women, positive role models were not there, but the gang became their security, their parent, their schoolteacher, and their pastor-like leader.  

In this episode Dr. Valdes how he came to understand why suffering exists. 

In this episode Dr. Valdes talks about how the song WE SHALL BE FREE BY
GARTH BROOKS in 1992 is so much more relevant today than it was in 1992.  In the song Garth talks about when we would truly be free, yet as we see the lyrics we realize that nothing has changed in 28 years.  We still look at the color of people’s skin, we have homeless people dying and in a country with a serious obesity problem we have children going to be hungry every day.