“Tenemos un hijo muerto” 

 

That is what the father of Andres Pastrana said when he found out his son was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar. Instead of giving in or backing down for his own gains he followed his values. He wasn’t going to negotiate with narco terrorists and those same values of courage of steel were embedded in his son. In this episode of “Learn from Leaders” I sit down with Andrés Pastrana Arango, the 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002 who followed in the footsteps of his father, Misael Pastrana, who was president from 1970 to 1974. He relives his life beginning from the great legacy he had to uphold, and the moral compass handed down to him, never backing down from a fight whether that be the most powerful drug lord in history or a rebel military group. In what has now become a multitude of documentaries and shows, he details his experience in captivity of the Medellin cartel and his encounters with infamous assassins such as Popeye. As a man of character, he continues forward with his campaign and wins, pushing for peace in the nation and meeting with FARC rebel leaders such as Manuel Marulanda and signing the first ever piece of negotiation in a simple paper napkin. He recalls many of his triumphs and meetings with leaders he met such as current presidential candidate Joe Biden and does so in a greatly personal way leaving me with words of wisdom. 

 

“Las cuatro C’s: coraje, confianza, convicción, y comunicación”