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Jose Pereira on Life, Lessons & Legacy

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We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jose Pereira. Check out our conversation below.

Jose , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Before captivity, I was the man who lived behind a polished title—CEO of CITGO Petroleum. I was driven by results, responsibility, and the legacy of three generations in oil and gas. I knew how to lead companies, manage risk, and deliver under pressure. But I also hid a part of myself. I believed that vulnerability had no place in leadership. I was afraid to be seen as weak… afraid that if I showed my soul, it would make me less credible.

But prison changed that. In five years of wrongful detention—stripped of my status, my freedom, and even my health—I had no choice but to face myself completely. In that darkness, I found my faith again. And in the silence, I heard the voice of God louder than ever before. He wasn’t calling me to rebuild my old life—He was calling me to step into a new purpose.

Today, I’m being called to be fully seen. Not just as the former CEO. Not just as a survivor. But as a messenger. A man who pours out the truth of what pain, faith, and resilience can do. I’m being called to speak openly—to share what I once kept hidden. To use my scars as testimony. To guide others not from a pedestal, but from the trenches of experience. I’m no longer afraid of being vulnerable. I’ve learned that transparency is strength, and authenticity is the bridge that leads others to healing.

The man I was before captivity led with strategy.
The man I am now leads with spirit.

What once felt terrifying—to expose the broken pieces—is now my calling. And I embrace it fully, with gratitude and courage.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m José Angel Pereira Ruimwyk. Many know me as the former CEO of CITGO Petroleum and as one of the CITGO6—wrongfully detained in Venezuela for nearly five years. But today, I stand as much more than that story. I’m a husband, father, grandfather, survivor—and now a global speaker, leadership coach, author, nonprofit founder, Host of the Podcast “Building Resources” and Host of the TV Show “Unbreakable Leader” in Spanish by NowMedia TV (the first bilingual channel of the US)

Recently became and International Goodwill Ambassador of Human Right

As the founder of JoseConnect.com LLC, I help executives, entrepreneurs, and faith-driven leaders unlock what I call their unbreakable spirit—through resilience-focused coaching, powerful keynotes, and strategic leadership programs. My Unbreakable Leadership Coaching Program is built on my 35 years of executive experience and the transformational lessons learned during captivity.

My story and message have taken me around the world. I’ve spoken on stages across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and I’ve been invited to universities, colleges, international conferences, and global summits to speak about resilience, leadership, faith, and human rights. Every time I step on a stage or into a classroom, I carry not just my voice—but the voice of so many others who have endured.

I also host the Building Resilience podcast, and publish a weekly newsletter of the same name, which reaches a growing community of leaders and changemakers. On my YouTube channel, I share insights, interviews, and teaching moments to help others lead with courage and authenticity.

Starting in October, I’m launching a new venture as the TV host of “Unbreakable Leader,” a weekly leadership show airing every Friday at 6 PM on NOWMedia TV, broadcast across Texas and northern Mexico. It will feature stories of purpose, resilience, and faith-driven success—all in Spanish.

In addition to my business and media work, I’m the proud founder of the nonprofit Angels Helping in Earth, dedicated to supporting Hispanic immigrants and trauma survivors in the U.S. This is not just a mission—it’s a generational legacy, and my grandson is already part of this vision.

I’m also a strong advocate for the hostage community, working closely with organizations like Hostage Aid Worldwide, Hostage US, the James Foley Foundation, and the Bring Our Families Home campaign, to raise awareness and fight for those still wrongfully detained.

And at the core of it all—I serve faithfully in my church ministry, helping lead men and senior citizens through prayer, discipleship, and spiritual growth. Faith wasn’t just my lifeline during captivity—it’s the foundation of everything I build today.

In addition to all of this I was designated as “International Goodwill Ambassador of Human Right” by the Latino-American Institute of Human Rights

What makes my brand different is simple: I don’t speak from theory—I speak from scars. From lived experience. From faith tested in fire. And from a deep commitment to help others rise stronger than they ever thought possible.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the suits, the boardrooms, and the politics—I grew up between the U.S. and Venezuela, with oil practically running through my veins. I’m a third-generation oil and gas man. My grandfather came to Venezuela from the Netherlands as a young entrepreneur, an adventurer, during the early boom of oil production in Lake Maracaibo with Royal Dutch Shell. He met and married a Wayuu Indigenous nurse—my grandmother—and together they built a life at the frontier of what would become one of the world’s largest oil-producing regions.
My mother was their daughter, and my father was a petroleum technician. In the early days of what eventually became PDVSA, Venezuela’s national oil company, he was sent to study petroleum engineering at Tulsa University. That’s how, at just five years old, I ended up in the U.S.—in Oklahoma—where we lived until I was twelve. My dad completed his postgraduate work there, and those years shaped me in deep ways. I learned English, immersed myself in American culture, and lived between worlds.

We returned to Venezuela, and I grew up in the southeastern oil town of San Tomé—an oil field camp where American companies like Gulf Oil operated. That place wasn’t just home—it was a living classroom where I learned about hard work, integrity, and global industry from the ground up. I didn’t know it then, but I was being shaped for something much bigger than I could’ve imagined.

As a kid, I believed the world was fair—that if you worked hard and stayed honest, you’d be protected. Life taught me otherwise.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Before my captivity, I was a man of achievement. A CEO. A third-generation oil and gas executive. I led teams, negotiated billion-dollar deals, and traveled the world. I believed in discipline, in hard work, and in legacy. I believed I had control.

But then everything was stripped away.

When I was wrongfully detained in Venezuela, thrown into a prison cell with no end in sight, I was no longer the man in the suit. I was no longer in control. I was just José—a man alone, forgotten, and broken. That’s when the real transformation began.

In the silence of captivity, I met the man I was meant to become.

I began a profound spiritual journey. With nothing left but time and faith, I dove into the Bible like never before. I prayed. I cried. I questioned. And slowly, God started reshaping me. I discovered that true leadership isn’t about command—it’s about character. It’s about being present, being faithful, and being willing to suffer without losing your soul.

I wrote nearly 1,000 secret letters to my wife over those years—letters that carried my heart, my tears, my prayers. Those letters became my lifeline. And later, they became the foundation of my memoir, From Hero to Villain—a book that now stands as a five-time Amazon bestseller, winner of the International Impact Award for Best Memoir 2025 in both English and Spanish, and a story that has been translated into Bengali—impacting lives across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

I emerged from captivity not just with a story, but with a mission. I founded a nonprofit, Angels Helping in Earth, to help others overcome trauma. I now coach leaders from a place of lived truth, not titles. I speak around the world—not as a former CEO, but as a man who knows what it means to lose everything and still stand.

And I didn’t stop there. After years of prayer and reflection, I wrote a second book, UNBREAKABLE: Faith-Fueled Tools to Become a Resilient Leader, which releases on September 4th. It’s filled with the biblical principles that sustained me in prison and shaped the leader I’ve become today.

Unbreakable became Amazon No.01 in organizational learning and in Personal Growth and Spirituality

The man before captivity built success.
The man after captivity builds significance and legacy

Suffering taught me that true resilience is built prayer by prayer, tear by tear, choice by choice. And I thank God every day that He didn’t just rescue me—He refined me.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
One of the deepest truths in my life is that faith is not a crutch—it’s an anchor, especially when the storm doesn’t pass quickly. It’s what held me together during my years of captivity and what has shaped every part of my leadership today.

Another truth: love is the greatest power we have. The almost 1,000 secret letters my wife and I exchanged while I was imprisoned became not only our lifeline—they became the soul of my memoir, From Hero to Villain. I poured my entire heart into that book—not just as a story of survival, but as a testimony of how faith can transform pain into purpose. That book, written in English and Spanish, has now become a five-time Amazon bestseller and received the 2025 International Impact Award for Best True Story Memoir. It’s even been translated into Bengali, and it’s impacting lives across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

And that’s not where it ends. After diving deeply into biblical principles and the Word of God during and after my imprisonment, I felt called to write a second book. That book, titled UNBREAKABLE: Faith-Fueled Tools to Become a Resilient Leader, is coming out this September 4th on Amazon. It’s my way of equipping others—not with motivational fluff, but with time-tested spiritual tools that helped me survive one of the most extreme experiences a person can go through. It’s not just a leadership book—it’s a guide to building a life that can’t be shaken.

What I’ve learned is this: the best leaders are servants first. Legacy isn’t about achievements—it’s about the people you lift up. And forgiveness is the most powerful act of leadership I’ve ever experienced—because I had to forgive the very people who tried to destroy me, just to keep my soul free.

I don’t always say all this out loud. But it’s in every word I write. Every stage I step on. Every conversation I have. These are the unshakable truths that fuel my work—and my life.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say, “He was the man who turned captivity into purpose—and built something that outlived him.” That I didn’t just survive my story—I used it to serve. That I stood up for justice, even when it nearly broke me. That I helped others find their voice, their faith, and their resilience.

But more than anything, I hope they talk about what I built—especially my nonprofit, Angels Helping in Earth. I see it as the legacy of my family’s generations in oil and gas, transformed into something new: a platform to support Hispanic immigrants and trauma survivors right here in the U.S. It’s my way of honoring the past, while sowing seeds for the future.

What moves me deeply is having the vision and the ambition to see my grandsons being involved in the future. This isn’t just about my lifetime—it’s about the generations to come. I hope my family continues the mission long after I’m gone, and that the communities we serve grow stronger, more hopeful, and more united because of it.

If they remember me for that—for creating something that gave people a second chance, and carried faith into action—then I’ll know I left the right kind of legacy.

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