July 14, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) - For two decades, Christopher Gonda has been an invisible hand making an indelible impression on music, entertainment, culture, and literature through his V13 Media Group empire. Now, the CEO who built platforms that launched careers and amplified voices is ready to share his own story and dig deep into the stories of others who've paid the price to create something meaningful.
Today marks the launch of heartdea13r Podcast, Gonda's most personal project yet. This isn't another celebrity interview show or surface-level success story series. Quite the opposite: instead, it's an unflinching look at what it really takes to build something that lasts, hosted by someone who's been in the trenches for over 20 years.
Asked about what inspired the decision to start the series, Gonda explains, “I’ve spent my whole career fascinated by the same question: how do people become who they are?” Gonda explains. “Not the sanitized version you see on social media, but the messy, complicated truth. The failures that shaped them. The moments of doubt. The sacrifices nobody talks about.”
The podcast's unusual name, heartdea13r, hints at its core philosophy. These aren't conversations designed to inspire through platitudes, but to connect through raw honesty. Episodes dive into mental health struggles, creative blocks, entrepreneurial disasters, family dynamics, and the daily grind of building something meaningful in a world that often rewards the superficial.
"Maybe these conversations help the guest work through something. Maybe they help me understand my own journey better. Maybe they help someone listening realize they're not alone in their struggles," Gonda reflects. "But it all starts with showing up and doing the work, even when it's uncomfortable."
The first wave of guests reads like a masterclass in resilience and reinvention:
Jonathan Simkin, co-founder of 604 Records
Chrissy Spratt, Lebanese-Armenian Canadian artist & influencer
Ryan McCombs, Drowning Pool & SOiL frontman
Marshall Dutton, lead vocalist of Hinder
Luke Bentham, frontman of The Dirty Nil
Lexy Layne, musician & artist
Danny O'Reiley, lead singer of The Coronas
Each guest brings battle scars and hard-won wisdom to conversations that run 45-90 minutes: long enough to move past the talking points and into the territory where real conversations happen.
The podcast launches today across major platforms, with new episodes dropping every Monday. Video versions are available on YouTube and Spotify, while audio episodes can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. Episodes will roll out regularly via V13 Media and major podcast platforms on Mondays, roughly every week starting today. Watch episode #001 with Jonathan Simkin on YouTube or Spotify.
Follow @V13Media and @heartdea13r on Instagram and X for bonus clips, behind-the-scenes content, and episode announcements. You can follow them all here.
Connect with Gonda:
Website / Linktr.ee / Instagram / X / LinkedIn
