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This episode was hard to make.

Not because I didn’t know what to say —
but because I’ve spent a lifetime learning how not to say it.

In Episode 8 of Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar, I stop performing strength and start telling the truth. About growing up in chaos. About abuse. About the ways trauma shapes your voice, your body, your anger, and your need to survive at any cost.

I talk about what it means to be labeled “too much” when you were never protected enough. About learning to sharpen words into weapons because silence was never safe. About how survival can look like confidence — until one day it doesn’t anymore.

This episode isn’t about revenge.
It isn’t about naming villains.
And it isn’t about rewriting anyone else’s story.

It’s about finally telling mine.

Some people will hear this and feel uncomfortable.
Some will feel exposed.
Others may recognize themselves for the first time.

If this episode makes you cry, pause, breathe, or need to step away — that’s okay. You’re not weak. You’re human.

I have always been a storm.
But storms don’t exist to destroy.
They exist to change the landscape.

⚠️ Trigger Warning (Please Read Before Listening)

This episode contains discussion of:

• Childhood abuse
• Emotional and physical abuse
• Sexual abuse (including references involving minors)
• Trauma responses
• Suicidal ideation
• Family dysfunction

Listener discretion is advised. Please prioritize your emotional safety while listening.

💛 Support & Crisis Resources

If this episode brings up difficult feelings or memories, you are not alone — and help is available.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 (U.S.) or your local emergency number.

Suicide & Crisis Support

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.)
  Call or text 988 | Chat at 988lifeline.org
  Available 24/7
• International Suicide Hotlines
  Find local resources at: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
  
  

Child Abuse & Neglect

• Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (U.S.)
  1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
  Call, text, or chat — available 24/7

Sexual Abuse & Assault (Teens & Adults)

• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline (U.S.)
  800-656-HOPE (4673) | Chat at rainn.org
  Confidential, 24/7

Domestic Violence

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.)
  1-800-799-SAFE (7233) | TTY 1-800-787-3224
  Or chat at thehotline.org

If you’re outside the U.S., many of these organizations can help direct you to local resources.

You deserve safety. You deserve support. You deserve to be heard.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

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There’s a moment before you leave something important.
Not the argument. Not the blow-up.
The moment when you realize you’ve been explaining yourself for too long.

In this episode, I talk about what led up to my leaving the band — the slow power shifts, the silences, and the things I kept telling myself were normal… until they weren’t. I walk through the day I finally left, and the strange mix of relief, grief, and clarity that followed.

This isn’t a story about one bad moment.
It’s about erosion. About listening to your body. About knowing when staying starts to cost you more than leaving.

Everything I share here is my personal experience and perspective, told as honestly and carefully as possible.

This is Episode 7 of Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar.
I Know I’m Not Wrong.

*TRIGGER NOTE* This episode discusses emotional stress and workplace conflict.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

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In this episode, the fantasy finally cracks.

Shatter Your Illusions of Love is about the moment you realize that what you thought was love was actually control, confusion, and carefully constructed chaos. It’s about the slow unraveling—the gaslighting, the emotional whiplash, the way your instincts keep whispering something isn’t right even when everything looks fine on the outside.

I talk about how narcissistic abuse doesn’t arrive loudly. It arrives charming. Convincing. Disarming. And how easy it is to lose yourself while trying to hold onto a version of love that was never real to begin with.

This episode is not about blame. It’s about clarity.
About trusting your inner voice again.
About naming what hurt you so it no longer owns you.

If any part of this episode feels familiar, you’re not weak—and you’re not alone.

*This episode includes discussion of emotional abuse, narcissistic relationships, and the impact of prolonged manipulation. While details are shared thoughtfully, some listeners may find parts of this conversation sensitive.

Please listen in a way that feels safe for you. You’re welcome to pause, skip ahead, or come back to this episode at another time. Support resources are listed in the episode description if you need them.*

Support & Resources

If you or someone you love needs support, help is available:

• WannaTalkAboutIt
  A peer-support community focused on healing, validation, and connection around abuse, trauma, and mental health.
  Find them on Instagram: @wannatalkaboutit
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  📞 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
  💬 Chat available via their website
  🕒 24/7, confidential support
• RAINN (Sexual Assault & Abuse Support)
  📞 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  💬 Online chat available
  🕒 24/7, confidential
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  📞 Dial or text 988
  🕒 24/7 support for emotional distress, crisis, or thoughts of self-harm
• Narcissistic Abuse & Trauma Recovery Resources
  • Psychology Today: articles on narcissistic abuse and trauma bonding
  • Dr. Ramani Durvasula’s work on narcissistic abuse recovery
  • Trauma-informed therapists specializing in emotional abuse and CPTSD

If you’re in immediate danger, please contact local emergency services.

You didn’t imagine it.
You didn’t “love wrong.”
And you don’t have to carry it alone anymore.

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

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Pour the cocoa, grab a cookie (or five), and settle in — because this bonus episode is wrapped up in tinsel, chaos, and pure holiday cheer. 🎄✨

In this special AMA, I’m answering your questions: the heartfelt, the hilarious, the behind-the-scenes, the “did-that-really-happen?” stories… all served warm, like leftover cinnamon rolls on December 26th.

Expect plenty of honesty, a dash of sparkle, and maybe a few snow-globe-shattering truths as we close out the year together.

Whether you’re listening in your pajamas, hiding from your family in the bathroom, or cruising around looking at Christmas lights, this little holiday bonus is my gift to you.

Thanks for being here, for supporting the show, and for making this season feel extra magical.
Now let’s unwrap your questions. 🎁✨

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

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Every band has a breaking point-- but it never arrives all at once. It starts quietly. A strange silence in the van. A look you can't quite read. A decision that feels just a little off. A moment where your stomach says, something's changing, even if no one will say it out loud.

In this episode, I open up about the first fractures I felt forming inside the band I built from nothing. The laughter was still there, the crowds were still screaming... but underneath it all, the ground was beginning to shift.

This chapter is about intuition, the tiny betrayals we brush aside, and what it feels like to realize the dream you love is slowly, imperceptibly slipping out of your hands.

A NOTE FOR LISTENERS: This episode discusses themes of domestic violence. If this brings up anything for you-- whether past, present, or something you're worried about-- you deserve safety and support.

If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, you're not alone-- help is available.

National Domestic Violence Hotline- Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or visit www.thehotline.org for confidential support 24/7

Love Is Respect (for teens & young adults) 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 22522, or visit www.loveisrespect.org

RAINN- National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit www.rainn.org (chat available)

You can also visit www.wannatalkaboutit.com for more help and resources. They have a wonderful community of people who are here to support you.

If you're in immediate danger, please call 911

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

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Welcome to the road-warrior era-- the part of the story where absolutely nothing made sense, but everything was hilarious. In Episode 4, we're piling into vans, chasing shows across the map, surviving on gas station snacks, and learning how to be a "touring band" one questionable motel at a time.

This is the episode with the funny stories, the long drives, the inside jokes, the weird gigs, the 'how is this my life?' moments, and the kind of laughter that only happens at 2 AM in a Waffle House parking lot.

No drama. No pressure. Just the pure joy (and chaos) of figuring it all out on the road...again and again.

This episode is sponsored by Terminus Tees-- the absolute legends behind some of my favorite shirts our band ever printed-- and the place where my new Mockstar Mafia and Starting Rumours merch comes to life. Use this code to create your bulk order today: https://www.terminustees.com/?referral=20276376402

Want to support the show? Grab a shirt, tote, sticker, or candle from my shop: rumoursatl.com/merch

Follow the show: Instagram- @startingrumourspod Facebook- Starting Rumours Podcast

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

In this chapter, we step out of the spotlight and into the darker corners of the story-- the places where ambition meets fear, loyalty tangles with ego, and the pressure of being "Stevie" starts to press in from all sides. This episode dives into the quiet moments behind the music: the long drives, the backstage whispers, the heaviness that builds when cracks start showing in the dream you've been fighting to hold together.

Mekenzie traces the early warning signs-- the tension, the shifting dynamics, the unspoken competition-- and the deeper shadows from her personal life that crept into the band. It's a raw, atmospheric look at the cost of chasing a dream when the people around you aren't always rooting for the same version of it.

With shoegaze haze, emotional honesty, and the first threads of unraveling, Running In The Shadows marks the moment the story gets real.

A NOTE FOR LISTENERS: This episode discusses themes of domestic violence. If this brings up anything for you-- whether past, present, or something you're worried about-- you deserve safety and support.

If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, you're not alone-- help is available.

National Domestic Violence Hotline- Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or visit www.thehotline.org for confidential support 24/7

Love Is Respect (for teens & young adults) 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 22522, or visit www.loveisrespect.org

RAINN- National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit www.rainn.org (chat available)

You can also visit www.wannatalkaboutit.com for more help and resources. They have a wonderful community of people who are here to support you.

If you're in immediate danger, please call 911

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.

Eleven years ago, long before tour buses, sold-out theaters, and all the chaos that came later, there was a tiny Atlanta venue called The Star Bar — and one band dream just starting to take shape.

This episode goes back to where it all began: the very first Rumours ATL show. A night held together with equal parts nerves, thrift-store velvet, Craigslist gear, and the kind of naïve hope that only exists before you know what you’re getting into.

What makes this anniversary hit differently?

Not one of the current members stood on that stage that night. It was the original lineup — the very beginning of a band built from a Smyrna basement, a Craigslist ad, and a whole lot of heart.

In this episode, I revisit the cramped backstage, the shaky soundcheck, the feeling of stepping up to the mic for the very first time… and the spark that turned into an eleven-year journey I never could’ve predicted.

This isn’t just a nostalgia trip — it’s the blueprint of the dream.

And it all started here.

Episode 2 takes you into the nerves, the magic, and the absolute chaos of your first-ever show-- the adrenaline rush, the surprises, and the moment everything suddenly felt real. But we're also taking a detour into something extra special: my early collaborations with my friend Waylon.

Listen to Waylon's music here:

Song #1- Hard to Find https://youtu.be/ihp73GVWjVY?si=AKd-OrkKeZGwef-r

Song #2- Little Bird with Mekenzie Zimmerman https://youtu.be/Sr0XYX1o5qM?si=EaHSsbWUi1p9mio2

I'm so proud of the work we did together, and this episode finally gives it a proper spotlight.

Support the podcast!

Merch: rumoursatl.com/store

Instagram: @startingrumourspod Facebook: Starting Rumours Podcast

Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. Follow, share, and leave a review to help the show reach more listeners.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.