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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.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

Every story starts somewhere, and mine began in a basement filled with laughter, late nights, and the first spark of a dream. In this first episode of Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar, I revisit the early days— the friendships, the music, and the moments that quietly changed everything. It’s the beginning of the story before the spotlight, when everything still felt possible.

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.