Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar

About Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar

For over a decade, Mekenzie Zimmerman lived a double life — mom by day, Stevie Nicks by night — as the founder and original lead singer of Rumours ATL, one of the biggest Fleetwood Mac tribute bands in the world. What started as a dream in a Smyrna, Georgia basement grew into sold-out theaters, tour buses, backstage chaos, and the kind of behind-the-scenes drama you can’t make up. In Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar, Mekenzie pulls back the curtain on the music, the memories, the heartbreak, and the lessons she never expected to learn. This is a raw, honest, often emotional audio memoir about identity, ambition, friendship, control, betrayal, and the long road to finding peace again. If you love personal storytelling, music documentaries, or true stories told with heart, humor, and a little grit — you’re in the right place. New episodes every Friday. This is her story — in her words.

Publisher

Mekenzie Zimmerman

Category

arts · music · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Nov 2025

Latest episode

12 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Aug 2026

   UPDATE- New podcasts & taking breaks

   Send us Fan Mail Hey friends! Starting Rumours is going to be taking a short hiatus while my guests tour, spend time with their families, and even have a baby! Lots of fun happening in the music industry these days! While I give my guests time to do their thing, I wanted to introduce you to my two new podcasts. Verses+Victims is a true crime/music mashup podcast where we take a deep dive into sometimes creepy songs and the true crime stories that either inspired them or remind the lis...

2. 

   31 Jul 2026

   Brothers, Sisters, Legacies, and Sage Advice with Vaylor Trucks

   Send us Fan Mail Some musicians inherit a legacy. Others build one. Vaylor Trucks has done both. Rock and roll has always been been part of his story-- but he's never been interested in simply living in someone else's shadow. As the son of Butch Trucks and cousin of Derek Trucks, Vaylor grew up in one of the most influential families in Southern rock. But rather than relying on the family name, he's spent years forging his own path as a guitarist, mentor, and all around good-guy.&...

3. 

   10 Jul 2026

   Beyond the Limelight with Alex Lifeson (EPISODE 3-INTERVIEW)

   Send us Fan Mail Alex Lifeson has spent decades shaping the soundtrack of millions of lives, but this conversation isn't about reliving the glory days. We talk about creativity, staying curious, the evolution of being an artist, and how life changes when the spotlight fades but the passion never does. Alex shares stories from a career unlike any other, reflects on the friendships that have carried him through it all, and reminds us why making music is about so much more than fame. ...

4. 

   3 Jul 2026

   Wood, Wire, and Wisdom with Garret Woodward (EPISODE 2-INTERVIEW)

   Send us Fan Mail Some people interview musicians. Garret Woodward becomes friends with them. This week, I sit down with acclaimed music journalist Garret Woodward to talk about the stories that happen long after the notebook closes. From writing for Rolling Stone and his beloved This Must Be the Place column to camping in Appalachia, finding community through music, and earning the trust of artists, Garret shares what it really takes to tell someone else's story with honesty and h...

5. 

   26 Jun 2026

   Question Mark Cobb? Glad You Asked (EPISODE 1-INTERVIEW)

   Send us Fan Mail Mark Cobb has spent decades helping artists build careers, bands, and legacies -- but behind every great story is a balancing act between music, family, and figuring out what really matters. In this episode of Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar, Mark and I talk about creating something that lasts, the sometimes complicated relationship between music and politics, and what it takes to stay grounded while juggling life on and off the road. We also dive into the impor...

6. 

   26 May 2026

   UPDATE- TRADEMARK!!!

   Send us Fan Mail Here's an update on the trademark filing. Stay tuned for Season 2...coming JUNE 26TH! 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.

7. 

   3 Apr 2026

   SEASON 1 FINALE BONUS EPISODE- Recap of Season 1

   Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the bonus video episode / Season 1 recap of Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. When I started this podcast, I thought I was just telling a story about the past. But this season became something bigger. This episode is a look back at the full journey — from the basement beginnings, to the chaos, the heartbreak, the fallout, and everything that came after. I’m revisiting the biggest moments from every episode, sharing where things stand now, and reflecting on w...

8. 

   20 Feb 2026

   Episode 10- After The Glitter Fades

   Send us Fan Mail When I started Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar, I thought I was telling a story about the past. About the basement. The stages. The fame. The fallout. But somewhere along the way, this season became something else. It became reclamation. It became clarity. It became the first time I got to tell the story in my own voice — without interruption, without distortion, without glitter blinding the truth. In this season finale, I reflect on what happens after the lights go d...

9. 

   6 Feb 2026

   Episode 9- Time Makes You Bolder

   Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I walk through what actually happened after I quit: the harassment, the legal pressure, the WIPO filing-- and why I ultimately chose to protect my work, my name, and my peace. I talk about what it's like to stand your ground while pregnant, uprooting your life, become a parent again, and rebuilding from the inside out. This isn't a revenge story. It's a clarity story. Episode 9 is about choosing yourself when walking away would be easier-- and l...

10. 

    23 Jan 2026

    Episode 8: I Have Always Been A Storm

    Send us Fan Mail 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. Ab...

11. 

    16 Jan 2026

    Episode 7: I Know I'm Not Wrong

    Send us Fan Mail 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 momen...

12. 

    2 Jan 2026

    Episode 6: Shatter Your Illusions of Love

    Send us Fan Mail 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. Di...

13. 

    26 Dec 2025

    🎁 BONUS EPISODE: Holiday AMA — Unwrapping Your Questions!

    Send us Fan Mail 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. Wheth...

14. 

    19 Dec 2025

    Episode 5: The Cracks Begin To Show

    Send us Fan Mail 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, ...

15. 

    12 Dec 2025

    Episode 4: On The Road Again...(and Again)

    Send us Fan Mail 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...

16. 

    5 Dec 2025

    Episode 3: Running In The Shadows

    Send us Fan Mail 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 ...

17. 

    28 Nov 2025

    Episode 2: The First Show

    Send us Fan Mail 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 h...

18. 

    14 Nov 2025

    Episode 1: The Basement

    Send us Fan Mail 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. Support the show Thank you for listening to Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar. F...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Contact Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.