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.
Starting Rumours: My Life as a Mockstar
Episode 6: Shatter Your Illusions of Love
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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.
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© 2025 Mekenzie Zimmerman. All rights reserved.
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