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The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Suicide loss changes everything. The Leftover Pieces® Podcast explores life after suicide through honest conversations with survivors, experts, and grieving parents learning to live forward after unimaginable loss. Parents, partners, siblings, and friends share what it means to keep living when the world has been forever changed.
Hosted by Melissa Bottorff-Arey, whose 21-year-old son Alex died by suicide in 2016, the show blends intimate conversations with survivors, healers, and mental health professionals with short solo reflections you can actually use. Together we explore child loss, trauma and nervous-system care, anniversaries and seasons, stigma, faith and meaning, legacy, and the everyday practices that help make life livable again.
At its heart, this podcast is about learning to live forward after loss. We never move on from the people we love, but we can learn to carry the grief differently. This road can feel incredibly lonely—but you are not alone here.
For supporters, educators, and professionals, these conversations also offer insight into the realities of suicide grief and what genuine, non-fixing support can look like.
If you’d like to share your story or expertise, you can request to be a guest through Melissa’s website.
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Content Note
This podcast speaks candidly about grief and suicide loss and may feel activating for some listeners. We avoid graphic descriptions and discussion of suicide methods. Please care for yourself as needed. Melissa is not a doctor or licensed therapist, and nothing shared here should be considered medical or mental-health advice.
The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
This is NOT a Suicide Prevention Podcast; Does that Even Matter?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Today I am feeling a bit feisty! I have been wanting to talk about this for a while. The Leftover Pieces:; Suicide Loss Conversations Podcast is NOT a suicide prevention podcast. And it is OKAY to say that. I support suicide prevention - naturally. And I often come alongside people to do prevention type work. That makes sense. BUT my podcast is for suicide loss survivors. The podcast is to have hard conversations and to try and help us make a meaningful life from the shattered pieces we have found ourselves sitting in... what used to be our life, and our future and everything that made sense.
Today I talk about:
- Why I am willing to say this outloud
- How we approach or see grief - let's talk about the history of grief
- Ancient philosophy and how that helps me (and could help you)
- (I get a little 'up on a pedestal in the end --- but I am not even sorry!)
The following is a list of ways (with links) that you might be able to be seen, heard and supported!
- My Dec.5 "Growth in Grief; Healing Trauma in our Mind, Body & Spirit" series - Go HERE for more info and to sign up Healing starts with knowledge! You can STILL ENROLL and catch up at your leisure!!
- The upcoming "Moms Legacy Compilation Project" - one of the biggest desires we have as a parent is that the world know our child. That their name is said, and their story known. there is also SO much healing to be had from this project. Check it out HERE.
- Upcoming Downloadables for various alternative healing modalities
- Upcoming new tools - the next 2 books are officially come - The HOPE series!
- Exciting new episode styles and a fun addition to the podcast in Jan.
If you are a mom, have you tried one of my support group options? This is not your typical 'support group'.... this is a welcoming and supportive community of friends, all walking this same path but not wanting to do it alone. Look at the options HERE
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" support central - MY HUB - and that means my different SUPPORT GROUP Options are available. Go DIRECTLY to my SUPPORT page here where you will find ALL of the ways to connect and find support. My first two books (tools I am creating for you!) in the "Facing Life After Suicide" series are available on Amazon
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
CALL 988
OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
in Canada TEXT 686868
in the UK TEXT 85258
Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa
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The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below
🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail
Support After Suicide Loss
If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.
Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com
or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join
If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line