The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Suicide loss changes everything. This show is about life after suicide—real talk and practical support for grief after suicide: parents, partners, siblings, and friends finding their footing again. Each week, we explore what helps in suicide bereavement so you can keep going with honesty and hope.
Hosted by Melissa Bottorff-Arey, whose 21-year-old son, Alex, died by suicide in 2016, the podcast blends intimate conversations with survivors, healers, and mental health experts with short solo “Daily Nugget” episodes you can actually use. We cover child loss, trauma and nervous-system care, anniversaries and seasons, stigma, faith and meaning, legacy, and the everyday practices that make life livable again. You’ll hear grounded tools, language that honors your person, and the reminder that you are not broken—you are grieving.
For supporters and educators, these episodes offer insight into the realities of suicide grief and what genuine, non-fixing support looks like. If you’d like to share your story or expertise, you can request to be a guest via my website. 💜
Content Note
This podcast speaks candidly about difficult experiences and may feel activating. We avoid method details and graphic description. Please care for yourself as needed. I’m not a doctor or licensed therapist; nothing here is medical or mental-health advice.
Episodes
282 episodes
Reacting vs. Responding in Grief: Your Nervous System Needn't be the Enemy
Reacting vs. Responding in Grief — Life After Suicide LossToday I’m “down the rabbit hole,” teasing apart reacting vs. responding after traumatic loss—not to shame reactions (they’re human), but to widen the space where w...
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Season 8
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Episode 1
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31:39
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Suicide Loss & Holiday Anxiety: Pacing the Calendar with Opt-Outs, Early Exits, and Allies
Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE TODAY -- The season gets crowded. Capacity isn’t...
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Season 7
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Episode 95
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5:38
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Grief After Suicide: Threshold Rituals to Open, Be In It, and Close
Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE TODAY -- When grief spikes—anniversaries, roo...
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Season 7
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Episode 94
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4:40
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Grief Support After Suicide: A Rough-Day Plan with a Flicker, a Brick, a Step
Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE TODAY -- No heroics required. A window of lig...
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Season 7
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Episode 93
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5:01
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Suicide Bereavement: Future Planning Without Panic—One-Inch Plans
You don’t need a five-year plan; one clear next action can steady the day in life after suicide loss. Journal prompt: “When I picture myself exhaling tomorrow, the action that gets me there is…”
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Season 7
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Episode 92
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4:16
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Healing After Suicide: Meaning That Doesn’t Erase Pain—Service • Art • Legacy
Meaning is a companion, not a cure; a small act of service or creation makes room for both love and ache in grief after suicide. Journal prompt: “A value I still trust—and one 10-minute way to live it…”...
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Season 7
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Episode 91
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5:52
Suicide Loss Daily Nugget: Community as Amplifier—Find or Host Small
Belonging doesn’t need a crowd; one steady person or tiny space can hold you as you are after suicide loss.Journal prompt: “The kind of space where I breathe easier is… and one way I’ll find/ask for it is…”<...
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Season 7
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Episode 90
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4:17
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Life After Suicide Loss: “Firsts” Done Differently—Opt Out • Scale Down • Re-Script
Big days don’t require big performances; choose your size—opt out, scale down, or re-script—to protect your energy in suicide bereavement.Journal prompt: “For my next tender date, I’ll protect my energy by… (opt ou...
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Season 7
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Episode 89
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4:57
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Grief After Suicide: Tiny Courage—The Ask You’ve Been Avoiding
Courage doesn’t have to roar; in life after suicide loss, one small ask can unlock support, information, or relief.Journal prompt: “If Future-Me spoke up today, she’d ask me to…”What we mean by a “small a...
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Season 7
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Episode 88
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4:17
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Grief After Suicide: Values → Micro-Moves (10 Minutes or Less)
Values are steering, not slogans—translate one value into a doable 10-minute action and feel the quiet of alignment. Journal prompt: “A value I still trust—and one 10-minute way to live it…”A Flicker...
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Season 7
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Episode 87
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5:09
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Life After Suicide Loss: Keep/Recover Who You Are — Identity Words
Identity doesn’t vanish after suicide loss; name the parts that still fit and make room for them on purpose. Journal prompt: “Where I feel most like myself lately is…”Identity doesn’t vanish; it gets bu...
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Season 7
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Episode 86
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5:18
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Grief After Suicide: Repairing Misattunements—Simple “I Wish I’d Said…” Scripts
Small, honest repairs protect your energy in life after suicide loss—one kind line can reset connection -- reset a missattunemnet--and settle a day. Journal prompt: “Today, permission looks like…”...
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Season 7
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Episode 85
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5:18
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Grief After Suicide: Workday Micro-Boundaries That Keep You Functional
Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE Mondays can hit hard in life after suicide loss—prot...
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Season 7
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Episode 84
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5:13
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Life After Suicide Loss: Self-Witnessing When Others Can’t Hold It
When the right listener isn’t available, witnessing yourself—note or voice memo—keeps you seen and grounded in suicide bereavement. Journal prompt: “If I gave myself 10% more gentleness, I would…”Someti...
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Season 7
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Episode 83
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5:13
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Suicide Loss Daily Nugget: Weekend Reset Ritual—Small, Repeatable, Real
Weekends can feel loud or empty after suicide loss; one tiny ritual can steady you without draining you. Journal prompt: “Today, leaning into self-care looks like…”Weekends can feel loud or emp...
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Season 7
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Episode 82
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5:15
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Grief After Suicide: Say Less, Save Energy—Boundaries Without the Essay
Clarity protects your battery in life after suicide loss—short, kind sentences are real self-care. Journal prompt: “Today, permission looks like…”Clarity beats performance. Short, kind sentence...
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Season 7
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Episode 81
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5:13
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Healing After Suicide: Boring Bricks That Save the Day (Food • Water • Rest)
Relief after refuel is real—practical grace steadies life after suicide loss. Journal prompt: “If I gave myself 10% more gentleness, I would…”Grace is practical. The basics aren’t glamorous, but they are...
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Season 7
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Episode 80
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5:23
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Grief After Suicide: Regulate First—Nervous System Basics You’ll Use
Tiny regulation beats big resolve; two minutes can calm a body carrying suicide loss. Journal prompt: “One thing my body asked for (and what I did)…”Small regulation beats big resolve. Today is about to...
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Season 7
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Episode 79
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Suicide Loss Daily Nugget: A Gentle Reset—Your 24-Hour Plan
In life after suicide loss, keep what helped, release what didn’t, and set one small plan for the next 24 hours—repeats are allowed. Journal prompt: “What I’m keeping from this week is…”End of ...
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Season 7
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Episode 78
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4:54
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Grief After Suicide: Boundaries as Warmth—Not Walls
In life after suicide loss, boundaries aren’t punishments—they’re blankets; clear limits keep you warm enough to heal. Journal prompt: “Today, permission looks like…”Boundaries aren’t punishmen...
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Season 7
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Episode 77
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Life After Suicide Loss: Carrying Them Forward—Without Disappearing You
“Carrying forward” includes you—make space for their memory and your life, together. Journal prompt: “A way to honor them by honoring me is…”“Carrying forward” includes you. Today we make room ...
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Season 7
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Episode 76
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4:32
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Suicide Loss Daily Nugget: Light as Companion, Not Cure
In life after suicide loss, let light walk beside you—not fix you—just enough to show the next few feet. Journal prompt: “Today’s flicker of hope was…”Witnessing light without forcing it to fix...
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Season 7
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Episode 75
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4:06
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Life After Suicide Loss: Rebuilding from Ruins—Bricks, Not Blueprints
There’s no master plan in suicide bereavement—just small bricks that actually hold. Journal prompt: "A way to honor them by honoring me is…"There’s no master plan—just weather and small bricks....
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Season 7
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Episode 74
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5:59
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