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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.
The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Blackbird; A Mother's Reflection on Grief, Loss & Life After Suicide; Betsy Thibaut Stephenson
Welcome today fellow griever. I appreciate you, I see you and thank you so much for listening and if you can, please ---Support the show
Today, I release a recent conversation with Betsy Thibaut Stephenson to talk about her son Charlie who was a smart, witty, reserved, and was (silently) living with being 'unmotivated' & being depressed. Despite doing what seemed like all of the right things, Charlie, a rising senior in college, died by suicide in July of 2022 at only 21 years old. It was shocking and devastating -- and they are learning to live with it, to carry with it!
"Betsy Thibaut Stephenson lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and labrador retrievers. When she isn't visiting her grown daughters in North Carolina and South Carolina, she is helping public affairs clients tell their story to policymakers and the media. Blackbird is her first book."
There are SO many take aways from this mom-to-mom heart-to-heart....
Here's a few of the highlights of our conversation include:
- How they responded as a family when Charlie reached out when he spoke out about his thoughts of self-harm from the first time.
- The trips to see him after he opened up-- and the letter she wrote him, that he carried with him & was found in his backpack after he was gone.
- The letters he wrote and left behind (not a suicide note, per se, but insight of sorts) & what those told his family & how they 'helped' them understand more
- The shock of his death-- and how they spoke 'the open truth' from the beginning.
- ALL of the 'signs; she gets from him now... why bringing him into 'everything" helps and makes it lighter somehow. (I love this part!)
- It's OK to be 'selfish' in your grief
- Why the title "Blackbird" for the book --- you HAVE TO HEAR THIS--- stuff you can NOT make up here people!??
- What IS Stuck Song Syndrome (OMG --- there's a name for it!!) LO-FI people -- LO-FI is the answer.... who knew?
There is SOOO much to this incredible chat that I think you will love --- I hope you will get this book and curl up
@blackbirdbetsy21 on Instagram
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.
I hope you will consider SUBMITTING A POEM OR LETTER to my NEW ANTHOLOGY PROJECT --- a book called "Because T
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💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.