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
Movies, Series & Documentaries; About Suicide Loss & Grief
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We regularly find suicide as a subject matter on TV and in film these days...or at least more than we did once. I am going to dive down the rabbit hole to talk about my suggestions and cautions - and a few hard "no's".
When you watch movies with a theme toward suicide or death, does the content activate you or help you? Since the reasons these films, or shows, are made can be so diverse - to educate, to cause fear or shock or disgust, or even to provoke or bring about change and awareness - so are our reasons for choosing, or not choosing, to watch them.
Today, I explore and discuss just some of the current choices out there. Be sure to also check out the two episodes from past seasons and here's the link to the Hallie Twomey episode that I mention as well
- Season 1 Ep 17 -What Am I Watching (aka binging)
- Season 2 Ep 17 - To Watch or Not to Watch
- S4 Ep 5- Scattering CJ - Hallie Twomey & I talk
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHICH ONES YOU HAVE SEEN AND YOUR TAKE - from ANY of the episodes! Or others you would recommend to watch - or not to watch! I will also disclaim this episode as I do all others - take that which serves you and leave the rest. We are all on a very individual journey, and at different spaces inside of each journey. My heart and thoughts are always with you.
The shows/movies that I discuss are not linked, you will have to search them to see where they might currently be available or streaming. - it changes too much to keep up): I am listing them in the reverse order I talked about them but am listing them by category as I mentioned in the episode:
I Recommend:
- The Bear (series)
- Scattering CJ (documentary)
- Reservation Dogs (series)
- Mare of East Town
I recommend WITH Caution (aka "Maybe : depending on you and your place in grief)
- Facing Suicide (documentary)
- Those Left Behind (movie)
- Joe Bell (movie)
- CAKE (movie)
- I Love You, Now Die (documentary)
Probably a "No" for me:
- Girl from Plainville
- Grief (Indie film)
Honorable Mention for "Grief" as the subject:
- The Starling
- Rabbit Hole
- This is Where I Leave You
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is where ALL THINGS are to be found - including moms support groups, links to my books and grief
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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
🔗 Stay connected: Join my email community for weekly support, resources, and honest conversations.
🛠 Start here: Explore website for suicide loss resources for early grief, family support, and next steps.
🤝 For moms: One-on-one grief coaching for mothers navigating life after child loss.
📞 Need support right now? If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 (U.S. & Canada), or text HOME to 741741.