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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
Six Years Later; My Family Sits Down to Reflect
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Today is an extra personal episode … we are officially kicking off Season 4. This season comes out as our family hits 6 years since my 21-year-old son Alex died by suicide. For this season premiere episode, I sat down in a Zoom-style quasi-round-table-talk with (some of ) my family to revisit & review not only where we are now but also what the journey of the past 6 years has looked like for us, collectively and individually.
Surviving suicide loss is anything but easy -but doing it together helps.
In this episode, I chat with:
- G.R. - my husband
- Parker - my youngest child
- Aubrie - Parker's long-time girlfriend. (they are both 24 years old)
- Jennifer- my best friend of 20 years.
We talked about:
- The day Alex died - the feelings, the fog, the chaos
- The weeks that followed - survival, hyper-vigilance & more
- The years leading up to now - how we survived, began to reengage in life, & now, how we are rebuilding from here...
…and I think it was enlightening as well as healing on some level for all of us. I hope you take something helpful - maybe even hopeful- from it as well. I know I sure did!
Also, please reach out if you want to share a guest or topic idea for Season 4 - and I am always open to feedback if you have it! melissa@theleftoverpieces.com
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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 and much more will be coming in 2022 and 2023 "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You"
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:
The National Suicide Lifeline is there for you OR CALL 988
In a crisis you can also TEXT--->
TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
in Canada TEXT 686868
in the UK TEXT 85258
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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.