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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
Welcome to May 30; "We're All Mad Here" DAILY Mental Health Nugget
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa
"Hello --It is May 30th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”
WEEK 5: The 3 Day Wrap -up for the Month
Day 30: Today’s truth is: "Life, what is it but a dream?" Idea: The surreal nature of life after loss.
Grief makes reality feel hazy — like you're walking through someone else's life. Or maybe the world is continuing without you.
It's okay to feel lost in this surreal, poetic, and incomprehensible life. But remember, you're not alone in this journey.
It's okay to feel like you're simultaneously living in a dream and reality. Your emotions are not only valid but also a testament to the depth of your love.
And know that your child's love still threads through this dream. You're not living it by yourself. All of us in this community are walking this path with you, sharing the same love and loss.
So, let's end here. One more day to go. This was the second to last nugget for May.
AND Here is the Coupon Code: Podcast5 - to use at checkout
It is good for BOTH the "Because They Lived" Anthology Info & Submit HERE
and The One-on-One Coaching (for moms) HERE
Both coupons good through June 30, 2025 - Thank you for listening! - Melissa
Take a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."
[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]
SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:
CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & Canada
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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.