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
Grief Truth #26; August Daily Nuggets
"Grief will teach you who your people are."
Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---
Loss has a way of clarifying relationships in ways nothing else can.
"Grief will teach you who your people are."
Some people will step closer, willing to sit with you in the silence, hold space for your tears, and ask nothing in return.
Others will drift away, uncomfortable with your pain or unable to face their own fears.
This can be painful—sometimes more than you expect. But it also clears a path for deeper, truer connections to grow.
The people who stay, who don’t flinch when your grief shows its rawest edges—those are the ones you can trust with your heart.
And sometimes, grief introduces you to people you’ve never met before, but who understand you in ways that feel like coming home.
In grief, your circle may grow smaller—but it will also grow stronger. Those who remain are the ones who truly see you
This moment is yours, and you are allowed to rest in it.
You carry truths that no one can take from you.
You are walking a path only you can know.
I’ll be here again tomorrow. Talk soon.
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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.