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 #25; August Daily Nuggets
"Healing doesn’t mean forgetting."
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 ---
Some fear that moving forward will erase the person they love. But healing and forgetting are not the same thing.
"Healing doesn’t mean forgetting."
Healing is about learning how to carry their absence without it crushing you. It’s about weaving them into your days in ways that feel gentle instead of jagged. You will still have moments where the ache is sharp—but over time, you’ll also have more moments where love leads instead of pain.
Your memories don’t fade because you heal. In fact, healing often makes space for more of them to surface—because you have the capacity to hold them without breaking.
They are not slipping away from you. Healing is simply building a life where you can meet them in memory without being destroyed by the missing.
Your love remains. Your bond remains. Healing is the proof—not the erasure—of their place in your life.
Breathe deeply.
You are allowed to set down the weight, even for just a moment.
What you know in your bones is unshakable.
The journey you’re on is sacred, even when it feels lonely.
I’ll meet you here again tomorrow. Until then, keep going.
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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.