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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
Life After Suicide Loss: Carrying Them Forward—Without Disappearing You
“Carrying forward” includes you—make space for their memory and your life, together.
Journal prompt: “A way to honor them by honoring me is…”
“Carrying forward” includes you. Today we make room for their memory and your life—together.
A Flicker (Hope) — Connection counts
Their song in a store aisle. A phrase they loved. A photo you pass without bracing. These are ties, not traps. Let one connection feel like company.
To Rebuild (Healing) — A 3-step carry-forward ritual
- Name: Say their name out loud.
- Touchstone: Light a candle, play 30 seconds of “their” song, or hold an item.
- Include: Name one thing you need today (water, rest, fresh air). Do it next.
Take a Step (Becoming) — The “and” sentence
Write one sentence that holds both: “I miss you and I’m making soup,” “I’m aching and I’m paying this bill,” “I’m tearful and I’m taking a walk.” Put it somewhere visible.
Choose-your-energy menu:
- Hollow (low): Whisper their name and yours. Place a hand on your chest.
- Healing (medium): Do the 3-step ritual once today.
- Becoming (higher): Share your “and” sentence with a safe person or in a notes app check-in.
Food for Thought Today:
Love doesn’t demand your disappearance to prove itself. Carrying them forward means building a life sturdy enough to hold their memory without collapsing—and that requires including your needs. Each small “and” you live is a quiet refusal to choose between love and survival. Both belong.
Exhale. Keep what serves you; leave the rest. I’ll be here again tomorrow. 💜
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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.