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.

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Grief Truth #10; August Daily Nuggets

“Silence can be a sacred companion.” 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...

10 Elo 20252min

Grief Truth #9; August Daily Nuggets

“This loss rewrites your story.” 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, an...

9 Elo 20252min

Grief Truth #8; August Daily Nuggets

“Grief teaches you who you are beneath the pain.” 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 ...

8 Elo 20252min

Grief Truth #7; August Daily Nuggets

“Some days are sacred, no matter how much time has passed.” Welcome, fellow griever. This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces. Today we will share a moment of pre...

7 Elo 20253min

The Eternal Last Day; A Poem for the Unimagineable

Nine years ago tomorrow, my son Alex died & every August 6th became the eternal last day. I hadn’t found those words until now. The day before everything changed. The last day of “before.” This is a p...

6 Elo 20253min

Grief Truth #6; August Daily Nuggets

“Memories hurt — and they can also heal.” 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 o...

6 Elo 20252min

Grief Truth #5; August Daily Nuggets

“Guilt and love often feel the same.” August 5 Daily Nugget Take a breath. Let yourself arrive. Sometimes we don’t need answers — just something true to hold. Here’s today’s grief truth. Guilt and l...

5 Elo 20252min

Grief Truth #4; August Daily Nuggets

Today's Grief Truth - “Some days are lighter. Some days are heavy — and that’s okay.” Welcome, fellow griever. This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces. Today we...

4 Elo 20252min