The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations

By Melissa Bottorff-Arey

Suicide loss changes everything. The Leftover Pieces® Podcast explores life after suicide through honest conversations with survivors, experts, and grieving parents learning to live forwar

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FAQs about The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations:

How many episodes does The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations have?

The podcast currently has 335 episodes available.

Best of The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: No Speeches, No Platitudes: What to Say After Suicide Loss with Shelby Forsythia
Words matter. After suicide loss, the things people say—or do not say—can either soften the loneliness or deepen the pain. Grievers are often met with platitudes, awkward silence, spiritual bypassing, invasive questions, or comments that unintentionally place blame where love and compassion are needed most. In this episode of The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations, Melissa welcomes Shelby Forsythia back to the podcast for a full-circle conversation about grief, language, and what it really means to show up for someone who is grieving. What do grieving moms who have lost a child to suicide hear most frequently and how can we respond? Shelby is an author, grief coach, and longtime podcaster (current podcast, Grief Grower) whose work has supported thousands of grievers. Her earlier books, Permission to Grieve and Your Grief, Your Way, have been meaningful resources for many people navigating life after loss. Her newest book, Of Course I’m Here Right Now: 3 Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving, offers practical, compassionate language for the people who want to support a grieving person but often freeze because they do not know what to say. Melissa also shares the personal full-circle connection between Shelby’s early podcast, Coming Back, and the beginning of The Leftover Pieces. In the early years after Alex died, when reading felt impossible and survival felt overwhelming, Shelby’s voice was one of the first grief voices that helped Melissa feel less alone. That support became part of the inspiration for creating the suicide-loss and grieving-motherhood podcast she could not find. Together, Melissa and Shelby explore why common grief comments often hurt, even when they are well intended, and what supporters can say instead. This conversation focuses especially on grieving mothers after suicide loss and the complicated, painful things they may hear, including: “You're so strong. I could never survive losing my child.” “Did you know?” “At least you have other children.” “Suicide is selfish. You must be so (mad/ashamed, etc)?” “They chose this.” “Are you sure it was suicide. They were so loved and had so much to live for?” “How did it happen?” “Can you help me prevent suicide in someone I love?” Melissa and Shelby talk about the hidden messages underneath these questions and comments, the trauma responses they can activate, and why suicide loss survivors should not be expected to educate, reassure, or comfort everyone else while they are grieving. At the heart of this discussion are the three core fears Shelby addresses in her book: the fear that a griever is crazy, the fear that they are alone, and the fear that it will feel this way forever. Against those fears, simple grounded presence can matter more than any polished speech. This episode is for grieving mothers, suicide loss survivors, and the people who love them. It is also for friends, family members, coworkers, faith communities, and support people who want to do better but are afraid of saying the wrong thing. You do not need perfect words. You do need love, compassion, presence, and a little common sense.In This EpisodeMelissa and Shelby discuss:Why words matter so much after suicide lossHow suicide-safe language helps reduce harmWhy platitudes often make grievers feel more aloneWhat grieving mothers may hear underneath well-intended commentsWhy “I could never survive that” and “you’re so strong” can feel painfulThe harm of asking invasive questions about how someone diedWhy “did you know?” can activate guilt, blame, and hindsightWhy silence and avoidance can hurt more than imperfect wordsHow supporters can show up without fixing, minimizing, or disappearingShelby’s three actually helpful things to say to someone grievingHow grievers can prepare simple responses before painful comments catch them off guardLinks + ResourcesShelby Forsythia’s website: VISIT HERE Shelby’s book, Of Course I’m Here Right Now: FIND IT HERE Shelby’s media kit: https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/media-kit Link to Shelby's Of Course I'm Here Right Now 10 minute talk on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YU3Yg1ON2Ik Shelby’s podcast / Grief Grower: LISTEN HERE Permission to Grieve by Shelby Forsythia: GET IT HERE Your Grief, Your Way by Shelby Forsythia: GET IT HERE Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa Support the show __________________________________________________________________________ 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 Support After Suicide LossIf you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone. Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
July 30, 202658min
Number 2: Grief in Everyday Life: When Child Loss Shows Up in Ordinary Moments
Leave me a voicemail here: 🎙 Leave me a message Long-term grief after child loss does not only show up on birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or the obviously hard days. Sometimes grief appears in the middle of ordinary life — in a song, a smell, a number, a place, a memory, a show, a laugh, or a moment no one else would understand. In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Melissa reflects on how child loss continues to live beside us in everyday moments. Not always as a breakdown. Sometimes as memory, connection, love, longing, nervous system activation, or an invitation to pause and notice. This conversation is especially for grieving mothers learning how to live with long-term grief after child loss and suicide loss — the kind of grief that becomes woven into daily life even as we continue rebuilding, loving, laughing, working, parenting, creating, and carrying our children forward. In this episode, Melissa talks about:why ordinary life often holds unexpected grief momentshow long-term grief becomes woven into daily lifewhy being caught off guard by grief does not mean you are going backwardthe difference between grief as activation and grief as connectionhow everyday moments can become part of continuing love and legacywhy living forward means life grows large enough to hold griefhow to stay with yourself when grief shows up unexpectedlyI’d love to hear from you. Click this VOICEMAIL LINK to leave me a message :) Where does grief show up in your ordinary life? Is there a song, smell, phrase, number, food, place, time of day, or everyday moment that unexpectedly brings your child close? You can also share what helps you stay with yourself when grief appears out of nowhere. Your reflection may help shape a future episode. And if this episode resonates with you, please follow the show, share it with another grieving person who may need it, and consider leaving a rating or review. It helps The Leftover Pieces reach more people who are learning how to live after loss. Leave me a voicemail here: 🎙 Leave me a message Your reflection may help shape a future episode. Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa Support the show __________________________________________________________________________ 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 Support After Suicide LossIf you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone. Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
July 20, 202637min
Number 3: Legacy After Child Loss by Suicide: What Alex Taught Me About Carrying Love Forward
After child loss by suicide, legacy can become a bridge from survival into connection, meaning, and carrying love forward. In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Melissa reads her chapter from Because They Lived: Memories & Stories of Amazing Kids Lost to Suicide - As Told by the Moms They Left Behind --Volume 7, The chapter is titled “The Seventh Thread: What Alex Taught Me About Legacy.” This episode is part reflection, part chapter reading, and part invitation to think differently about legacy after loss. What began as a project to help mothers preserve their children’s stories slowly became something deeper: a way to continue relationship, carry love forward, and begin rebuilding after survival. In this episode, Melissa reflects on:why the number 7 became meaningful after Alex’s deathhow The Legacy Project began as a way to remember childrenwhy legacy is about more than preserving memorieshow story, writing, and connection can become a bridge after child losswhat seven volumes and twenty-one children have taught her about lovewhy legacy does not have to look public, polished, or like anyone else’s pathhow each grieving mother may discover her own bridge forwardMelissa also shares why Volume 7 feels like the natural completion of this version of The Legacy Project, while still leaving room for future story, legacy, and publishing support in other forms. Because They Lived: Volume 7 is not only Alex’s story. It is also the story of the mothers and children who walked through this final Legacy Project volume with me — Suzanne for Skyler, Roe for Molly, Lou for Liam and Kim for Carson— each one honored with tenderness, courage, and love. In fact, across all 7 volumes, twenty-one children and twenty-one mothers have now been represented in these pages, creating a collective legacy of lives remembered fully, names spoken with love, and stories carried forward. Take a look at the Amazon link below OR if you do not wish to own the books, you can always email melissa directly for a free link to the eBook - while these books are priced very close to publishing costs, Melissa never wants anything to stand in the way of others reading these stories, saying their names... [email protected] Resources MentionedRead Because They Lived: Volume 7 on Amazon: AMAZON BOOK LINKView all of Melissa’s books (Inc. Vol 1-6 of the Legacy project) on Amazon: AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE LINKStory, legacy, and publishing support: WORK WITH ME LINKYou Are Not Alone Moms Support — Always FREE monthly support space for grieving mothers: REGISTER HEREThe Bridge Sessions: Inside The Rebuilding Room — Always FREE monthly guided rebuilding space for grieving mothers: REGISTER HEREIf this episode resonates with you, please follow the show, share it with another grieving mother who may need it, and consider leaving a rating or review. It helps The Leftover Pieces reach more grieving people who are learning how to live after loss. Thank you so very much -- Melissa Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa Support the show __________________________________________________________________________ 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 Support After Suicide LossIf you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone. Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
June 30, 202647min
Number 4: When You Don’t Trust Yourself Anymore: Guilt and Motherhood After Child Loss
After child loss by suicide, many grieving mothers do not only miss their child — they also stop trusting themselves. In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Melissa explores one of the most under-talked-about parts of long-term grief after the loss of a child by suicide: the collapse of self-trust. This is not only about early grief guilt. This episode looks at what can happen later, when guilt becomes woven into identity, motherhood, self-worth, and the way a grieving mother sees herself. In this episode, Melissa talks about:why suicide loss can make mothers question everything they thought they knewhow guilt can quietly become part of long-term griefwhy “guilt is not the same thing as truth”how suicide loss can filter a lifetime of love through the worst daythe difference between responsibility and controlwhy not being able to save your child does not mean you were not a good motherhow self-trust, self-worth, and motherhood become tangled after child losswhy the nervous system has to learn safety againwhat it can look like to begin trusting yourself in small, honest wayswhy rebuilding self-trust does not mean forgetting what happenedThis episode is part of the larger Down the Rabbit Hole conversation about what happens after survival — when grief changes shape, identity feels unfamiliar, and grieving mothers begin asking deeper “now what?” questions. Free Support Spaces MentionedYou Are Not Alone — free monthly support space for grieving mothers navigating child loss and suicide loss: REGISTER HEREThe Bridge Sessions: Inside The Rebuilding Room — free monthly guided rebuilding space for mothers asking deeper questions about identity, self-trust, and living forward after loss: REGISTER HEREIf this episode resonates with you, please follow the show, share it with another grieving mother who may need it, and consider leaving a rating or review. It helps The Leftover Pieces reach more grieving people who are learning how to live after loss. Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa Support the show __________________________________________________________________________ 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 Support After Suicide LossIf you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone. Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
July 06, 202635min
Number 5: 20 Years After Suicide Loss: Tracy Oeser on Grief, Healing & Survival to Service
In this deeply honest conversation about suicide loss and long-term grief, Melissa sits down with Tracy Oeser, MSPsy — suicide loss survivor, grief educator, bereavement coach, and founder of Journey Thru Grief. Nearly 20 years after the suicide loss of her daughter Chelsie, Tracy shares the reality of grieving a child to suicide, what healing actually looks like over time, and how survivors can learn to carry grief while rebuilding life after devastating loss. Together, Melissa and Tracy talk about: • The reality of long-term suicide grief • What changes — and what doesn’t — over decades of loss • The emotional phases survivors often experience • Why validation matters so deeply in grief • The difference between surviving and eventually integrating grief into life • Building support spaces rooted in lived experience • The importance of postvention work and honest conversations around suicide loss • Tracy’s upcoming Journey Thru Grief Conference and her vision for bringing survivors and professionals together in community This episode is a reminder that healing is not linear, grief does not have an expiration date, and no one should have to carry suicide loss alone. About Tracy: Tracy Oeser is the CEO of Postvention Collective, LLC and the CEO and Bereavement Coach of Journey Thru Grief, LLC. She is a passionate advocate for mental health support and by using her breakthrough concept of “The 4 Phases of Suicide Loss,” she fiercely tries to speak for those who have lost family and friends to suicide. Tracy hosts the podcast, “Journey Through Your Suicide Loss” and has been a guest speaker on many different platforms discussing how the suicidal loss of her child affected her. She holds both a BA and MS in Psychology concentrated in life coaching. Tracy is an award-winning author and has received leadership and innovation awards for her work in the postvention field. She serves as a current member of various suicide prevention organizations throughout the United States and is a past board member of the American Association of Suicidology. Connect with Tracy: Tracy's Website: - Journey Thru Grief Tracy's Podcast: Journey Through Your Suicide Loss Journey Through Your Suicide Loss | Podcast on Spotify Conference Info: Conference - Journey Thru Grief (Coupon Code: Melissa for $50 off thru June 15, 2026) Social Media: Tracy Oeser (@tracyoeser) • Instagram photos and videos If this episode resonated with you: Please share it with someone who may need it, leave a review, or simply say your loved one’s name today. You are not broken. You are grieving. Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for informational and peer-support purposes only and should not be considered medical or mental health advice. Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa Support the show __________________________________________________________________________ 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 Support After Suicide LossIf you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone. Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
May 25, 20261h 11min