The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations

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...

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.”...

What happens when you survive the earliest years of grief, but no longer recognize yourself? In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole , Melissa explores the identity crisis many grieving mothers face after the loss of a child by suicide — especially once the earliest survival years begin to shift and the deeper “now what?” questions rise. This episode explores: why survival takes so much emotional,...

🎙 Leave me a message:   Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail Email me at: melissa@theleftoverpieces.com Sometimes fictional grief stories give us just enough distance to see our own grief more clearly. It can hold up a mirror of sorts. In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole , Melissa reflects on several recent shows and films t...

In this brief but so important Bonus "Mini-sode", Melissa sits down with internationally recognized personality expert and author Paul D. Tieger to discuss groundbreaking new research exploring a possible connection between inborn personality type and increased suicide risk in young people. Take the Survey: CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY This first-of-its-kind study is seeking participation s...

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 l...

What (actually) happens after survival? In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Melissa speaks honestly about the part of grief few people prepare grieving mothers for — the “now what?” space that often emerges years after child loss and suicide loss. After the shock fades, the anniversaries pass, and the world seems to move forward, many mothers quietly find themselves facing something deeper: i...

Mother’s Day after child loss can feel impossibly complicated. In this episode of Down the Rabbit Hole, Melissa speaks honestly about the layered reality of motherhood after suicide loss—the grief, the love, changing family dynamics, and the truth that this day never feels the same again.  💜 In this episode:  Why Mother’s Day changes forever after child loss  The duality of gratitude and grief  H...

Do we ever stop grieving after losing a child to suicide?   In this episode, we go 'down the rabbit hole' to explore the reality of long-term grief after suicide loss and what happens after the initial survival years.  Many grieving mothers find themselves asking “what now?” after the first few years, when support fades but the grief remains. This episode introduces a new way of understa...

In this episode, I’m joined by Colleen Kraft —a pediatrician of 36 years and a mother of three—who shares the story of her son Tim, who died by suicide in February of 2022 at the age of 31. Tim’s journey included late-onset schizophrenia, beginning with early psychosis in his late twenties. Together, we explore what it looks like to love someone through serious mental illness, the challenges famil...

A Quiet Return: Ten Years of Grief and the Bridges We Build After an unexpected, unplanned two-month pause, Melissa returns to The Leftover Pieces Podcast with a quiet and honest reflection on what it means to reach the ten-year mark after losing her son Alex to suicide. So, as she says, this wasn’t a planned break. But as the calendar turned toward a full decade of living without her child, somet...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, & gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces Ap p This is December 31 — Welcome, Fellow Griever New Year’s Eve can be heavy for grievers — a reminder that time keeps moving, even when your heart resists. Today’s I o...

In this episode of The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations , I’m joined by Sean Dadashi to explore how journaling can support healing after suicide loss . We talk about why journaling often becomes a lifeline for grievers, how reflective practices help after traumatic loss, and why having accessible tools for processing grief matters — especially in the aftermath of a death by suicide. (P....

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces Ap p This is December 29 — Welcome, Fellow Griever Honoring Survival — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What did it take for me to make it through this year?” Today’s Reflection As...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces Ap p This is December 28 — Welcome, Fellow Griever Sunday Softening — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What would it feel like to soften my expectations of myself today?” Today’s R...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces Ap p This is December 27 — Welcome, Fellow Griever Letting Stillness Be Enough — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What might become possible if I allow this weekend to be slower th...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces Ap p This is December 26 — Welcome, Fellow Griever After the Exhale — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What does my body need today as the intensity of the season begins to ease?”...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 25 — Welcome, Fellow Griever Letting the Day Be — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What is today actually like for me — not what it’s supposed to be?” Today’s...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 24 — Welcome, Fellow Griever For Christmas Eve, today’s Daily Nugget is a little different. Instead of a longer reflection, Melissa shares a grief-tend...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 23 — Welcome, Fellow Griever The days leading up to the holidays can feel heavier than the days themselves. Anticipation, memory, and nervous-system ov...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 22 — Welcome, Fellow Griever ALSO... . IF YOU ARE A MOM --Please know I have added an "extra" support group meeting tonight at 8PM eastern (s...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 21 — Welcome, Fellow Griever Holding Space for What’s Coming — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What is one gentle thing I can offer myself today as I move tow...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 20 — Welcome, Fellow Griever A Saturday to Breathe — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What space — emotional or physical — can I offer myself today, and why do...

In this episode of The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations , I’m joined by Jacquelyn Dickey , a mother navigating early suicide loss after the death of her son, Austin , who died on April 4, 2025, at the age of 30. Austin left behind a loving family — his mom, dad, younger sister Victoria, girlfriend Rachel, and his beloved dog Luna — as well as an extraordinary body of photographic work t...

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company. Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces App This is December 19 — Welcome, Fellow Griever The Courage to Stay Soft — A Daily Journal Prompt: “What would softness look like for me today — and what truth does that...