Melissa Bottorff-Arey
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, traum...
Author
Melissa Bottorff-Arey
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 6, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
January 13 Daily Nugget; Circle of Control 13.01.2025 2:50
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 12 Daily Nugget; The One Path to Serenity 12.01.2025 2:26
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 11 Daily Nugget; If You Want to be Unsteady 11.01.2025 2:55
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 10 Daily Nugget; If You Want to be Steady 10.01.2025 3:35
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 9 Daily Nugget; What We Control & What We Don't 09.01.2025 3:17
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 8 Daily Nugget; Seeing Our Addictions 08.01.2025 2:59
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 7 Daily Nugget; Seven Clear Functions of the Mind 07.01.2025 6:37
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 6 Daily Nugget; Where, Who, What & Why 06.01.2025 3:22
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 5 Daily Nugget: Clarify Your Intentions 05.01.2025 3:20
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 4 Daily Nugget; The Big Three 04.01.2025 2:19
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 3 Daily Nugget; Be Ruthless to the Things That Don't Matter 04.01.2025 3:07
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 2 Daily Nugget; Education is Freedom 04.01.2025 2:16
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
January 1 Daily Nugget; Control & Choice 03.01.2025 15:49
As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... please listen weekly to Down the Rabbit Hole episodes dropped at the start of each week and / or listen daily to these readings from The Daily Stoic -- nuggets as I call them -- of wisdom passed alon...
Where I've Been; & Hello 2025, I'm BACK! 03.01.2025 23:37
Today --- I am BACK!!!! Life after suicide needs a break sometimes, and I took one. After a (very) trying 2024, I was just spent.... but you can't keep a good (determined) woman down! As a sort of "Re-Boot" for The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast after taking the last 6 weeks of 2024 "off" I am choosing to 'start over' this way .... Along wit...
Let's 'Get Griefy': Change Makers & Hope Spreaders 20.11.2024 49:02
Today, I share some resources, talk about a few change makers and read a few inspiring messages for this season - for every season, really. Today, hear me discuss the past, present and future (no, it's not a holiday tale filled with chain clanking ghosts) and then dip into some exciting, hope-filled options and resources -- and the incredible people behind them! Be sure to stay 'til the...
Erin Blechman's Unexpected Journey; Reflections After Losing My Son to Suicide 21.10.2024 1:07:21
Today I share my conversation with fellow (suicide loss) bereaved mom, author & speaker Erin Blechman. We discuss her incredible son Max, life after suicide loss of a child and her book My Unexpected Journey: Reflections After Losing My Son to Suicide. Everyone will have a takeaway from this one.....& Erin & I share so many of the same realities...including that hope does come back AND...
Let's Talk to a Medium; Soul & Spirit Mom's Healing Retreat 07.10.2024 1:07:12
Today, I share a long overdue conversation...with Angel the Medium. After child loss by suicide, we need connection - to so much, other moms included, & we need a connection to our child in spirit. Many grievers look for, wonder about, &/or sit in front of a medium to facilitate that connection after loss. I know I did -- the first few attempts didn't go well for me after I learned ho...
Life After Suicide Life; It's O.K. to be Okay. 15.09.2024 35:57
In life after suicide loss, we hear the words "it's okay to not be okay" as part of mental health or prevention campaigns and similar messages all of the time, right? Especially THIS month as September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (or is it just awareness -- or just prevention...? Ugh, right?). We can tackle that topic another day. And it IS TRUE that it's okay to not...
The Rest of My Story; Can Words Kill...& What Now? 25.08.2024 50:21
SPECIAL NEW EPISODE DROP! This is Part 3 of 3 (Listening in order is recommended). I am getting very 'up close and personal' as I do something I have not done since I began the podcast in 2020-- tell " the rest of my story ." This is part of MY life after the suicide loss of my son Alex Mullins on August 7, 2016 In the 3-part series you get Part 1 , "The Rest of My Story &...
The Rest of My Story; My Analysis of the Essay 23.08.2024 1:02:06
SPECIAL NEW EPISODE DROP! This is Part 2 of 3 (Listening in order is recommended). I am getting very 'up close and personal' as I do something I have not done since I began the podcast in 2020-- tell " the rest of my story ." This is part of MY life after the suicide loss of my son Alex Mullins on August 7, 2016 Putting this out there has taken way more 'guts' than I...
"The REST of My Story; Was It Free Will, or Not" 13.08.2024 49:15
SPECIAL NEW EPISODE DROP! New today! This is Part 1 of 3 (the other two will be released only two days after the previous one). I am getting very 'up close and personal' as I do something I have not done since I began the podcast in 2020-- tell " the rest of my story ." Putting this out there has taken way more 'guts' than I anticipated. I have been sitting on this e...
A Chat with A.S. King; Coming Face-to-Face with Those Who Judged 17.07.2024 1:37:05
Today I am releasing a conversation that I had recently with Amy King - Grace's mom. Amy also happens to be an incredible writer and award-winning YA author (psst... see down below) But the role she cherishes most in life, is being a mom to her two kiddos... she now bothers, like many of us, from both sides of 'the veil'. Gracie died by suicide in 2018. Amy's "other"...
Grief Hangovers are Real; Are You an Intervention or Prevention Griever? 02.07.2024 34:15
Today I am down the rabbit hole to discuss the concept of a grief hangover. Yep, it's a real thing ....at least I say it is. I did not coin the phrase but i also don't recall ever hearing it before, yet a simple internet search tells me that I am not the only one who thinks it's that 'thing'. The day before, of and after a "day" (birthday, loss, day, holiday...)...
“Movies, Shows & Books, Oh My; What to Watch ...Or Not “ 29.05.2024 44:19
Are you a late-night grief-insomniac like me? Do you need to escape, or maybe think deeply? I have it all! New today and a few more on the way...a long overdue episode about what I have watched or read etc. and what my take is on these shows, movies, books & more. There are a few honorable mentions (HM) in most categories that I will not say as much about, but I do talk briefly about why they...
Because Legacy Matters; The Little Tin Man & His Big Heart 12.05.2024 34:05
NEW EPISODE DROP! Today is MOTHER’S DAY 2024. As a special Down the Rabbit Hole episode and to honor a piece of my own journey in motherhood, I am reading my chapter “The Little Tin Man and His Big Heart” - a chapter written (by me) about parts of my son Alex’s life. Alex died by suicide on August 7, 2026, but his legacy continues as we tell his stories and speak his name. You can find this story...
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