What It Means to Still Be Here: Strength, Tenderness & the Seventh Day of December

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 AppThis is December 7 — Welcome, Fellow GrieverToday’s ReflectionSeven days into December, today’s episode reflects on the strength, tenderness, and full humanity required to move through this month while living with suicide loss. You’re reminded that wherever you are in your grief — surviving, rebuilding, evolving, or integrating — your presence in this moment matters.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “Grief is like a cruel kind of education.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – “We keep those we’ve lost alive by the way we remember them.” — Anderson CooperA Gentle Closing ReminderWhat you’ve carried this week — and how you’ve carried it — is enough.Stay Connected💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces💜 Download the Leftover Pieces AppSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

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 AppThis is December 6 — Welcome, Fellow GrieverToday’s ReflectionToday’s episode honors rest as both resistance and renewal. Whether you're barely surviving, rebuilding your foundation, or beginning to reconnect with moments of joy or purpose, this reflection invites you to trust the wisdom of your energy and move through the day in a way that supports your grieving heart.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “Grief is not a problem to be solved; it’s an experience to be carried.” — Megan Devine – Reflections from Anderson Cooper on carrying grief and love togetherA Gentle Closing ReminderHowever, rest shows up for you today, let it be enough.Stay Connected💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces 💜 Download the Leftover Pieces AppSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

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 AppThis is December 5 — Welcome, Fellow GrieverToday’s ReflectionToday’s episode invites you to let your heart — not December’s expectations — guide your pace. Whether you're barely surviving, rebuilding your foundations, or beginning to reconnect with joy and meaning, you are reminded that you don’t have to hold everything this month asks of you.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” — C.S. Lewis – Reflections from Anderson Cooper on grief, grace, and surviving the dayA Gentle Closing ReminderYou’re allowed to choose what you carry today — and what you set down.Stay Connected💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces💜 Download the Leftover Pieces AppSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

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 AppThis is December 4 — Welcome, Fellow GrieverTonight is our Full Moon Intention Gathering inside The Lighthouse Community. If you’re a mom and want a gentle space to connect, breathe, and set intentions together, you’re welcome to join. 💜 See the community details on my websiteToday’s ReflectionToday’s episode explores what it means to allow yourself soft landings in a season that can feel sharp and demanding. You’re reminded that gentleness isn’t indulgence — it’s part of survival when grieving during the holidays.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “You don’t get over it. You just get used to it.” — Billy Bob Thornton – “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes — including you.” — Anne LamottA Gentle Closing ReminderLet yourself arrive softly today. You deserve moments of ease, even in December.Stay Connected💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces💜 Follow along in the Leftover Pieces AppSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

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 AppIt is December 3 - welcome, Fellow GrieverToday’s ReflectionToday’s episode explores how grief and grace can coexist in December, even when the world feels loud and expectant. You are reminded that you don’t owe anyone emotional performance — honesty and gentleness are enough.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it.” — Joan Didion – Reflections from Stephen Colbert on love, loss, and gratitudeA Gentle Closing ReminderYou’re allowed to carry grief and grace together. Let today be soft where it can be.Stay Connected💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces💜 Follow along in the Leftover Pieces AppSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

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 AppThis is December 2, Welcome Fellow GrieverToday’s ReflectionDecember brings an avalanche of “shoulds,” especially after suicide loss. Today’s episode invites you to release the unrealistic expectations the world places on grieving hearts — and to honor the truth of where you actually are.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode– “Grief never ends. It just changes shape.” — Anderson Cooper – “What punishments of God are not gifts?” — Stephen ColbertA Gentle Closing ReminderYou don’t owe December a performance or a former version of yourself. Let today be honest, gentle, and yours.Stay Connected💜 Use the Leftover Pieces App for bonus support and community. 💜 Find all episodes & resources at TheLeftoverPieces.com 💜 Follow on Instagram @theleftoverpiecesSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

Surviving December After Suicide Loss: When the Holidays Arrive Before You’re Ready...A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, space...and my gentle company.Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! 👉 The Leftover Pieces AppToday’s ReflectionDecember has a way of showing up before our hearts are ready. Today’s episode offers permission to start this month exactly where you actually are — messy, tired, hopeful, aching, or all of the above. When the outer world speeds up, your inner truth is allowed to slow down.Quoted or Referenced In This Episode – “To be human is to become visible while carrying what is hidden…” — David WhyteA Gentle Closing ReminderYou don’t have to match the world’s pace or energy today. Your honesty is enough, and beginning December from the place you are — not the place you’re expected to be — is an act of courage.Stay Connected💜 Use the Leftover Pieces App for bonus support, resources, and community. 💜 Find all podcast episodes & grief resources at TheLeftoverPieces.com 💜 Follow on Instagram @theleftoverpiecesSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

Today I’m joined by Emily Dziedzic, a subconscious change practitioner who helps high-achieving women break free from anxiety, fear, and emotional overwhelm using fast, root-level rewiring. And this work, with her, was a game changer in my own healing.I first worked with Emily back in 2021 during an intensive NLP program — Neuro Linguistic Programming — along with hypnosis and unconscious mind work. It ended up being one of the most transformational pieces of my own healing when I felt completely stuck. That experience with her is a big part of what led me into the work I do today.In this conversation, Emily and I talk about why the mind can hold us in place long after the early years of grief, and how subconscious work can gently open the next chapter. She breaks down how unconscious patterns form, why traditional “talking it through” doesn’t always create change, and what actually helps fear and overwhelm loosen their grip.If you’re farther along in your grief and feeling like you’ve hit an internal wall you can’t quite name, this episode will meet you right there.What We CoverWhy we get “stuck” even years after lossHow subconscious patterns form and how they’re rewiredThe difference between understanding your story vs. releasing itWhat unconscious mind work and hypnosis actually do (in simple language)How clearing fear at the root supports deeper healingEmily’s own turning point with anxiety and burnoutPractical tools for calming the nervous system and building inner confidenceAbout EmilyEmily is trained in NLP Master Coaching & Hypnotherapy, NLP & Hypnosis Training, CranioSacral Therapy, Huna, Ho‘oponopono, Coaching the Unconscious Mind, and Integrative Hypnosis. Her work gets to the root of stuck patterns without rehashing trauma or digging for drama.Connect with EmilyWebsite: https://www.emilydziedzic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilydziedzicSupport the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE TODAY -- You’ve spent a month practicing gentler ways to carry what can’t be undone—and that practice is portable.Journal prompt: “My takeaway from October—the thing I’ll actually use—is…”Write one flicker sentence you believe today: “I can start small and still be real.” Build a 24-hour rebuild weave on a note you’ll see tomorrow: one light/witnessing anchor, one 7–10 minute brick, one value-aligned step. Then step into November by adding a calendar block titled “Rough Day Plan” and pasting your flicker-brick-step and threshold ritual into the description.Choose-your-energy menu:Hollow (low): Copy your October sentence onto a sticky or lock screen.Healing (medium): Set the 24-hour weave for tomorrow (flicker, brick, step).Becoming (higher): Add the “Rough Day Plan” block weekly through November.To end today -- to end the month: This work was never about being fixed. It’s about being held—by small, repeatable moves that meet you where you actually live. On the hard days ahead, you don’t have to invent courage; you can borrow it from your own practice: speak their name, steady your body, take one step that includes you. That is how the season gets survivable—one honest inch at a time.Community & App (don’t miss this): The Leftover Pieces app keeps your support close—calendar, resources, meetups, and one-tap entry to the Lighthouse Community. Anyone can download it to follow along; if you’re a community member or former client, the app makes access effortless. Inside: multiple support groups, a monthly Full Moon ritual, guest LIVE events, an ever-growing resource library, chats, and more. The first month of community is always on me—because I believe that deeply in what it’s becoming. Come in when you’re ready; everything’s easier in the app.Exhale. Keep what serves you; leave the rest. I’ll be here again tomorrow. 💜Support the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE TODAY -- Identity trickled back in micro-acts, and then we stitched everything together with thresholds, pacing, and touchstones.Journal prompt: “A boundary that made room for me was…”Name one or two flickers of identity you lived this month—maker, advocate, listener—and keep them visible. Rebuild by pairing a three-beat threshold (Open • Be in it • Close) with one pacing move on your calendar (opt out/leave early/tap-in ally). Step by doing one ten-minute value act today (“I live kindness by sending a three-sentence encouragement”), and schedule it twice next week so repetition does the heavy lifting.Choose-your-energy menu:Hollow (low): Speak one identity word out loud and rest your hand on your chest.Healing (medium): Use Open + Close around one task today.Becoming (higher): Do your 10-minute value act and schedule it twice for next week.To end today: Becoming isn’t betrayal; it’s continuity. You’re letting love move through you in shapes that fit the life you have now. The point isn’t to be unhurt—it’s to be resourced. When you combine a true word about who you are, a humane boundary, and one small act, you reclaim choice without abandoning your grief.Exhale. Keep what serves you; leave the rest. I’ll be here again tomorrow. 💜Support the show__________________________________________________________________________ Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE 💜 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.