Episode 99: Interview with Melanie Balestra

What happens when a healthcare professional finds herself facing a personal crisis no medical training can prepare you for? In this deeply moving episode, we sit down with Melanie Balestra, a pediatric nurse practitioner, attorney, and now author of Suicide: A Mother’s Journey Through Her Child’s Pain.Melanie shares her heartbreaking and powerful story about the loss of her daughter Leah to suicide, and how that personal tragedy inspired her to write a book blending raw emotion with clinical insight. Through reading Leah’s diaries, Melanie came to understand the unseen pain her daughter carried—and now she uses her voice to educate other parents and families on the warning signs, the mental health crisis in youth, and the urgent need for change.🎧 Listen now to hear:💔 How Melanie’s personal loss became a mission to help other families🧠 The critical signs of mental health struggles parents shouldn’t ignore📚 Insights from her book and what Leah’s journals revealed🙏 How faith, family, and remembering the good has helped in her healing🩺 A clinician’s take on the flaws in mental health care and overmedicationIf you're a parent, caregiver, or someone who wants to better understand mental health in today’s world—this episode offers raw wisdom, hope, and compassion.📲 CONNECT WITH MELANIE BALESTRA:📘 Book: Suicide: A Mother’s Journey Through Her Child’s Pain (Available on Amazon)🌐 Learn More: San Diego Center for Children – where Melanie now serves as a board member🔗 CONNECT WITH SAVOIR FAIRE:🌐 Website: https://www.savfaire.com📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savfairemag/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Savfairemag🎧 Like, subscribe, and share this important episode with someone who needs it.📩 Want to be featured or suggest a guest? Contact us at [email protected]