PROTECT | Values Guided Suicide Prevention
HEALING WITH HOPE | A Journey of Mental Wellbeing, Resilience, and Connection
Welcome to PROTECT, a transformative podcast dedicated to nurturing mental well-being, building resilience, and fostering hope. At its core, PROTECT is about the power of human connection—exploring how values like compassion, belonging, and loyalty can become lifelines for those facing challenges. Founded on the principle of Relational Safety, this podcast moves beyond traditional perspectives, asking not “what’s the matter with you?” but “what matters to you?”—empowering both professionals and individuals in their journey to chip away at pain and build strength.
Hosted by Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, an innovator and leader in mental health crisis care with over a decade of experience at Oxford and Cambridge, and now the Director of Mental Health Services at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, PROTECT is changing the way we think about suicide prevention. Each episode blends leading-edge research with person-centered practice, bringing insights that promote hope, purpose, and resilience.
In our new focus, we introduce the STEPS 4 HOPE podcast series—an intimate exploration of suicide prevention through story, metaphor, and values-based connection. This season follows Ari’s Tapestry, a narrative journey through the six STEPS of suicidal distress: FABRIC, THREAD, NEEDLE, TIP, MEND, and FLOW. Each episode blends poetic storytelling, clinical insight, and emotional resonance to help listeners better understand what risk feels like—and how to respond with presence, curiosity, and care. Grounded in the HOPE framework, this series is a companion for anyone seeking to support others through pain, or to reweave their own path forward.
Whether you’re a clinician, caregiver, educator, or someone walking your own recovery journey, this podcast is an essential resource for all those who care deeply about mental health, suicide prevention, and building communities that thrive on connection and kindness.
Further information at www.PROGRESS.guide.
Episodes
76 episodes
75 | Heart of STEPS: State, Source, Span & Scenario
In this episode we move from concept to practice, stepping into the four anchors at the centre of the STEPS model: State, Source, Span, and Scenario.Through Ari’s story, we show how to:Locate where someone is ri...
74 | Top to Tap - World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 Special
Progress to Practice This World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 Special episode explores the three critical mindset shifts that bring suicide prevention from concept to care.First, the shift from prediction to pre...
Creating Hope Through Action – Commemorating World Suicide Prevention Day
A Song for World Suicide Prevention DayReleased on 10 September 2025 for World Suicide Prevention Day, this original song captures the heart of this year’s theme: Creating Hope Through Action.Hope has been...
73 | Woven Together: Ari's Tapestry
This episode is a deliberate pause: a chance to gather the threads of Ari’s journey and see the STEPS model as a whole. We begin with the heart of any assessment—the room between two people. We explore relational safety as a felt sense c...
72 | The Weaving Resumes: The FLOW of Life in Motion
In this episode, we return to Ari a month after her attempt — not at an ending, but at a continuation. This is FLOW, the phase of living in motion.FLOW does not promise smoothness. It promises awareness. It helps us notice how lif...
71 | Stitching What Remains: MEND
MEND – After the Rupture, the Reweaving BeginsAfter a suicide attempt, survival is not the end of the story — it’s the fragile beginning of another chapter. In this episode, we explore the MEND phase of the STEPS framework:...
70 | Moment of Action: TIP Breaks Through
Action - We enter the fourth phase of the STEPS model — TIP — the moment when suicidal thought becomes action.TIP is an acronym for: T – Tension Builds – the lead-up to the act: the events, emotions, and pressures ...
69 | Sharpened Edges: Eye of the NEEDLE
Intention and the Quiet Planning of DeathWhen risk tightens, our questions must soften. This is where the thread turns sharp.Sometimes the thread of suicidal thought sharpens—quietly, steadily—until it points toward a pla...
68 | Tangled Thoughts: Following the THREAD
Ideation. It doesn’t always arrive loudly.Sometimes it starts with a whisper—“I’m just tired.” Other times, it circles silently, gaining strength beneath the surface.In this episode, we explore THREAD,...
67 | Frayed Beginnings: The Worn FABRIC
Predisposition and the Invisible UnravellingWhere suicide risk begins — quietly, invisibly. This episode explores the earliest, often overlooked signs of emotional unraveling through the metaphor of FABRIC: Fragile sense of self...
66 | From Sunny to Ari: The Story Behind the Song
STEPS 4 HOPE: Suicide Prevention Through Story, Song & MeaningWelcome to PROTECT (Season 4), a podcast where suicide prevention meets story, values, and the quiet power ...
65 | S010 | Strength Within
Explore Sunny's Values ScoutsWrapping Up The Courage to ExploreIn this heartfelt final episode of 2024, the PROTECT Podcast explores the profound value of inner stre...
64 | S009 | The Magic of Wonder
Explore Sunny's Values Scouts In Episode 64 of the PROTECT Podcast, Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and Mahi explore the transformative value of Wonder. Building on last week’s theme of curiosity, t...
063 | S008 | Curiosity Lights the Way
Explore Sunny's Values ScoutsIn this heartwarming episode of the PROTECT Podcast, we explore the transformative power of curiosity. Join Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and his daughter, Mahi, as ...
062 | S007 | Adventure in the Forest
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonIn Episode 62 of the PROTECT Podcast, Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray explore the thrilling value of adven...
61 | S006 | Courage in the Savannah
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonIn Episode 61, Courage in the Savanah, Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray dive into courage—the strength...
60 | S005 | Loyalty in the Ice
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonJoin hosts Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray for a heartfelt exploration of loyalty in Episode 60 of the P...
59 | S004 | Family Ties
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonThe Value of Family: Roots, Resilience, and Dolphin DreamsWelcome to Episode 59 of the...
58 | S003 | Connecting the Dots
Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon Exploring the Value of Connection The Essence of Inter-being: A Lesson from ...
57 | S002 | Acceptance at the Lagoon
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonExploring Acceptance: Lessons from Sunny’s Value ScoutsIn this episode of the PROTECT Po...
56 | S001 | Finding Belonging
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonIn this second episode of Sunny’s Value Scouts on the PROTECT Podcast, Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and Mah...
55 | S000 | Sunny’s Values Scouts: Building Resilience in a Changing World
Sunny's Values Scouts on AmazonIn this insightful podcast episode, Mahi sits down with Dr. Manaan Kar Ray to explore the essence of the <...
54 | G017 | An Hour with Dr Stan Steindl, Why Professionals Need Self-Compassion?
Using Compassion-Focused Therapy for Staff Wellbeing in Mental Health SettingsIn a podcast hosted by Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, Dr. Stan Steindl discussed Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and its potential to enhance staff well-being in ...
53 | G016 | An Hour with Caroline, Daddy Blackbird is Set to Fly
In this special episode for World Suicide Prevention Day, Caroline Roodhouse shares an intimate and powerful reflection on her journey through grief following the loss of her husband, Steve, to suicide in 2018. With raw honesty and deep vulnera...
52 | G015 | An Hour with John Bell, Rolemodelling Self Love to Send a Message to Jake
In the lead up to World Suicide Prevention Day, we present an hour with John Bell in which he shares his journey of post traumatic growth.In July 2020, John became a bereaved parent through the accidental suicide of his 15 year old son,...
