Fed Thread
We pull the thread on the questions you’re asking, with experts who can actually answer them Am I making a million-dollar TSP mistake? How can I tell if I’m burning out, and what should I do about it? Should I start a GLP-1—and would it be covered? Am I better off in or out of a union? Do those workplace step challenges actually make anyone healthier? The Fed Thread podcast pulls the thread on topics that matter most to the federal workforce, uncovering practical insights and sharing stories you can relate to. Each episode explores real-world situations shaping federal careers, benefits, wellbeing, finances, leadership and life on and off the job. In a series of candid conversations with government leaders, subject-matter experts, researchers and the people living these experiences, Fed Thread weaves together fresh perspectives, community highlights and useful takeaways, whether you're a new hire or a seasoned civil servant. Join host Alex Witt for a smarter, more human conversation about what it means to work in public service—only on Federal News Network.
Episodes
Is Social Security going bankrupt? Should you claim benefit before it’s too late? And how might Congress’s next move affect your retirement plans?
While the long-term funding challenge is real, the headlines don’t tell the whole story.
On this episode of Fed Thread, Austin Costello and Neil Cain of Capital Financial Planners separate fear from fact on Social Security, explaining what federal employees and retirees ...
What can workforce surveys tell federal leaders that they won’t hear in a staff meeting? And what happens when employees stop believing their feedback will actually lead to change?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Jack Dando, social scientist and senior survey data analyst in the intelligence community, talks through:
- the challenges of measuring workforce sentiment,
- why he thinks the proposed changes to the Federal ...
Do fewer managers mean more efficient government?
In this episode of Fed Thread, Dr. Michelle Sutter, executive director of the Senior Executives Association, discusses what happens when agencies flatten their management structures and what it would take to streamline responsibly.
Sutter explains:
- why eliminating a position doesn’t necessarily eliminate the work,
- what can happen when managers suddenly ...
AI can analyze information at machine speed, but when stakes are high enough, should it ever get to make the call before humans can verify it?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Andrew Moore, former leader of Google Cloud AI and the first AI adviser to U.S. Central Command, now CEO of Lovelace AI, explains that AI's superhuman speed should buy humans more time to respond thoughtfully, not eliminate human judgment.
The conversation covers...
What happens when AI stops being just a tool you use and starts acting on your behalf?
An AI agent can access data, interact with applications and take actions. But if it’s going to operate inside a federal environment, how do you know what it is, what it’s allowed to do and who’s ultimately responsible when something goes wrong?
Ryan Galluzzo and Bill Fisher from NIST explain their extensive work on:
- why AI a...
What happens when “one size fits most” meets a federal workforce of tens of thousands of real people?
Uniforms and protective gear have to work at scale, but traditional sizing can miss something important. Two people with the same waist and chest measurements may still need very different garments.
On this episode of Fed Thread, David McLaughlin, co-founder and CTO of Bodd, explains:
- the practical importance of be...
When a workplace issue escalates, most federal employees only see the tip of the iceberg. On this episode of Fed Thread, federal HR expert and Founder and CEO of HR Armor, Noël Tarquinii, joins Alex Witt to lay bare what’s really happening behind the scenes:
- how decisions get made,
- what changes when you’re suddenly under scrutiny,
- where failures can happen on both sides of the complaint, and
- t...
What would it take to end veteran suicide?
On this episode of Fed Thread, John Eaton, Complex Care Vice President at Wounded Warrior Project, explains what prevention looks like in practice, why connection can be so powerful, and why he believes ending veteran suicide is possible.
Prevention doesn't begin when someone reaches a crisis point, says Eaton, but should start much earlier by
- recognizing changes in behavior,
- li...
The information you give away online may be doing more than generating spam calls. For some federal employees, it can help someone find where you live, identify your family, or turn a workplace grievance into a personal threat.
On this episode of Fed Thread, Ron Zayas, founder and CEO of Ironwall by Incogni, explains the growing intersection of federal work, personal data and physical safety.
The conversation covers:
- How much inform...
Retirement may feel like the finish line, but some of the biggest federal retirement decisions need to be made well before you get there.
On this episode of Fed Thread, Neil Cain, founder and CEO of Capital Financial Planners and lead trainer for RETFED, takes us through the choices that can become difficult—or impossible—to undo after a certain point.
We talk through technicalities of TSP moves, FEHB and Medicare electio...
Federal hiring is up 26 percent this year, yet headcount continues to fall. So is the federal workforce recovering, reinventing itself—or just trying to staunch the bleed?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Jeff Neal, retired DHS Chief Human Capital Officer and principal at ChiefHRO, provides color commentary on what’s really happening behind the OPM hiring numbers. Which jobs are coming back, which aren’t, why some po...
How do you know when it’s just a tough experience and when your job is causing you real trauma?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Faust Ruggiero, psychologist, author and clinical trainer of federal employees, takes a closer look at PTSD and mental health in the federal workforce.
He explains:
- what qualifies as PTSD,
- why it can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed,
- how trauma can build over time, and
- the fir...
Government can’t do everything itself. But what happens when outsourcing goes beyond operations, and the very judgment and institutional knowledge it needs to oversee the outsourced work is compromised?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Elliott Parker, founder and CEO of venture-builder Alloy Partners, explains where outside expertise can make government faster, more innovative and more capable—and where it can create a dan...
Hollywood loves a good federal thriller, but how much of what we see on screen accurately portrays government behind the scenes?
On this episode of Fed Thread, entertainment critic and Navy veteran Kuya P. of Nerds Rule the World and Federal News Network DOD reporter Rachel Cohen put five movies to the test, depicting multiple federal agencies, the armed services, Congress and the White House.
What did Hollywood nail about federal wo...
Federal employees often assume that if they’re acting on behalf of the government, it will have their back if something goes wrong.
But what happens when the government’s interests and yours stop being the same?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Tony Vergnetti, founder and president of FEDS Protection and former co-host of FEDtalk, breaks down the three kinds of legal exposure federal employees can face. He explains when the...
Public service and mission-driven work are not exclusive to the federal government, and many organizations that offer these roles are intent on hiring people with federal experience.
So why aren’t more displaced feds being matched with positions outside of government that are a natural continuation of their purpose-filled work?
In this episode of Fed Thread, Karen Lee, founder and executive director of the nonprofit FedsForwar...
Americans may distrust government, but they don't necessarily distrust the people who work for it.
While the Partnership for Public Service found this year that just 27 percent of Americans say they trust their government overall, 65 percent say federal employees are competent.
So what's driving the disconnect?
On this episode of Fed Thread, Vice President of Public Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Jenny Mattingley and Senior Researc...
That’s cautionary wisdom that Mike Ciannilli, retired NASA Test Director and Landing Recovery Director, wants other feds to think about. In his last government role as NASA’s program manager for the Apollo, Challenger and Columbia Lessons Learned program, his entire job was to understand how things went wrong and help make sure his agency didn’t make the same tragic mistakes twice.
Perhaps one of his most surprisin...
What happens when technology moves faster than government can govern it?
AI is transforming biological research by accelerating drug discovery, protein design and pandemic preparedness in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago. But that same acceleration can create new security and public health risks.
On this episode of Fed Thread, Hayley Severance, deputy VP of the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s biosecurity progra...
What happens when the mission changes, but the people doing the work stay the same?
For federal employees, a change in administration or organizational priorities can mean more than a new set of marching orders. It can mean putting years of expertise on hold, watching programs get redesigned, and trying to stay motivated when the work you believed in suddenly isn't the priority anymore.
On this episode of Fed Thread, retired FEMA Ad...
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