What does flexibility really mean for the national security workforce—and why does it matter now?

In this episode, ClearanceJobs’ Lindy Kyzer is joined by workforce strategist and former federal executive Mika Cross for a timely conversation on the future of federal and cleared work. Drawing from congressional testimony, workforce data, and decades of public service experience, they unpack how telework, hybrid models, and strategic flexibility directly impact mission readiness, talent retention, and national security outcomes.

The discussion explores:

• Why flexibility is a national security imperative, not a workplace perk
• The real costs of losing high-performing cleared professionals
• Military spouse employment and its impact on readiness
• What the President’s Management Agenda signals for the federal workforce
• How national security agencies can lead on agility, trust, and innovation

This episode offers critical insight for cleared professionals, federal leaders, recruiters, and policymakers navigating the evolving realities of government work.

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On this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity, Lindy Kyzer sits down with Elisabeth Baker Pham, attorney and federal employment expert, to unpack how government shutdowns trigger far more than political drama, they create real financial strain that can jeopardize a cleared worker’s livelihood and their security clearance.

Elisabeth breaks down the most immediate financial impacts she sees when federal employees and contractors suddenly lose income, from missed paychecks to debt that spirals faster than many expect. She explains how those shutdown-driven money problems often resurface later in a clearance file - late mortgage payments, credit card delinquencies, even tax complications - and how adjudicators typically view financial issues that clearly started during a lapse in appropriations.

For clearance holders staring down bills they can’t pay, Elisabeth offers practical, actionable steps: how to talk to creditors, what to document for future mitigation, and how to communicate with your agency during the shutdown itself. And with shutdown threats becoming a regular occurrence, she outlines the long-term financial and legal strategies every cleared professional should put in place now so the next disruption doesn’t put their bank account or their clearance at risk.

Whether you’re a federal employee, a contractor, or a security-clearance professional supporting a cleared workforce, this episode delivers the guidance you need to navigate financial uncertainty without compromising your national-security career.

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In this episode of the ClearanceJobs Podcast, host Lindy Kyzer sits down with Leslie Reid, Vice President of Defense Programs at iWorks and former senior leader at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), for a deep-dive conversation into the reality and the future of Trusted Workforce 2.0.

With more than two decades of leadership experience across the national security and defense community, Leslie has been at the center of some of the most significant vetting reforms of the past decade. From driving modernization at DCSA to championing agile, scalable solutions that support mission requirements, Leslie brings unmatched insight into how the personnel-vetting enterprise is transforming and what’s coming next.

Together, Lindy and Leslie unpack the big questions shaping TW 2.0 today:

• How are agencies implementing modernization at scale?
• What challenges remain around reciprocity, system adoption, clearance mobility, and workforce readiness?
• How are new tools including automation, AI, and continuous vetting technologies changing expectations for applicants, employers, and security professionals?
• And what does the future look like as the government prepares for the next era of risk-based, data-driven vetting?

Whether you’re an FSO, recruiter, HR leader, cleared professional, or simply someone trying to make sense of the alphabet soup of vetting reforms, this is a conversation that pulls back the curtain on what Trusted Workforce 2.0 really means—and how it will reshape national security hiring for years to come.

Tune in for an expert-driven, mission-focused discussion on security clearance modernization.

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