Southworth PC attorneys Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor break down surviving the federal probationary period — and why, after 18 months of RIFs and reorganizations, even employees with years of service feel just as exposed. They're joined by communication coach Ken Canion on handling a boss who's decided they don't like you.

The Docket

Trump v. Slaughter: The Supreme Court held 6-3 (the week we recorded) that the president can remove independent-agency heads "for any reason or no reason at all," overruling the 90-year-old Humphrey's Executor. Most feds' EEOC and MSPB rights don't change — but the agencies enforcing them may feel new pressure from the top. Lydia's takeaway: don't panic, pay attention.

Trump v. Cook: A 5-4 majority blocked the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook — for now — holding that "cause" still has to mean something. A narrow win, and a reminder these protections are weaker than they used to be.

The Case File: Surviving the Probationary Period

Probationary employees have the fewest protections in federal service — but not zero. You're still protected from discrimination, whistleblower reprisal, and other prohibited personnel practices. Beyond the law, they walk through the survival skills that protect any federal employee: turning vague criticism into a written record, building a "brag file" of your wins, and working a PIP so thoroughly your supervisor has to justify any action against you. You'll know exactly what to send after your next "you're not a good fit" conversation.

The Interview: Ken Canion

A communication coach who trained Southworth PC's leadership team — and a star of MTV's Caught in the Act: Unfaithful — Ken breaks down handling a supervisor who's turned on you, including the reframe that gets your boss to put expectations in writing. Listen for why "the person who asks the question controls the conversation."

Ask Shaun & Lydia Anything

"I'm 10 months into a one-year probation at the VA, and we just got a new acting director. Everybody's on edge. Do I keep my head down and hope this blows over?"

"My supervisor never puts anything in writing. She says I need to step it up, but when I ask what it means, she gets vague. What should I do?"

"My position just got moved to Schedule Policy/Career. Am I about to get fired, and what should I do now?"

Chapters:

00:00:00 — Welcome: the most dangerous year

00:09:03 — The Docket: Trump v. Slaughter

00:16:57 — The Docket: Trump v. Cook

00:23:52 — The Case File: what still protects you

00:27:25 — Documentation & the brag file

00:34:16 — When you're put on a PIP

00:36:51 — The Interview: Coach Ken Canion

01:02:23 — Ask questions, control the conversation

01:13:10 — Ask Shaun & Lydia Anything

01:21:10 — Wrap-up: build what a file can't capture

Resources mentioned:

Ken Canion — coachkencanion.com

Dorothy Leeds, The 7 Powers of Questions

Have a question for the show? Email advocate@southworthpc.com or reach us on social. (Answering on air is general information and doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.)

If this episode helped: leave a five-star review wherever you listen, and share it with a coworker who needs it. Subscribe so the next episode comes to you automatically.

Learn more / get help: attorneysforfederalemployees.com

Free daily newsletter for federal employees: fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter

Podcast home: fedlegalhelp.com/podcast

A quick note: This podcast is legal information, not legal advice. Listening does not make you a client. If something is happening to you at work, talk to a lawyer about your specific situation.

This show is proudly ad-free and sponsored by Southworth PC. Your service is worth protecting — let's protect it together.

Every episode follows the same rhythm: The Docket (the federal-workforce news you need to know, in plain English), The Case File (one legal strategy you can actually use), the Interview, and Ask Shaun & Lydia Anything.

In this episode:

The Docket

• Schedule Policy/Career — the June 3 executive order moving roughly 4,800+ positions (about 8,000 employees) out of their traditional civil-service protections in a first wave, and what it means for MSPB and whistleblower rights. Who is actually affected, and why most of the workforce is not.
• OPM's proposed RIF rewrite — why a change that elevates recent performance ratings over length of service could reshape how reductions in force play out, and what employees should watch for.

The Case File: The File You Should Be Building on Your Agency

Why documentation is the most powerful tool a federal employee has. Shaun and Lydia walk through the last 18 months in three chapters — the initial shock, the courts' response, and the current "shutdown rebound" stage — and explain why you should keep your SF-50, performance evaluations, position description, awards, and key supervisor emails organized and within reach (always within your agency's IT and security rules). Plus: why HR works for the agency, why cases are won on facts and evidence rather than emotion, and how mindfulness helps you respond clearly instead of reacting.

The Interview

The surprise first guests turn out to be the hosts themselves. Shaun and Lydia interview each other on what drew them to this work — Lydia on the significance of launching on Juneteenth and standing up for federal employees, particularly the Black federal workforce; Shaun on his path from a small town in Wyoming to founding a civil-rights-focused firm — and what they hope the show will be.

Ask Shaun & Lydia Anything

• Which documents should I keep copies of at home, and can I do that without getting in trouble?
• I'm on probation, or my job just moved to Schedule Policy/Career — am I powerless now?

A quick note: This podcast is legal information, not legal advice. Listening does not make you a client. If something is happening to you at work, talk to a lawyer about your specific situation.

Have a question for the show? Email advocate@southworthpc.com or reach us through our social platforms.

If this episode helped you: Please leave a five-star review wherever you listen, and share it with a coworker who needs it. Subscribe so the next episode comes to you automatically.

Learn more / get help: attorneysforfederalemployees.com

Free daily newsletter for federal employees: fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter

Podcast home: fedlegalhelp.com/podcast

This show is proudly ad-free and sponsored by Southworth PC. Your service is worth protecting — let's protect it together.

For the last year and a half, federal employees have lived through hiring freezes, deferred resignations, probationary firings, and RIFs — and watched a court rule that tens of thousands of those firings were unlawful while almost no one got their job back. Civil Rights for Civil Servants is the answer to that moment: a podcast from Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor, two attorneys who represent federal employees and only federal employees, nationwide — putting fifteen years of fighting for feds to work for you.

In this pre-release introduction, Shaun lays out what the show is and how it works. Each episode opens with the Docket — the news feds are actually talking about, in plain English and what it means for you. Then the Case File: one legal strategy at a time, the steps, the deadlines, and the protections you need to know before you need them. We sit down with people worth hearing from, and we close with Ask Shaun and Lydia Anything — your questions, answered. Send yours anytime to advocate@southworthpc.com.

Episode one premieres Juneteenth, Friday, June 19th — a date we chose on purpose, with a few guests we think you'll want to hear. The show is proudly ad-free, sponsored by Southworth PC, with new episodes every other week.

Follow or subscribe now so episode one lands in your feed the moment it drops, and share this with a coworker who needs it: fedlegalhelp.com/podcast

Your career deserves a defense, and your peace of mind deserves a plan.

This podcast is general information, not legal advice.