Zero Forks Left

The sun is setting on our Forking Off journey—for now. We were compelled to start this podcast after living through so much of the chaos and cruelty taking over the US government in early 2025. With nearly 400,000 departures from federal service in 2025, we wanted the American people to learn more about who those employees were and what they left behind. We've been fortunate to share stories from former federal employees who worked across the federal government. The resulting 30 episodes are a time capsule of histories highlighting stories of these courageous former federal employees who ended up taking the fork in the road, often by choice, but sometimes by force. In this final episode, we decided to do things a little differently. Instead of having one guest, we checked in with four of our former guests to get their thoughts on the mid-term elections, immigration, and changes in domestic and international policies. Anticipatory Compliance We're only a week away from what could be one of the most pivotal mid-term elections ever. Former DOJ attorney Mike Romano and former FBI special agent Kayla Staph joined us for a discussion about the upcoming mid-terms. Mike pointed out the government is creating an environment of uncertainty and fear that risks driving the public into anticipatory compliance. Kayla reminded us that federal law prohibits armed federal law enforcement officers from being deployed to polling locations, unless repelling an armed enemy of the United States. The states are primarily responsible for administering elections and for ensuring security around voting sites. Chaos vs. Strategy We joined up with former immigration judge Sarah Ellison Hernandez and former NGA senior geospatial intelligence analyst Jeremy Boss to discuss how immigration enforcement and changing domestic and international policies have impacted global relations. Jeremy explained how unpredictable domestic events and chaotic foreign policy present opportunities for foreign adversaries to exploit, increasing the risk of armed conflict abroad. Sarah articulated the need for everyday Americans to demand that Congress replace constant chaos with common strategic goals. It's on us to participate fully in our democracy by voting and demanding accountability. All Outta Forks We're going to be shelving Forking Off for the time being while we focus our efforts on growing our business, Ravenwood Intelligence Cooperative. We're providing intelligence services, investigative strategy, and tradecraft expertise to the private sector. Check out our website and subscribe to our newsletter, The Sentry. Thank you for all of your love and support! And, as always... Thanks for Forking Off with us! For more information about this episode, ⁠⁠visit our website⁠⁠. If you enjoyed Forking Off with us, consider supporting us on ⁠Ko-fi⁠. To get notified when we release new work, follow us⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts. ---------- The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the individuals providing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the FBI, the DOJ, the United States, or any past or current employers.