Teresa Mastrangelo has been an executive coach for over a decade, and her signature program is called “Mapping Your Career Journey.” Clients who complete the course “will have the ability to meet potential employer’s needs, substantiated by proof from past experiences and accomplishments,” her website reads. Ten people in the program are either unemployed or reconsidering whether they’ll stay in their government jobs.
“They are trying to decide based on their moral principles,” Mastrangelo said of those still working in the Trump administration. The cohort meets on Mondays, and during its first gathering on March 31 inside the library of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, the group was visibly discouraged but committed to taking action.
“I think I’ve gone to acceptance that this is gonna be very, very bad,” one of her students told her.
“The sooner you go from acceptance and pivot to seriously looking for a job, the better you’re going to feel about the whole thing,” Mastrangelo advised. Her coaching focuses on moving people to action and helping them get “a bit unstuck” from their current situation.
Around the time the Trump Administration began laying off federal workers through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), parishioners of St. Peter’s began talking to their rector, the Rev. Jenifer Gamber, likely seeking guidance or encouragement.
Gamber knew of Mastrangelo’s expertise. The executive coach has been worshiping at St. Peter’s for 25 years, and before coaching full time, she was a contractor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
On February 16, a Sunday, Gamber met with those affected by the government cuts to hear what they were going through and offer space to talk about their lives. She emphasized that federal workers aren’t the only ones affected—federal contractors are, too.
“The federal government is doing more than just letting people go,” Gamber told TLC. “It’s systematically traumatizing federal workers through measures of uncertainty and unreasonable demands.”
The rector highlighted the “Fork in the Road” email sent on January 28 to nearly 2.3 million federal employees. The memo offered workers deferred resignation or the possibility of being laid off if they remained in their posts. She also referenced the email from Elon Musk, the billionaire behind DOGE and a close Trump adviser, which required federal workers to list five accomplishments from their workweek.
All these actions, which have created confusion across the federal workforce, are “out of the ordinary” and, in her view, “designed to traumatize federal workers and make them want to leave.”
Mastrangelo attended the meeting and, afterward, approached Gamber to offer her program to anyone interested. She condensed the original eight-session format into four meetings and waived her usual fee of $1,000 per participant.
“I’m pretty horrified by what’s going on politically,” Mastrangelo said. But she’s holding on to her faith and, like her students, choosing to act “rather than just being depressed by it.” When asked how important a faith community is during these difficult times, she was unequivocal: “100 percent.”
Among the 10 people who signed up for the course, three were veterans, and two were just beginning their careers. The rest were experienced professionals, with at least one having a legal background. The Monday meetings last 90 minutes; the last will be on May 5, as participants take a break after Easter.
Founded in 1961, St. Peter’s is part of the Diocese of Virginia. Its neighbor, the Diocese of Washington, has also responded to the needs of federal workers affected by the cuts. On March 7, Bishop Mariann Budde met virtually with federal workers and their families to offer encouragement. The program for the online gathering was inspired by the Being With course, and with help from trained facilitators, participants were divided into small groups to contemplate four points:
- We sometimes call government workers “civil servants.” I wonder what that term means to you.
- I wonder if there is something you are really good at or something people you have worked with would identify as your particular gift.
- I wonder what helps you to remember who you are when a crisis hits.
- Tell about a time when you have found strength you didn’t know you had.
“The scale and speed of the cuts that are happening is really unprecedented,” said the Rev. Anna Olson, director of the diocese’s School for Christian Faith and Leadership, which organized the virtual meeting. Olson said it has brought a great deal of uncertainty.
She also said that because of the area covered by the Diocese of Washington, which includes four Maryland counties and the District of Columbia, many of its congregations’ members are directly or indirectly affected by the changes to the federal workforce.
On April 3, the diocese established an Emergency Relief Fund to “assist parish and community members experiencing hardships as a result of reductions in the federal workforce, changes in federal policies and expenditures, and the effort to deport migrants.”
Up to one in five people living in the D.C. area—the district, Maryland, and Virginia—are federal workers. According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, an estimated 400,000 federal contractors also live in the region.
Since President Trump took office, over 56,000 federal workers have lost their jobs, and at least 146,000 more are at risk. USAID, which provides foreign aid, including funding for lifesaving medications for the world’s most vulnerable populations, will be reduced from a staff of 10,000 to just 15.
The cuts align with an executive order signed by the president called the Workforce Optimization Initiative. A White House fact sheet describing the policy said “there are too many federal employees” and “the federal workforce contributes significantly to federal spending and debt.” A recent report showed, however, that federal worker salaries represent less than five percent of federal spending.
“My prayer for them obviously is that they find a job,” Mastrangelo said of the ten students taking her course at St. Peter’s. But she also hopes they will find more fulfilling jobs aligned with their needs and values.
When the group meets again for its penultimate session, members will learn how to network, conduct market research, apply for unadvertised jobs, and “show their papers”—resumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
