September 2025: Somber September
I can’t believe it’s September, and September 11th at that. Days like today remind me how life mixes weight and lightness at the same time. Some moments change our path forever, like 9/11, which still shapes how I see the world and the importance of respectful dialogue.
Other moments are smaller but no less real, like realizing I needed Pilates just to carry Ford downstairs without risking both of us tumbling.
This months newsletter feels a bit heavier. You’ll find reflections on resilience and the state of our discourse, a look at how SAFe is evolving in the AI era, and a spotlight on a friend who’s building a business that helps organizations turn data into real decisions.
You’ll also find updates from the Mattis Foundation as we open scholarship submissions and gear up for next year’s Garden Party.
The TLDR: growth, development, and building a future worth believing in.
Charlie Kirk + 9/11
It’s a strange day. I hadn’t planned to send this newsletter until Saturday, and I had something very different in mind for this section. But given what today stirs up for me, I feel compelled to share.
As many of you know, I live with CTE as a result of an attack I experienced while serving overseas. My memory can be unreliable, but I do remember the morning of September 11th.
I had just returned to my dorm at Edinboro University after morning classes. When I turned on the TV, I saw the second plane strike the World Trade Center. I sat there, stunned, alongside my roommate Jordan. Before long, I drove to pick up my girlfriend at the time and my younger sister, who was still in elementary school.
I wanted the people closest to me nearby.
That day changed the course of my life, as it did for so many. 9/11 led me to serve in the Army, to deploy to combat, to be injured and medically retired, and eventually to run for political office.
While overseas, one of the lessons that stayed with me was how deeply fear and distrust had taken root in daily life. People were afraid to speak openly, because decades of authoritarian rule had made it dangerous to voice the wrong opinion to the wrong person. Dissent and dialogue were not tolerated; if they appeared, they were quickly silenced.
At the time, I never thought anything like that could take hold in America. But over the years, I’ve seen troubling signs of our own public discourse deteriorating.
I thought it had reached its breaking point with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The reaction to follow was muted. After the initial shock, some voices in the media even implied the events were staged. That subtle shift away from universal condemnation toward speculation revealed a dangerous level of apathy.
And now, just yesterday, we’ve witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Whether or not one agreed with his views, his murder for openly expressing them is something that should be universally condemned.
What I’ve found even more unsettling than the act itself is the response: apathy in some corners, and in others, celebration. To cheer the silencing of a man who welcomed debate is a betrayal of who we claim to be as a society. In a nation built on freedom of speech and open exchange, there can be no room for celebration or indifference when someone is killed for their ideas.
I experienced a small glimpse of this when I briefly ran for office. Like Charlie, I welcomed dialogue with those who disagreed with me. Most people engaged in good faith and were even surprised to learn that some of my positions weren’t what they assumed. But there was always a small group who refused to engage, preferring instead to shout, insult, or dismiss. That unwillingness to even hear one another feels far more widespread today.
On this 24th anniversary of 9/11, these lessons feel especially heavy. That day reminded us of both the fragility and resilience of our society. In the years since, I fear we’ve drifted toward a culture where division and contempt too often replace understanding and community.
We have to do better. We need to lower the temperature, return to respectful dialogue, and remember that disagreement should never justify violence or dehumanization.
Losing friends over politics is painful enough. But today I’m reminded that it pales in comparison to the grief of a wife and daughters who lost a husband and father yesterday, simply because he engaged in debate.
We must do better. We must start today.
Everything hurts, so, Pilates
Why settle for “add yoga” to your bro-lifting regimen when you can dive headfirst into Pilates? That’s kind of an “Adam thing” to do: all in, or all out.
After 30 years of running, lifting, and doing hard things (without ever stretching), I’ve become increasingly stiff in the mornings. So stiff, in fact, that going downstairs often meant two hands on the rail, slowly lowering myself one step at a time.
Real old-man stuff.
I probably would’ve just kept “dealing with it” until my first morning home alone with Ford after Jenelle returned to work. Standing at the top of the stairs with him on my hip, I realized I needed to make a change.
When I started researching what that “something” should be, I kept skipping over Pilates. The whole “Pilates Princess” stereotype wasn’t on my radar. But after a consult at the LifeTime Fitness training desk, I was introduced to my now-trainer, Alex Kreager. She convinced me her program wasn’t what I’d seen on Instagram.
So what do I think? You should give it a try. I’ve seen huge improvements in foot and ankle mobility, a dramatic increase in core strength, and greater stability. All of that has carried over into running, lifting, and the other shenanigans I enjoy.
The most valuable part, though, has been the chance to calm my mind and focus on breathing.
My advice? Try it, but start 1:1 with a trainer. Once you’ve worked through your, as Alex calls them, “unique deficiencies,” you can always move into a group setting. But the individual start is where the real transformation begins.
SAFe + AI-Native
At this year’s SAFe Summit & AI Symposium in Denver, the message was clear: the future of business operations isn’t about leaving SAFe behind, but modernizing it and embracing AI as a native capability.
SAI launched AI Native as a distinct initiative to help enterprises achieve ROI from AI while staying rooted in SAFe. The new EDGE framework (Exponential, Disruptive, Generative, Emergent) reframes how organizations navigate complexity, while updated courses, ROI tools, and guidance shift the focus from outputs to outcomes.
The takeaway: agility must evolve, operating models must adapt, and community connection matters more than ever.
We’re excited to bring to market the first in a series of courses designed to build AI competency in enterprises. The AI-Native: Foundations class is a powerful starting point for anyone, in any role.
👉 Check out upcoming sessions here
👉 Read the full SAFe Summit & AI Symposium recap here
A Business You Should Know: Decision-Ready Analytics
My friend Liz is kind of a big deal.
In addition to being an amazing friend and neighbor, she’s a data and analytics wizard.
After many years leading a data practice within a consulting firm, she took some time away to reflect on what she wanted to do with the next phase of her career.
The result: Decision-Ready Analytics. A firm built to cut through the noise and help organizations turn data into decisions with clarity, confidence, and ROI.
They deliver both build services (migrations, AI readiness, implementation across tools like Azure, AWS, Snowflake, Databricks, Tableau, and more) and strategy/advisory services for companies that have already invested in data platforms but aren’t seeing results. Their approach is people-first, tool-agnostic, and focused on measurable ROI,
If you or your business are tired of drowning in data without direction, check them out: Decision-Ready.com.
Mattis Foundation
We will open the submission portal for the 2026 Kevin J. Smith Memorial Scholarship on Novmber 3, 2025. Please take a look at the nomination requirements and share them with any well-qualified students you know. We’re proud to offer a $5,000 annual scholarship, renewable for four years.
Also, Jenelle is planning the 2026 Garden Party, and is looking for two others to join her! If you are interested, please reach out to her at jmm@mattisfoundation.org,
Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date—we’ve got some fun things in the works.
Thank You!
Some months bring a heavier mix of reflection and reality, but they also remind us why growth and connection matter so much. My hope is that something here sparks a thought, a conversation, or even a small change that makes tomorrow a little better than today.
Thanks, as always, for reading and for being part of this journey with me.
Keep steady. Keep building. And if something here struck a chord, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Cheers,
Adam