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Melinda Gates, The Learning Pyramid and Elite Athletic Training Methods
Alex Brogan
January 29, 2026 • Read Time: 8 minutes
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Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.
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Today’s edition:
> Stories: Melinda Gates & KitchenAid
> High-performance: The learning pyramid
> Insights: Eliminate to elevate
> Tactical: Elite athletic training methods
> 1 Question: Awareness
Cheers,
Alex
P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.
Stories of Excellence
Person: Melinda Gates
Melinda Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. She co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, shaping strategies to improve equity worldwide. Gates' journey from Microsoft executive to philanthropist was driven by her encounters with global poverty. "I think of the world as a classroom," she says, emphasizing her commitment to learning from others. Her book, "The Moment of Lift," chronicles her evolution as a feminist and shares stories of inspiring women she's met. Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 to accelerate social progress in the United States. Despite facing criticism, she remains dedicated to her mission. "Empowering women and girls can transform the health and prosperity of families, communities, and societies," Gates asserts.
Key Lessons from Melinda Gates:
On empathy: "The first step in solving any problem is to look at it with empathy."
On courage: "Sometimes, you have to be willing to make the unpopular decision if you believe it's the right thing to do."
Company: KitchenAid
KitchenAid's story began in 1919 when Herbert Johnston, an engineer at the Hobart Manufacturing Company, invented the H-5 stand mixer. The mixer's versatility impressed an executive's wife, who called it "the best kitchen aid," inspiring the brand name. In 1937, the iconic Model "K" was introduced, featuring the now-trademark silhouette. KitchenAid expanded its product line over the decades, launching its first dishwasher in 1949 and introducing colorful stand mixers in 1955. The company's growth continued with the addition of refrigerators in 1986 and small appliances in the 1990s. Today, KitchenAid is a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation, offering a full range of major and small appliances while maintaining its reputation for quality and innovation.
Key Lessons from KitchenAid:
On color psychology: Use color to stand out. KitchenAid introduced colorful mixers in 1955 when most appliances were white. This made their products more appealing and memorable.
On market positioning: Aim for the high end. KitchenAid has maintained a premium position in the market, becoming a status symbol for serious home cooks. This strategy has allowed them to maintain higher margins and brand prestige.
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Accelerants
High-performance tool
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The Learning Pyramid
Insights
Dane Atkinson on focus:
"Focus is so critically important…. Saying 'no' to great ideas is necessary to get to the brilliant ones. At every step of the way you have to cut towards one path. It's such a hard thing to do as an entrepreneur because you don't really have the confidence in where you're going yourself."
Tactical reads
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> When examining elite athletic training methods
How Michael Phelps' coach trained him – Behavioural Design (Read it here)
> When defining personal and professional success metrics
Defining Success in Life: the Dreamline Exercise (Read it here)
1 question
What am I missing that a more humble person might see?
That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.
Have a wonderful rest of week, all.
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Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.
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