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Live Like You Have 2 Years Left with dancer and cancer survivor Angela Trimbur | A Bit of Optimism

You have two years left to live. What would you do? That's a real question Angela Trimbur had to answer. In 2018, a breast cancer diagnosis forced her to get honest with herself. If Angela had only 2 years to live, what kind of life did she truly wish to live? Angela chose to start over. She sold everything she owned, left her acting career behind, and moved to New York to become a dance teacher. Angela's irreverent teaching style and unique approach to dance won her accolades, and she now teaches sold out classes where people use dance to find themselves. In this conversation, Angela explains why cancer actually helped her become a better version of herself. She shares how her disease enabled her to adopt a 2-years outlook on life, and why living as if our time is limited is always good practice, even when nothing appears to be wrong. This…is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Angela and her work, check out: https://angelatrimburdance.com/ --------------------------- This episode is brought to you by True Classic! I really love their T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes! Check out their clothes at: http://trueclassictees.com/ --------------------------- ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 What if you had 2 years left to live? 1:49 Sponsor Message: True Classic 2:07 Why Angela is one of Simon's favorite artists 4:49 How Angela broke into dance 10:58 Before and after cancer 17:18 The 2-Year Mindset 20:03 How Simon says no 22:16 Dance is supposed to be fun: balletcore vs. ballet 29:07 Dance as a story 32:15 True Classic: An Ad with Authenticity 33:55 Art is for others 38:27 Angela's favorite project 41:34 Angela's childhood memories 47:09 Visible vs. Invisible Healing + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

Simon SinekhostAngela Trimburguest
Jul 7, 202552mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Living with two-year urgency through joyful, accessible, community-centered dance art

  1. Angela Trimbur explains how surviving breast cancer shifted her from control, perfectionism, and codependence toward softness, self-trust, and prioritizing joy.
  2. She introduces the “two-year mindset” as a practical middle ground between bucket-list panic and long-horizon procrastination, motivating meaningful life changes like moving to New York to teach dance.
  3. Trimbur’s “sentimental weird” classes remove elitism from dance by eliminating skill barriers, using costumes, role-play, and storytelling to help adults reclaim childlike play.
  4. Sinek and Trimbur discuss boundaries—especially saying no without over-explaining—as a core practice for reducing stress and living intentionally.
  5. The episode frames art as something made for others, arguing that accessible, communal experiences (like her recitals and camps) can create visible and invisible healing through confidence and belonging.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Treat “two years left” as an intention-setting time horizon.

Trimbur describes two years as a sweet spot: urgent enough to stop stagnating, but long enough to invest in real life changes (e.g., moving cities, building a practice) rather than chasing one-off thrills.

Stress reduction can be a decision framework, not just a wellness goal.

Her cancer therapist advised choosing “whatever makes you the least amount of stress,” which Trimbur translated into everyday choices—dropping obligations, loosening control, and allowing life to unfold.

Boundaries work better when they don’t require a performance.

Sinek shares that the breakthrough wasn’t only saying no—it was realizing he doesn’t owe an explanation, which prevents self-justification spirals and reduces people-pleasing behavior.

Adults often need “permission structures” to play.

From Slightly Guided Dance Parties to balletcore characters, Trimbur uses gentle prompts, games, and roles to relieve social anxiety and help people “take up space” without fear of judgment.

Storytelling can replace technical mastery as the engine of participation.

Instead of counts and rigid technique, Trimbur anchors choreography in narratives (e.g., the widowed spider artist), letting students remember meaning and emotion rather than steps—making difficulty feel achievable.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

If I only operate as if I had two years left… you don’t stay stagnant.

— Angela Trimbur

Whatever makes you the least amount of stress, that’s the decision that you make.

— Angela Trimbur

I’m better at saying no, but the more important part is I don’t owe anybody an explanation.

— Simon Sinek

Imagine we’re all 13 years old again… the stakes are so low.

— Angela Trimbur

If I only had two years left, I would change nothing.

— Simon Sinek

The “two-year mindset” after cancerLetting go of control and perfectionismSaying no without explanations (boundaries)Accessible, anti-elitist approach to artSlightly Guided Dance Parties and “Awkward Prom”Balletcore role-play and healing “ballet trauma”Recitals, community-building, and transformation

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