Sometimes reinvention doesn’t arrive with a plan.
Sometimes it arrives in a quiet hangar, in the middle of a hard year, when you’re watching something you love change — and you realize you can’t unknow what you feel.
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Julie Whitney — PR professional, storyteller, and now children’s book author — whose journey is a reminder that the second act isn’t reserved for “someday.” It’s available now.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Julie’s husband (Captain Dan) unexpectedly lost his job as chief corporate pilot. Along with that loss came the sale of the Gulfstream jet he flew — “Astra.” Julie had never flown in the plane herself, but she felt a deep attachment to what Astra represented… and in one overwhelming moment, she imagined Astra sitting alone, unused, forgotten.
That night, Julie started writing Astra the Lonely Airplane, a rhyming picture book rooted in resilience, hope, and the kind of kindness we don’t want to lose.
Julie’s story is full of heart and grit — from sending dozens of queries to publishers, to hearing “no” again and again, to finally receiving the yes that changed everything.
Today, Astra is not only a book series — it’s award-winning, beloved by kids, and on the path toward becoming an animated streaming series.
In our conversation, we talk about:
What it means to keep going when you’re discouraged
Why it “only takes one yes”
The magic of reading to kids (and how they remember everything)
Legacy, storytelling, and leaving something good behind
Why hope is never giving up
If you’re standing at the edge of your own pivot — if you’ve been wondering if you missed your chance — Julie is proof you didn’t.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Connect with Julie + Astra: AstraTheLonelyAirplane.com
Get the Books: Astra the Lonely Airplane
And if this episode speaks to you, please share it and leave a rating + review — it helps more than you know.
xo, Danielle
