Episode 335 From Runway to Resilience with Christine Handy

John sits down with Christine Handy to talk about her upcoming film, "Hello Beautiful." Christine wrote the book Walk Beside Me after being diagnosed with cancer. The book is based on her own experience and the people who showed up for her during some of the hardest moments of her life. The book became the film, "Hello Beautiful," which releases in theaters on September 25, 2026. Christine talks about how cancer changed the way she saw herself, the importance of faith, true friendships and community, and the nearly 10-year journey of bringing her book to the big screen. About Christine Handy: Christine Handy is not just a name — she is a voice of hope, courage, and transformation. As a model, breast cancer survivor, mother, international speaker, influencer, and author, Christine uses her platform to uplift, inspire, and empower others to overcome adversity with faith, grace, and grit. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [00:44] - "Hello Beautiful" movie releases on September 25, 2026 [01:30] - Christine's bio [02:13] - Story behind writing Walk Beside Me [05:29] - Rebuilding her identity during chemo [08:42] - The friends who showed up [09:57] - What her sons went through during her illness [12:42] - How the book started becoming a movie [15:43] - Finding the right people for "Hello Beautiful" [18:41] - Casting Tricia Helfer as the lead [23:00] - Some of the wins and disappointments of the film journey [25:26] - The personal cost of making the film [26:04] - Filming schedule and locations [28:11] - Music by Marco Werba and London Symphony Orchestra [28:41] - What comes next for "Hello Beautiful" [29:35] - Initial theatrical release markets [30:17] - Attending red carpet events now as a writer and producer [31:35] - The incredible response "Hello Beautiful" has received [35:23] - Is there a second book for Christine? [36:14] - When John's mom was diagnosed with cancer [39:23] - Christine's unsustainable schedule over the past years [41:44] - The unexpected impact of the film on hospitals [42:39] - The physical and emotional toll of constant working [47:46] - Best way to connect with Christine [48:33] - Closing remarks NOTABLE QUOTES: "I was determined to become a light instead of a victim in this world." "Your beauty is an internal job. It has nothing to do with whether I have breasts or not. My beauty was not dissected because I lost my chest. I am whole. I am made in God's image, and that's why my value has not changed one bit." "I kind of skipped that season of my life. And so, when I was faced with a rebuild, I made a conscious decision that I was going to rebuild and do the work to know who I was and to find the reasons that people were showing up for me." "I am a very courageous young woman and somebody that had great grit and determination, which is why I was able to rebuild and to use that pain that I had gone through to help other people. Because I also rebuilt myself with a lot of self-confidence." "I talk very freely about the things that I wasn't doing well in life and aren't very flattering. But I think that's more important than just showing the highlight reels in social media or in life, because how does that really help anybody?" "There really isn't any ceiling to what any of us can accomplish. It's all in our head what we can accomplish. And if we take no from other people and we listen to that, then it's going to stop us. But if you say to yourself, when people say no, it just means I have to go to a different door." "The people that quit in the middle, that don't get to the finish line. You can't quit in the middle. The hard part is the middle. You can't quit." USEFUL LINKS: Listen to Christine's 2021 episode with John: https://relationshipsandrevenue.libsyn.com/episode-047-christine-handy https://christinehandy.com/ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hello_beautiful https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9018874/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-handy-3056ba125/ https://www.instagram.com/christinehandy1/ https://www.facebook.com/christine.handy.2025 https://x.com/handychristine1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVw3xG426-c https://www.youtube.com/@christinehandy132 "Walk Beside Me" (https://amzn.to/4xTvOdH) CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen X - https://x.com/johnhulen YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@iamjohnhulen EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/