Have a look at xlwings (I am the creator), it’s a Python wrapper around AppleScript that follows closely the original VBA object model, so won’t require a change in mindset.
(*I am currently dragging nodeautomation back up to operational status so I can use it in new customer work, but that’s as much appscript-ing as my poor brain can cope with now.)
Not at all. Results are what matters, not the technical gubbins under the hood. I’m happy appscript helps you to empower your users.