The Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast

Bob: Hello Adventures in Odyssey! I’m Bob.

Jesse: And I’m Jesse. Welcome to the official Adventures in Odyssey podcast.

Bob: Today on the podcast, we’re bringing your questions to actor Katie Leigh.

Jesse: There are questions, there are random questions, and there are totally random questions. These are definitely all three. But first, here’s the latest news.

Bob, we’ve received a lot of inquiries lately about the episode release schedule on the club.

Bob: I know. It used to be more predictable: one episode on the first day of the month and then six-episode albums a couple of times a year.

Jesse: But now the episodes come out at different times. It gives more flexibility in the storytelling, but every year’s schedule is going to look a little different.

Bob: We should say that new episodes are always on Thursdays, and we’re still doing the same total number of shows each year, so those are predictable.

Jesse: But let’s go back to the schedule. So far in 2026, we’ve had one or two episodes every month from January to July. Can you give our listeners a clue of what to expect from August through December?

Bob: As Eugene would say, indubitably. On August 6, we’ve got "You’re in Good Hands" with Wyatt and Sophie talking about what they want to be when they grow up. We’ll have a preview at the end of today’s podcast.

Jesse: Okay, and how about September?

Bob: September has two adventures: "Suggestion Box" on the 3rd and "Babysitting Bassets" on the 24th. The first one shows Connie acting in her role as manager of Whit's End.

Jesse: And somehow I know what "Babysitting Bassets" will be about. That'll be fun. Next up, October?

Bob: "Team Building University" is the title of that one that releases October 15. This is a lot of fun because we get to see the whole staff of Whit’s End—Connie, Paxton, Jules, and Renee—all working together, or at least trying to work together. That will be the final show in Album 82, "Learning Curve."

Jesse: There were 10 episodes in Album 81, and there are six episodes in Album 82. Why is that?

Bob: Going forward, the length of the album is driven by the storylines instead of all the albums being the same, which leads us to Album 83. Are you ready for the title of that one?

Jesse: Hit me.

Bob: Album 83 is titled "Phase One."

Jesse: Intriguing. But phase one of what?

Bob: You'll have to keep listening to find out. But we can say that Album 83 is part of a bigger story arc.

Jesse: I have a few guesses on that, but I’ll hold those for later. What else can you tell us?

Bob: Keep listening. And that "Phase One" starts releasing November 5th with an episode titled "Ready When You Are." The rest of the album will follow weekly after that.

Jesse: So it’s fair to say that there will be more than two episodes coming out in November and more than two episodes coming out in December.

Bob: In fact, it’s historic. This will be the most Odyssey episodes that have released weekly since 2014.

Jesse: Awesome. Well, I’m excited. Stay tuned to the podcast, the club, and Clubhouse Magazine for more hints and previews of adventures ahead.

And now, let’s turn to our good friend Katie Leigh, who agreed to answer a bunch of totally random questions from our listeners. You flew solo on this talk, Jesse.

Jesse: I did. Our fans submitted many thousands of questions, and unfortunately, I couldn't get to them all.

Bob: Or maybe fortunately for the sake of our podcast runtime.

Jesse: Yes, but we did get to a bunch. Let’s hear from Katie.

Katie, thanks so much for joining us for today's special podcast.

Katie Leigh: You’re welcome. I’m excited and trepidatious at the same time.

Jesse: As you should be, because as you know from prior podcasts, these TRQs can be about anything. Let’s jump right in to hear what the Odyssey fans want to know about Katie Leigh.

This one comes from Wildflowers Wildhorses. What is a crazy thing you did when you were a kid?

Katie Leigh: I’m not too crazy anyway. Well, we used to climb up on the roof of the house just for fun.

Jesse: You didn't jump off or anything? You just climbed up?

Katie Leigh: No, just climbed up there. It was a little tricky because we had rock roofs, so it’s really easy to slip.

Jesse: And it sounds kind of hot during the summers, so hopefully you were careful.

Okay, well, Cat and Jesus Lover—this person must know something about you because you are a good cook—they want to know what is your favorite thing to bake?

Katie Leigh: I bake peanut butter cookies, flourless peanut butter cookies, pretty regularly. So I suppose that would be my favorite thing to bake.

Jesse: Nice. With a glass of milk, I’m assuming?

Katie Leigh: Of course.

Jesse: Brinley wants to know: what has been your craziest encounter with any animal?

Katie Leigh: Well, when I was a kid, my friend used to have snakes. We were at the pet store and he was checking out some snakes. There was a little baby snake and he picked it up, and that snake bit him on the finger and died. He had this dead snake hanging from his finger.

I’ll tell you another thing, something a little less gruesome. When I was in labor with my daughter, I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not. You never know when you get to that time.

I was outside because our house was being painted and all my furniture was outside on the patio. I was sitting on the couch and there was this Blue Jay that came hopping over to me. It was like it knew that I was going to have a baby. It just sat there and kept me company. It didn't fly away. It just sat there and looked at me. I thought that was a pretty special encounter with nature. Now my daughter and I collect them and collect pictures of them and send them to each other.

Jesse: Wow, I like that. There’s a lot of questions about animals and food, so let me hit you with another animal question. This one comes from Jesus Lover 465 times USA 250. They just want to know what’s your favorite breed of dog?

Katie Leigh: I love those teeny little ones like little toy poodles. They’re just so tiny. But I think I also like those labradoodles because they’re fun and they don't shed.

Jesse: This is a very timely question. It comes from FIFA World Cup Forever. This person asks if you woke up one day and had a superpower, what superpower would you want?

Katie Leigh: I already have three superpowers, I have to tell you. Let me think. A fourth would probably be being invisible.

Jesse: I also want to know these other three superpowers you already possess.

Katie Leigh: My other three superpowers are making popcorn, packing, and parallel parking. They all start with a P. I’m very good at packing, figuring how to put things in spaces, which is like parallel parking. And of course, making popcorn is a superlative skill that I have.

Why would I want to be invisible? It’s kind of cool that people don't know you’re around so they can't bother you, but you can also hear what they’re saying. I might be invisible right now, you don't even know. Because you can't see me, can you?

Jesse: Not right now, but I can picture you. Let’s stick with the soccer theme here. This one comes from Arsenal 13. Have you ever done a backflip?

Katie Leigh: No, but I have tried. It wasn't pretty. Probably on the diving board.

Jesse: This one comes from Z Man 10. He wants to know what is your favorite candy?

Katie Leigh: I like Skittles. I do, I like Skittles and M&Ms, and they have the same shape, don't they?

Jesse: They do. You don't want to confuse the two because if you're ready for an M&M and you get a Skittle in your mouth, it's a little surprising. What’s your favorite candy, Jesse?

Jesse: I think I’m going to go with the Take 5 bar.

Katie Leigh: I have never even heard of a Take 5 bar. I used to like the ones with the marshmallow in the middle of the chocolate. One time when I was a kid, I wrote to the company and told them it was kind of stale and they sent me a box of them. That was super cool.

Jesse: Which also might have caused a problem that Geneva asks another question here, which is: which is your favorite tooth?

Katie Leigh: My favorite tooth is the one that hasn't broken yet. I actually have a new tooth that should be my favorite tooth because it was very expensive. I had to get a tooth implant this year. I better take care of that one. That’s a thousand-dollar tooth, a couple thousand-dollar tooth.

Jesse: This is sticking with the favorites. Odyssey Fan Number 1 wants to know what’s your favorite sandwich?

Katie Leigh: Peanut butter and marshmallow cream.

Jesse: That actually sounds amazing. Abby Girl 314, what’s your favorite vegetable?

Katie Leigh: Is popcorn a vegetable? I guess it’s a grain. It doesn't count. We eat cucumbers, jicama, and broccoli a lot at our house.

Jesse: I love jicama. What does jicama come in?

Katie Leigh: It’s a root. You put lemon juice and some spicy seasoning on it and it's so good.

Jesse: That sounds amazing. This question, and I’m kind of interested in this because you have a multi-varied interests and talents.

Katie Leigh: I’m eclectic.

Jesse: Eclectic, that’s the word I was looking for. Eclectic. American Product asks what kind of music do you listen to most?

Katie Leigh: Southern rock, country rock. But I also love classical music. But I can't play it that much because it puts my husband to sleep. So we can't listen to that driving. We have to listen to stuff that keeps us awake, some energetic stuff to keep you going.

Jesse: Dog Lover 14 has a question that I think maybe you’ve put some thought into in the past because you’ve been playing Connie Kendall for nearly 40 years. If you were to pick a middle name for Connie, what would you pick?

Katie Leigh: Ellen. Constance Ellen Kendall. I like it. I never thought of it before. Or Lou Ellen. That’s kind of cute, right? My actual middle name is Elizabeth. So it could be Elizabeth. Constance Elizabeth Kendall. That sounds good too.

Jesse: And that’s fitting because after playing this character and you becoming her and her becoming you, I could see that.

This question comes from Emma G 254, and it’s more of just a practical one. What is the color of your water bottle?

Katie Leigh: I have a few, but I have a big yellow one.

Jesse: Speaking of your eclectability, Odyssey Steelers wants to know: what’s the weirdest voice acting job you’ve ever had to do?

Katie Leigh: Well, I was the voice of Nicotine a few weeks ago. It was an anti-vaping ad. It was real gravelly like this. Don't vape, it's bad, bad, bad for you.

Jesse: That is a really weird voice acting job. I was not expecting that, Katie.

Katie Leigh: Good, I’m glad I surprised you.

Jesse: This person, I think they might be trying to influence your answer with their handle because their name is Ford Lover 11. They want to know your favorite car brand.

Katie Leigh: You know, I really like the Honda Odyssey.

Jesse: Well, I think Ford Lover kind of gave away the answer they’d have.

Katie Leigh: Well, what if they love someone named Ford? We shouldn't make that assumption. Although my first car was a Ford Maverick. And I could change the oil all by myself.

Jesse: They make it so hard these days to work on cars because it's all computers and techy. This might be too personal and I don't know if we’re going to break some HIPAA rules with this one, but Toaster wants to know what’s your blood type?

Katie Leigh: I think it’s A-positive. In school, it’s the best one you can have. A-plus, you can't beat that. Good to know.

Jesse: A few more questions, and I have to ask this one because I do love the person’s nickname. A Tad Bookish is who this question comes from. What’s your favorite book besides the Bible?

Katie Leigh: Besides the Bible, there’s a little book called *The Greatest Thing in the World*. It’s a compilation of sermons, actually, by Henry Drummond. He’s talking about, I think it’s 1 Corinthians 13, the love passage.

Jesse: Nice. I haven't read that, but I will put that on my list. That sounds fantastic. Speaking of recommendations, Cartwheel Carter wants to know: what quality do you look for in a friend?

Katie Leigh: Honesty.

Jesse: Honesty, that is so important in relationships. But why did that pop to mind first for you?

Katie Leigh: I guess I just value honesty and I think it’s an integral part of integrity. Integrity is really important to me. Because the Bible says an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. And that’s how you know you can trust somebody, right?

But I’ll tell you what, the other thing besides that is sense of humor. I like to be around people who have my same sense of humor. It is good to laugh. It’s healthy. It’s good medicine. It’s good for the heart.

Jesse: Building off that question, this is kind of our last TRQ. This one will have a story with it, I’m sure. This comes from Ty 863-876. Name one person in your life that you think has changed you the most?

Katie Leigh: Well, I’ll just say probably my first child, because he made me a mother. Kids do change your life.

Jesse: What has changed? Are you more patient? Are you more loving? Do you see different traits in yourself in your child?

Katie Leigh: All the above. I’m more motherly. I think that’s a big change in anybody’s life. Because I remember thinking, "Oh boy," when I was pregnant. Like, what am I doing here? I’m inviting this perfect stranger into my house who I’ve never met before and committing to live with them for at least 18 years. I don't even know what kind of sense of humor they have, and here we are. It’s a big, big thing. But it’s so fun. It’s so fun to be a parent and watch your kids grow, and it’s also challenging. But you go through so many experiences with your kids, they change your life completely.

Jesse: It is always amazing to talk with you. Thank you so much for your time, for your honesty, and your eclectability. It really brought so much to this podcast.

Katie Leigh: Well, thank you. Now I’m going to have to start thinking of some questions to ask you.

Jesse: Oh, I like that. All right.

Bob: That was great. Katie’s both random and deep.

Jesse: Katie’s one in a million, maybe one in a billion. And if you want to read some less random answers from Katie, you can catch her in the pages of Clubhouse Magazine every month. She gives advice to readers about all kinds of life questions. It’s called "Candid Conversations with Katie."

Bob: All club members in the US get a free subscription to Clubhouse, so be sure to check it out. Now before we go, let’s hear a preview of that new adventure we mentioned at the top of the podcast. It’s called "You’re in Good Hands," and it comes out August 6th. Hey Chris, can you give us a preview of that one? Pretty please?

Chris: Now on the Adventures in Odyssey Club, the kids are considering the age-old question.

Wyatt: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Chris: Wyatt has one answer.

Wyatt: I want to be an insurance salesman. Perkin Insurance is there for you, from opening bell to class dismissed.

Chris: And Sophie has another.

Sophie: I’m going to be a stand-up comedian.

Wyatt: You like making people laugh? You never made me laugh.

Sophie: Fine, I’ll be a supermodel. Just made you laugh.

Chris: How will their career goals turn out? Find out on the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

Jesse: Well, that’s all for this edition of the official Adventures in Odyssey podcast, a presentation of Focus on the Family.

Bob: Visit us online at adventuresinodyssey.com or call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY. I’m Bob.

Jesse: And I’m Jesse, reminding you that with God in your life, every day is an adventure.