Unseriously – Details, episodes & analysis

Settle in and buckle up--Abbey Wedgeworth is in the guest seat on this episode of Unseriously.

Need more of Abbey's mix of hilarity and heart in your life? Find her online or follow her on Instagram. Abbey's board book series, Training Young Hearts, is the perfect gift for expectant parents or the youngest littles in your life.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright, founder of The Corner Room, a ministry that sets the Bible to music as a tool for memorization and meditation. You can follow The Corner Room on Instagram.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously ⁠⁠@hollymacklebooks⁠⁠.

* This episode is lovingly dedicated to the Mexican restaurant owner Caroline creeps out on her town square.

Need more Caroline Saunders in your life? Find her online or follow her on Instagram, @writercaroline. You can pick up her Bible study Come Home, Tracing God's Promise of Home Through Scripture, or her Kids in the Bible storybook here.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright of the acoustic pop quartet Act of Congress. Adam and the members of this unique band have played together for nearly two decades both stateside and abroad, even collaborating with symphonies. To stay up to date on all things Act of Congress, make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously ⁠@hollymacklebooks⁠.

When Unseriously was in the developmental stages, Holly told a funny friend about the concept. The friend immediately replied, "You have GOT to interview Portia Collins."

After this episode, we think you'll see why.

As promised, Portia's cornbread recipe is at the very bottom of these show notes.

Portia's new Bible study, Finding Freedom In Christ: An 8-Week Study of Galatians is available for pre-order, and of course you can catch her on the Revive Our Hearts videocast Grounded. Portia is the founder of She Shall Be Called, a ministry dedicated to helping women learn, live, and love God's Word.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright, founder of The Corner Room, a ministry that sets the Bible to music as a tool for memorization and meditation. Find them online or on Instagram, @cornerroommusic.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously @hollymacklebooks.

Portia Collins' Homemade Cornbread

    •    2 cups meal

    •    ½ cup flour

    •    1 egg

    •    1 stick butter

    •    Buttermilk

Instructions

    1.    Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet.

    2.    Mix together the meal, flour, and egg.

    3.    Gradually pour in a little buttermilk, mixing until the batter reaches the right consistency.

    4.    Stir in the melted butter.

    5.    Pour the mixture back into the cast iron skillet.

    6.    Bake at 400°F. Watch closely until the bread rises and pulls away from the sides of the skillet.

    7.    Once fully cooked, brown the top under the broiler. Be careful and watch closely during this step to avoid burning.

What can we say? Unseriously brings out the best in people. But for Elizabeth Santelmann, guesting on a podcast episode might not even be required. Just hand her a gas station energy drink.

Don't miss Elizabeth's free Bible studies offered on her web site, sunshineinmynest.com, and interact with Elizabeth on Instagram, @sunshineinmynest.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright of the acoustic pop quartet Act of Congress, who have a Christmas catalog and a brand new collection of hymn arrangements. To listen to their music or book them at your venue or church, visit actofcongressmusic.com.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously on Instagram @hollymacklebooks.

Which Bath & Body Works scent were YOU rockin' in the 90's?? Katherine may be single-handedly responsible for the resurgence of Prickly Pear.

Find Katherine, Jay, and all things Hope Heals at hopeheals.com, and on Instagram @hopeheals.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright, founder of The Corner Room. Don't miss their three volumes of Psalms for kids and families, and follow along on Instagram @cornerroommusic.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously on Instagram @hollymacklebooks.

If you're a listener of the Journeywomen podcast then you already love Hunter Beless. Now find out which fictional characters she loves--some so much they may have to duel with Brooks one day soon.

Listen to the Journeywomen podcast, plus find all things Journeywomen Ministries at journeywomen.org.

Hunter references The Charles Simeon Trust workshops and you can find out more information at simeontrust.org.

Instagram: @journeywomenministries and @hunterbeless

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by the incomparable Adam Wright of the acoustic pop quartet Act of Congress. You can follow them on Instagram @act_of_congress.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously on Instagram @hollymacklebooks.

Join me, Holly Mackle, as I ask quirky questions of notable normals. Maybe you’ve heard what your favorite creatives are working on, but it's outright fun to hear about their most texted emoji, what they put in their Costco buggy, or the last time they had a dance party.

Parents, no fear – we’ll keep it G-rated unless otherwise noted. 

Unseriously seasons appear all at once for a binge-friendly listen. Subscribe now to catch the episodes as soon as they drop, or find me on Instagram @hollymacklebooks to get the full scoop and all the behind the scenes fun.

On Instagram, I’d love to hear your ideas or preferences for next season. Would you like a drop featuring children’s book illustrators? Musicians? Publishing professionals or pickleball pros? 

(Those all sound pretty fun to me!) 

Let’s put some levity in your earbuds.

Welcome to Unseriously.

Why would we ever believe Symphony brownies to be the brain trust of anyone other than the lovely Kate Strickler of the Naptime Kitchen?! Of course she created them in her basement kitchen where she also happens to mass manufacture Symphony candy bars - spread the word.

Kate's new book, I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen, And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy, releases in August, 2025, and you can preorder here.

On this episode, Kate and Holly had such fun talking favorite sauces, favorite Instagram follows, and unfavorite family vacations. Ina and Ree will make appearances. (OKAY but only in shout-outs.) So will @raisingcades10, @the_car_mom, and @brunchwithbabs.

Recipes mentioned include:

Tate's Dulce de Leche Icebox Cake

Ree Drummond's Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Symphony Brownies

No Churn Ice Cream

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

And, of course, ICD. Recipe below!

Aunt Terri's Ice Cream Dessert, also known as ICD

you need:

1 family size roll Pillsbury Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough, baked as cookies (crunchy but not burned)

1 container Breyer's Natural Vanilla ice cream (the one with the visible vanilla beans)

1 jar Smuckers caramel topping

Set the ice cream on the counter to partly melt while you bake the cookies to crispy but not burned. Once cookies are baked, crumble about 2/3 into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle about 2/3 of the jar of caramel sauce over the cookies, then scoop the entire container of melty ice cream over the caramely cookies. Spread this out smooth. Top with the rest of the crumbled cookies and drizzle with the remainder of the caramel sauce. Freeze for several hours--overnight is best. Before serving, set on counter for 5 minutes.

Find Kate on Instagram, @naptimekitchen, Symphony bars at your favorite grocer, and the Strickler family anywhere other than Disneyworld.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright, founder of ⁠⁠The Corner Room⁠⁠, a ministry that sets the Bible to music as a tool for memorization and meditation. You can follow The Corner Room on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously ⁠⁠@hollymacklebooks⁠⁠.

It's a summer bonus episode with Elizabeth Woodson! Elizabeth is a Bible teacher, founder of The Woodson Institute, and host of the podcasts Starting Place and Culture Matters. Her latest study, Live Free, A Study of Galatians is out now.

On this episode we'll talk church potlucks, sneaker fashion, that big ole slide at Trail Dust and - of course - discipleship.

Wikipedia and my 9th grade history teacher would like to remind us all that the Battle of Hastings in 1066 resulted in the Norman conquest of England and the establishment of a new ruling dynasty--the same one that continues to this day.

And I'd like to remind us all that we can find Elizabeth on Instagram, but note that her handle has changed since we recorded this episode. She's no longer @missjazzyliz but @elizabethwoodson. You won't want to miss her theological moments on the IG.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright, founder of ⁠The Corner Room⁠, a ministry that sets the Bible to music as a tool for memorization and meditation. You can follow The Corner Room on ⁠Instagram⁠.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously ⁠@hollymacklebooks⁠.

...but Holly isn't jealous or anything.

In this episode we'll have some fun with Mary Flo and Megan of Birds & Bees, the online course that gives parents the tools and confidence they need to talk to their young kids about sex. This is the G-rated episode--keep an eye out for a more full discussion with Birds & Bees content when the PG episode drops.

You can find all the real-deal Birds & Bees content on their website, or follow them on Instagram.

Music for Unseriously was composed and produced by Adam Wright of the acoustic pop quartet ⁠Act of Congress⁠. Adam and the members of this unique band have played together for nearly two decades both stateside and abroad, even collaborating with symphonies. To stay up to date on all things Act of Congress, make sure to follow them on ⁠Instagram⁠ and Facebook.

Find podcast news, behind the scenes, and all things Unseriously ⁠⁠@hollymacklebooks⁠⁠.