Cody was born on November 10, 1969 in Greece, New York. She began dancing at an early age. She studied acting at Fredonia State University. She and her husband, actor and occasional co-star Hunter Foster, live in New York City with their two dogs, both Shih tzus.

Her career began as Dainty June in the touring production of Gypsy immediately after graduating from college. She then began her stage career on Broadway as a replacement in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats in the role of Rumpleteazer (after touring with the production). She was featured in Grease as Cha-Cha (replacement), Beauty and the Beast as a Silly Girl (replacement), Seussical (as Cat's Helper and Ensemble) (2000), Urinetown the Musical (2001), Taboo (2003), and The Pajama Game (as (Poopsie) (2006). She starred as the Shoemaker's Elf, among other characters, in the original Broadway cast of Shrek the Musical, opposite sister-in-law Sutton Foster, from November 2008 through July 14, 2009.