Today we’d like to introduce you to Steffany Aye.
Hi Steffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Helping families through adoption wasn’t what I thought I’d do when I grew up – but looking back, every step led me here.
It started in high school when I found myself drawn to stories about teen pregnancy. Where I grew up, it wasn’t all that common, but when it happened, these girls were facing life-changing decisions with little support. They were scared, unsure, and often completely alone in a community that looked the other way. That didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want one difficult choice to define someone’s future, so I pursued a career in social work.
While working toward my master’s, I interned at a maternity home supporting young women through one of the most vulnerable chapters in their lives. After graduation, I hoped to continue that work, but the only opening available was in adoption. I told the agency, “I don’t know anything about adoption!” They said, “You’ll learn.”
And I did. Just nine months later, I was running the child placement program. That’s when I realized something wasn’t right: expecting mothers were choosing adoptive families using a single sheet of paper. No photo. No story. No meetings. Meanwhile, I had interviewed twelve babysitters before trusting someone with my 3-month-old for just a few hours each day.
That stark contrast made it clear – something fundamental had to change.
I introduced photo books that told real stories. I encouraged birth mothers to meet adoptive families and build real, human connections. I became a strong advocate for open adoption because transparency, connection, and truth matter – especially for the child.
Years later, adoption became personal when my stepmom, a licensed foster carer, called about a little girl named Shayla who needed a permanent home. My husband Don and I already had four kids, but he jumped at the chance. She was meant to be with us. That experience confirmed everything I believed about adoption.
I founded Adoption & Beyond in 1998 to create a process that’s personal, transparent, and full of heart. Twenty-eight years later, I’m still here in Kansas and Missouri, still walking with birth parents and adoptive parents from start to finish (and beyond), making sure every step feels supported and clear.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? Not even close.
Running a nonprofit adoption agency for 28 years means you’re constantly navigating challenges that would make most people quit. There’s the obvious stuff – keeping a small team together through economic ups and downs, managing operations, marketing, and strategic planning, all while actually serving families, dealing with staff transitions when you’re already stretched thin.
But the deeper struggles? Those are harder to talk about.
I’ve spent nearly three decades pushing back against an industry that often resists change. When I started advocating for open adoption and in-person match meetings in 1998, I wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. The traditional way was easier, faster, and less complicated. Changing hearts and minds – both within the industry and among families who’d been taught that closed adoption was “safer” – has been a constant uphill battle.
And then there’s the emotional weight of this work. I hold space for birth mothers making the hardest decision of their lives. I support adoptive families through the uncertainty and heartbreak of failed matches. I’ve watched beautiful adoptions fall apart at the last minute. I’ve seen families struggle financially to afford something that should be more accessible.
The system itself fights you at every turn. It’s bureaucratic, expensive, and designed in ways that often forget we’re dealing with real people and real lives. Trying to run an ethical, transparent agency in an industry that doesn’t always reward those values? That’s exhausting.
But here’s what keeps me going: every family that tells me they felt supported, every birth mother who says she felt respected and empowered, every match meeting where two families connect and build something real together. Those moments remind me why I started this in the first place.
The road hasn’t been smooth. But it’s been worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Adoption & Beyond, Inc.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Adoption & Beyond is a non-profit child placement agency that has served families since 1998.
We provide home study services exclusively in Kansas and Missouri, full-service domestic adoption nationwide, and our “Your Adoption Success Path” program, which helps families navigate this complex process.
What are we really known for? Transparency.
We’ve always been upfront about our fee schedules, even when many agencies aren’t. We’re honest about adoption – that it’s hard, but so worth it. We don’t sugarcoat the process or pretend it’s simpler than it is.
What sets us apart is our commitment to education and meeting families where they are. We offer three service tiers – Learn, Prepare, and Complete – so families can choose the level of support that fits their needs and budget.
We were early advocates for open adoption back when that was radical. We believe birth mothers and adoptive families deserve to actually meet each other, build real connections, and make informed decisions together.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that people feel welcome here. We’re a smaller boutique agency, so people feel seen. All of us on the team have been personally and professionally touched by adoption, so we truly understand this journey. We actually take time to talk to people on the phone when they call. We don’t treat them like they’re another number. We’re the trusted friend who happens to be an expert – someone who helps you navigate the complexities of adoption successfully.
After all these years, what I want people to know is this: adoption doesn’t have to be this overwhelming. It’s not easy, but it shouldn’t feel impossible. And you shouldn’t have to figure it out alone. That’s why we’re here – walking with families from start to finish (and beyond), making sure every step feels supported and clear.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Honestly? Watching an adoptive family hold their child for the first time.
There’s something incredible about that moment – something they’ve waited for and longed for, sometimes for years. All the paperwork, the uncertainty, the heartbreak along the way – it all leads to this. And getting to witness that moment makes all the hard work rewarding.
I’m also happiest when I get to travel. Visiting my son in Japan, experiencing different cultures, getting out of my routine – that recharges me in ways nothing else can.
But what really makes me happy is knowing I’ve built something that matters. After 28 years, when a family tells me they felt supported through one of the hardest experiences of their lives, or when a birth mother says she felt respected and empowered to make her own decision – that’s everything.
And of course, my family. Watching my 5 kiddos grow up, including my daughter Shayla, who came to us through foster care adoption, reminds me daily why this work is so important. Adoption isn’t just my profession – it’s woven into the fabric of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://adoption-beyond.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptionbeyond1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adoptionandbeyond
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/adoption-&-beyond-inc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrp1JGszV6TWeynP1x21Idw
- Other: Facebook support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/263753268674151
