Valerie Marble featured on Close Up Radio after expanding adoption support services

Valerie Marble, owner of A Step Ahead Adoption in Almena, Kansas, was featured in a two-part Close Up Radio interview in June 2026. The appearance highlights her work guiding adoptive families, launching a nonprofit for failed placements and pushing for more transparent adoption support.

Why it matters: - Marble’s work reflects how adoption support is shifting toward more hands-on coaching, emotional preparation and ethical guidance. - The launch of Beyond the Match Foundation adds a financial and mental health safety net for families after failed placements. - The interview puts a spotlight on the real costs, uncertainty and emotional strain many adoptive families face.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured Valerie Marble, owner of A Step Ahead Adoption, in a two-part interview. - The first segment aired Monday, June 22, at 2 p.m. Eastern with Jim Masters. - The second segment was scheduled for Monday, June 29, at 2 p.m. Eastern with Doug Llewelyn. - Marble leads A Step Ahead Adoption from Almena, Kansas. - Marble is also an adoptive mother of three.

The details: - Marble moved from working as a patient-centered X-ray technologist to helping families navigate adoption. - Marble and her husband Bryce became parents after infertility, two rounds of IVF and then adoption. - The family’s adoption journey included foster care, private adoption, a failed placement and continued relationships with birth families. - Marble and her husband later became foster parents to her oldest son after meeting him in the hospital ER following his mother’s fatal accident. - Marble finalized that adoption after the foster placement. - A Step Ahead Adoption provides personalized virtual coaching for families at different stages of the adoption process. - The agency has consultants across several states. - Marble emphasizes honesty, clear communication and realistic expectations in adoption counseling. - Marble says families often want control, but adoption is unpredictable and requires preparation and support. - Marble encourages transracial adoptive parents to go beyond hair and skin care and prepare for identity questions their children may face. - Marble also warns against overly polished adoption profiles, saying authenticity helps birth mothers make meaningful connections. - Private infant adoptions can cost between $40,000 and $80,000. - Adoption rules vary by state. - Marble encourages families to look for grants, foundation support and counseling resources. - Failed adoptions can leave families grieving and financially strained. - Marble launched Beyond the Match Foundation in 2026 to help families recover from failed placements. - The foundation offers financial grants and therapy stipends. - A Step Ahead Adoption has added education on transracial adoption, substance exposures and newborn preparation. - Marble says the agency works with transparent and ethical partners that support expectant mothers and adoptive families. - Marble ties the process to faith and trust as sources of resilience during uncertainty. - Marble’s children, Harlan, Jhett and Lennyn, are all under 10.

Between the lines: - Marble’s background in patient care appears to shape her approach to adoption counseling, which leans heavily on calm communication and support through stressful moments. - The focus on failed placements signals a broader recognition that adoption disruptions can create both emotional loss and financial fallout. - The emphasis on authenticity and transracial preparation suggests adoptive families are being pushed to think beyond paperwork and toward long-term identity and belonging.

What's next: - Marble is expanding A Step Ahead Adoption’s educational offerings and nonprofit support services. - Families working with the agency can expect more coaching around ethical private adoption, newborn preparation and transracial adoption. - Beyond the Match Foundation is positioned to support more families after placement disruptions as awareness grows.

The bottom line: - Marble is using personal experience, professional care skills and new nonprofit support to make adoption less transactional and more sustainable for families.