Blackburn Mentoring provides one-on-one mentoring and coaching by video throughout California, plus in person in Los Angeles, for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults, and has done this work since 2014. The first step is a free 20 minute intro call; after that, you are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.

Best for students and families like these:

A teen who will listen to another adult on school and plans more readily than to a parent
A student heading into a big step, such as senior year or the first year of college
A young adult building routines around work, money and independence
Busy or rural households where getting to an office every week is not realistic

Families and young adults anywhere in California can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video, scheduled in Pacific time. California is also home: Blackburn was founded in Los Angeles, and clients there can meet in person. From San Diego to the Bay Area to the far north, everyone else meets online, with text and phone contact between sessions.

Why video works even in our home state

California is roughly 800 miles from top to bottom, and even within one metro, traffic can turn a short distance into an hour. A 60 minute session that costs two hours of driving rarely makes sense for a student with homework or a professional at the end of a workday. Most Californians who work with us, including many in greater Los Angeles, choose video for that reason alone. Our page on online mentoring explains how it works.

The regions

Greater Los Angeles: the city, the Westside, the Valleys, the South Bay and beyond, with entertainment, aerospace, trade, health care and a huge creative economy.
Orange County and San Diego: coastal suburbs, biotech, defense and the military, tourism and a strong youth sports culture.
The Inland Empire and the desert: fast-growing Riverside and San Bernardino counties, logistics and warehousing, and the Coachella Valley around Palm Springs.
The Central Coast: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey, with wine, agriculture and tourism.
The Central Valley: Sacramento, the state capital, plus Fresno, Bakersfield and Stockton, the heart of one of the most productive farming regions in the world.
The Bay Area and Silicon Valley: technology, venture capital, research and some of the highest housing costs in the country.
The North State: redwood coast, Sierra foothills and small towns where the nearest anything can be far away.

An economy that touches everything

California’s economy is larger than that of most countries. Technology, entertainment and media, agriculture, international trade through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, aerospace, tourism, health care and clean energy all have deep roots here. Young people grow up surrounded by ambitious examples, and also by real pressure: high costs, competitive schools and a sense that everyone else is moving faster.

A very large education system

California’s public schools serve millions of students, alongside a wide range of independent, religious and charter schools. After high school, the state’s public higher education has three parts: a research university system, a larger state university system with campuses in nearly every region, and the largest community college system in the country. Transferring from a community college to a four-year university is a well-worn, respected path, and it rewards students who plan early (see mentoring for community college students).

Many California students stay in state, and the state also draws students from everywhere. Others leave for college elsewhere and later return, often to live at home while they start a career because of housing costs. That moment is common enough that we wrote about moving back home after college.

California high school families planning for the University of California or California State University can use two free tools: the A to G requirements checker and the UC and CSU GPA calculator.

Where a mentor fits

For high school students, a mentor brings weekly structure and a voice outside the family, with a parent or guardian involved throughout. For college students, it is routines, deadlines and decisions. For young adults and professionals, it is a plan for career, money and a life that fits California’s costs. Parents can start with our page for families.

Pages for areas in California

Southern California families can find every area page from Santa Barbara to San Diego, with local school system notes, on our Southern California areas page.

Los Angeles, where in-person sessions are available

The rest of the state, by video

Families outside California can find their state on our mentoring by state page.

For Los Angeles County specifically, including student pages for Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, South Pasadena, Arcadia and more, see mentoring across Los Angeles County.

Growing up and launching in California

California’s seasons are less about snow than about fire, fog and heat. Late summer and fall are wildfire season, and smoke days can cancel practices, close campuses or keep a household indoors; the coast stays cool and gray in early summer while inland valleys bake. High school culture in many suburbs, from Irvine and Cupertino to the Conejo Valley, is intensely competitive, with heavy course loads, club sports and long afternoons of activities.

The early-career landscape is enormous, from technology, entertainment and design to agriculture, logistics, health care, public service and the trades, but housing costs shape nearly every decision. Long drives are normal: people commute from the Inland Empire to the coast, from the Central Valley into the Bay Area, and across Los Angeles at a crawl. In the Central Valley and many working-class neighborhoods, a lot of students are the first in their families to attend college, often while working and helping at home, and creative fields in Los Angeles frequently start with irregular, project-based work.

Situations California families and young adults often work through

A suburban junior carrying a full load of advanced classes and sleeping too little to keep up.
A community college student in Fresno, Bakersfield or Stockton working most of the week while planning a transfer.
A young adult in the entertainment or creative world stitching together gigs and a day job with no fixed schedule.
A student who ends up handling the family’s financial aid paperwork, including state grant applications, alone.
A recent graduate taking a job two hours from home because that is where rent is possible.

California runs on Pacific time, and video sessions are booked on your local clock anywhere in the state; families in greater Los Angeles can also choose in-person mentoring in Los Angeles, the only place we meet face to face. The state’s Cal Grant program is a long-standing source of college aid, but eligibility and deadlines change, so check the official state student aid site and read financial aid basics. Two guides that fit many California students: first-generation college students and working while in college. Area pages: Sacramento, Fresno and San Diego.

Common questions

What time zone are California sessions in?

Pacific time, the same clock our team works on, so after-school and evening sessions are easy to arrange anywhere in the state.

Can we meet a mentor in person?

In person sessions are available in Los Angeles. Clients elsewhere in California meet by video, and some LA families mix the two.

Can a mentor help my student plan a community college transfer?

Mentors help with planning, deadlines and follow-through around a transfer. They are not academic advisors or admissions counselors, and they can work alongside the college’s advisors.

Is online mentoring as effective as meeting in person?

For most clients it works well, because sessions are easier to keep and can happen more often. The intro call is a good place to decide which format suits you.

Get started

Want to talk with our Los Angeles team? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.

Last updated November 2, 2026.

Book a free intro call Text us

Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.

Online Mentoring and Coaching in California