Blackburn Mentoring, mentoring since 2014, works one-on-one with teens 13 and up, college students and young adults by video across Tennessee, with in-person mentoring and coaching in Los Angeles. Begin with a free 20 minute intro call, then expect a mentor match within 2 business days.

Best for:

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 Tennessee can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Tennessee splits across two time zones, so we schedule in yours: Eastern time for Knoxville, Chattanooga and East Tennessee, Central time for Nashville, Memphis and the rest of the state. High school students always have a parent involved.

Three states in one

Tennesseans talk about three Grand Divisions, and the label is fair. East Tennessee climbs into the Appalachians and the Great Smoky Mountains. Middle Tennessee rolls out around Nashville. West Tennessee flattens toward the Mississippi River and Memphis. The state is long and narrow, and driving from one end to the other takes most of a day.

That length is one reason video works well here. A family in Johnson City and a college student in Memphis can both meet a mentor on the same schedule, without anyone crossing the state.

Metros and regions

Nashville and its suburbs, including Franklin, Brentwood and Murfreesboro, one of the fastest-growing areas in the South.
Memphis, a river city built around logistics, distribution and health care.
Knoxville, gateway to the Smokies, with a large public research presence nearby.
Chattanooga, on the Georgia line, known for its riverfront and outdoor culture.
The Tri-Cities and Clarksville, plus many small towns across the rural middle and west.

What drives the economy

Health care is a giant in Nashville, which is home to many hospital and health care management companies. Music and entertainment give the city its name. Memphis moves freight by air, river, rail and truck. Auto manufacturing has grown across Middle and East Tennessee, and federal energy and research work has long been part of the Knoxville area. Tourism runs from Music Row to the Smokies.

Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, which has drawn many families and young professionals from other states in recent years. New arrivals often mean teenagers changing schools mid-stream, which is a natural time to add a steady adult to the week.

Education in Tennessee, in general terms

Most students attend public schools run by county and city districts. Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga also have long-established independent schools. After high school, students choose among the state’s public universities, a broad network of community and technical colleges, and many private colleges. The state also has a well-known program that covers community and technical college tuition for many new high school graduates, which makes a two-year start a real option for a lot of families.

Plenty of Tennessee students head out of state, and plenty of out-of-state students come in, especially to Nashville. Both groups face the same first-year adjustment.

Who we work with in Tennessee

High school students who need structure, motivation or a plan for after graduation. See mentoring for high school students.
College students, including out-of-state students in Nashville and Tennesseans studying elsewhere. See mentoring for college students.
Young adults working out a first job, a first apartment or a change of direction. See young adult mentoring.
Professionals in health care, music, logistics and manufacturing who want steady accountability.

What the work looks like

Each client has one dedicated mentor. Together they set goals, break them into weekly steps and meet by video for 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, with text and phone contact in between. With permission, parents get regular progress updates. Read more on how online mentoring works, see our approach for families, or browse mentoring in every state.

Pages for areas in Tennessee

Early adulthood in Tennessee: gigs, freight and fast growth

Nashville pulls in young people chasing music, songwriting and entertainment work, and many of them live on a patchwork of bartending, rideshare, studio and touring income for years. The city’s growth has pushed rents up, so twenty-somethings increasingly land in Antioch, La Vergne, Smyrna, Spring Hill or Gallatin and drive I-24 or I-65 into town. In Memphis, freight moves through the night, and overnight warehouse and sorting shifts are a common first full-time job. That schedule can quietly wreck sleep, classes and friendships if no one is paying attention.

Around Clarksville, a large Army post on the Kentucky line means many teenagers start at new schools after a family move. In Sevier County, the tourist strip near the Smokies keeps teens busy with weekend and summer work at attractions, cabins and restaurants. Fall weekends across the state belong to football, and rural Appalachian counties in the east send many first-generation students to campus. Besides its well-known community college program, the state funds the lottery-based HOPE Scholarship, which many families count on for in-state tuition. Both programs change their terms periodically, so verify the current rules on Tennessee’s official site.

Situations Tennessee families and young adults often face

A young adult who moved to Nashville to write songs and is juggling three side jobs with no plan for the next year.
A Memphis worker on overnight freight shifts whose sleep schedule makes everything else harder.
A teen in a military family near Clarksville settling into a new school in the middle of the year.
A student in Sevier County working weekends near Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg during the busiest tourist months.
A twenty-something in Murfreesboro or Smyrna whose daily commute has swallowed the evenings.

Tennessee straddles two time zones, with the east on Eastern time and the middle and west on Central time. Sessions run by video in your own zone, and only Los Angeles clients can meet in person. Guides that fit the state: balancing a creative career and a day job and mentoring for military families. See also state merit scholarships explained and the metro pages for Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville.

Common questions

Tennessee has two time zones. Which do you use?

Yours. Knoxville, Chattanooga and East Tennessee are on Eastern time; Nashville, Memphis and Middle and West Tennessee are on Central time. We confirm your time zone when we book.

We just moved to the Nashville area. Can a mentor help our teenager settle in?

Yes. A mentor gives a new student a steady weekly plan for school, activities and making connections, and keeps parents updated.

My child is starting at a community college. Is mentoring useful there too?

Very much. Two-year students often juggle work and classes, and a mentor helps with schedules, follow-through and planning a next step.

Do you meet clients in person in Tennessee?

No. Our team is in Los Angeles, and Tennessee clients work with us by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.

Get started

Thinking about a mentor for someone in Tennessee? 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 Tennessee