Blackburn Mentoring offers one-on-one mentoring and coaching for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults, by video anywhere in Texas and in person in Los Angeles, and has been mentoring since 2014. Everything starts with a free 20 minute intro call, and families are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.

Best for:

A teen whose days drift into screens, with little they are building
A college student who keeps missing deadlines despite knowing the material
A young adult working toward a first job, a move out or a return to school
Families who want a mentor who meets by video, with parent updates when needed

Families and young adults anywhere in Texas can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Nearly all of Texas is on Central time, including Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio; El Paso and the far western corner are on Mountain time. We schedule every session in your local time, and a parent is always involved for high school students.

A state measured in hours, not miles

Texas is the second-largest state by area and by population, and it behaves like several regions under one flag. Driving from El Paso to Beaumont takes longer than driving from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. Even inside a single metro, a cross-town drive at rush hour can eat an evening.

For a busy Texas household, that is the case for video in one sentence: the session happens where the student or young adult already is, and the time saved goes back into the week.

The big metros and the rest of the map

Most Texans live in or near the “Texas Triangle” formed by four large metros:

Dallas-Fort Worth, including fast-growing suburbs such as Plano and Frisco to the north.
Houston, the largest city, plus suburbs like The Woodlands, Katy and Sugar Land.
Austin, the capital, and the growing corridor toward San Antonio.
San Antonio, with a strong military presence and deep historic roots.

Beyond the triangle are El Paso in the far west, the Rio Grande Valley in the south, the Panhandle and South Plains around Amarillo and Lubbock, Corpus Christi on the coast, and East Texas pine country. Many families in these regions live far from any large city.

An economy with many engines

Energy, from oil and gas to a large and growing wind and solar sector.
Technology, especially in Austin and the Dallas area.
Health care and medical research, with one of the largest medical complexes in the world in Houston.
Finance, corporate headquarters and professional services in Dallas and Houston.
Ports, petrochemicals, aerospace, agriculture and ranching.

For young adults, that variety is an opportunity and a puzzle. There are many paths, and it is easy to drift between them without choosing one.

Schools, colleges and where students go

Texas public schools serve millions of students across hundreds of districts, from huge suburban systems to tiny rural ones, and the larger cities have well-established independent and parochial schools. The state runs several large public university systems and one of the biggest community college networks in the country. Many students stay in Texas for college, often within a few hours of home, while others leave for the coasts. Texas also draws students in from across the country.

Large campuses and large high schools have something in common: it is easy for one student to get lost. A mentor is the one person paying attention to that student every week.

Where a mentor fits for each age

High schoolers get a weekly plan for classes, activities and what comes after graduation. See mentoring for high school students.
College students get help with routines, deadlines and staying on track at a big school. See mentoring for college students.
Young adults get structure around jobs, money and independence. See young adult mentoring.
Professionals get accountability for a career move or a better routine.

Texas parents can read more about how we work with families and the details of online sessions. If you are comparing states, see mentoring in every state.

Pages for areas in Texas

Growing up Texan: Friday nights, stock shows and big choices

High school in much of Texas runs on Friday night football, marching band and a long list of school competitions, and August practices start in punishing heat before classes even begin. In rural counties, FFA and 4-H projects mean raising a show animal for months, and stock show season in late winter can collide with tests and deadlines. Dual credit courses through local community colleges are widespread, so many students finish high school with a semester or more of college behind them, along with real questions about what comes next.

In the Permian Basin around Midland and Odessa, oilfield work can offer an eighteen-year-old more money than a starting office job, but the boom-and-bust cycle makes that path unpredictable. Along the border and in the Rio Grande Valley, many bilingual students are the first in their families to pursue a degree and often help parents navigate English paperwork. In Central Texas, young adults priced out of Austin settle in Kyle, Buda, Round Rock or Pflugerville and spend hours on I-35, while Houstonians plan around hurricane season and freeway traffic.

Situations Texas families and young adults run into

A high schooler balancing two-a-day football or band practice in August with a part-time job.
An eighteen-year-old in Odessa offered strong oilfield pay and weighing it against starting college.
A bilingual student in the Valley who translates for family and would be the first to finish a degree.
A young adult in Kyle or Pflugerville who drives I-35 to an Austin job every day and has little time left.
A teen raising a show animal whose stock show schedule lands on top of midterms.

Almost all of Texas uses Central time, while El Paso and the far western corner use Mountain time. We hold sessions by video in your local zone and meet in person only in Los Angeles. Two guides Texas families use: mentoring for student athletes and first-generation college students. Our education by state guide covers the bigger picture, and the metro pages for Houston, Dallas and Austin go deeper.

Common questions

What time zone are sessions in for Texas clients?

Your local time. Most of Texas is on Central time, two hours ahead of Los Angeles; El Paso and the far west are on Mountain time. We confirm it before booking.

We live in West Texas, far from any of the big cities. Can we still work with you?

Yes. Sessions are online, so a family in Lubbock, Midland or a small ranch town has the same access as one in Dallas.

Can a mentor help a student at a very large university?

Yes. Large schools offer a lot but expect students to find it themselves. A mentor helps build weekly routines and keeps the student on track.

Get started

Want to talk through what your student or young adult in Texas needs? 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 Texas