Tulsa-area students, young adults and professionals can work with a Blackburn mentor online. Each person is matched with one dedicated mentor, meets by video on a Central time schedule and has text and phone contact between sessions. Our team is in Los Angeles, so sessions in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs and Owasso all happen by video, for teens from age 13 with a parent involved, young adults and professionals.
Oil money, art deco and a big new park
Tulsa grew rich on oil in the early twentieth century, and the art deco towers downtown are the evidence. Energy is still part of the economy, alongside aerospace and aviation maintenance, manufacturing, health care and a growing tech and startup scene. Gathering Place, the huge park on the Arkansas River, has become the city’s front yard, Route 66 runs right through town, and the suburbs keep growing to the south and east.
Tulsa by the numbers
- The average one-way commute in the Tulsa metro is 22.1 minutes (Data USA, from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 estimates; metro profile), among the shortest in the region. Traffic is not the reason Tulsans choose video; flexibility is. A session can sit between a shift and a practice without anyone driving anywhere.
- Close to 11 percent of Tulsa-area workers (10.9 percent) worked from home (same source). The city has actively recruited remote workers, and for many of them video meetings are already the whole workday.
- About 43,215 university students are enrolled across the metro (same source). Add the students in aviation, welding and nursing programs, and a lot of young Tulsans are in training at once and need a plan for finishing and getting hired.
- Most Oklahoma schools go back in early to mid-August for the 2026 to 27 year (MDR data reported by WeAreTeachers; state level). Families who start mentoring in late July give a teen a few sessions to settle the routine first.
Local context: energy cycles, tribal nations and a car town
Families tied to oil and gas know the industry moves in cycles, and a good year and a hard year can be close together. Tribal nations headquartered in the region are major employers and community institutions, offering their citizens scholarships, job training and career programs, and the city has an unusually large nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Housing remains affordable, so some young adults buy a first home in their twenties, which is a real opportunity and a real budget squeeze. Our guide on saving money in your 20s is a good start.
The metro is spread out and car dependent, with expressways tying together Broken Arrow, Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa and Bixby. Teens often drive themselves from an early age and juggle jobs and activities. Spring brings tornado watches and hail, summer heat is intense, and winter can bring ice. What Tulsa families ask us: whether a mentor can help a teen find direction after high school, whether sessions work for a young adult in a trade or technical job, how to build routines and independence, and whether parents can join the intro call (they can, and for high school students they are always welcome to).
People who moved here to work remotely
Moving somewhere new for a lower cost of living and more space can be a great reset. It can also mean working alone in a city where you know nobody. A mentor helps a remote professional set a daily structure with a clear start and end to work, plan career growth that does not depend on office visibility, and pick one or two ways to meet people each month and actually go. See building a remote work routine and mentoring for professionals.
Situations that come up often in Tulsa
- A young adult bought a house early and now finds that repairs and a mortgage leave nothing for savings or fun.
- A student who is a citizen of a tribal nation is weighing education and career support through their nation alongside other paths.
- A teen in Owasso or Broken Arrow drives across the metro for school, practice and a part-time job and is worn out by midweek.
- Someone in an aviation maintenance or manufacturing program wants a clear plan for finishing the training and getting hired.
- A graduate likes the arts and nonprofit scene and wants to turn volunteer work into a paid role. See a first job in nonprofits.
Teens in Tulsa and the suburbs
High school students in Tulsa, Jenks, Bixby, Broken Arrow and Owasso are often juggling big schools, sports, band and part-time jobs. A mentor meets with the student every week, helps them build a plan for school and life after graduation, and checks in between sessions so the plan holds. For high school students, a parent or guardian is always involved and receives regular progress updates. Young adults weighing a trade can read coaching for young adults.
Session times from Tulsa
Tulsa runs on Central time, two hours ahead of the Pacific coast where our mentors are based.
| Slot | Your time (Central) | Mentor’s time (Pacific) |
|---|---|---|
| After school | 4:00 pm | 2:00 pm |
| Between practice and dinner | 5:30 pm | 3:30 pm |
| After a day shift | 7:00 pm | 5:00 pm |
| Late evening | 8:00 pm | 6:00 pm |
Shift workers and remote professionals often prefer an early-morning session before the day starts, and weekend slots are open for families whose weeknights are full.
Where a mentor helps
A mentor provides steady, practical guidance and accountability, not therapy, tutoring or career counseling. Families with teens begin with mentoring for high school students. Every Tulsa session is held by video, and in-person meetings take place only in Los Angeles. Our online mentoring page explains video sessions, and mentoring in Oklahoma covers the state.
Related
- Online mentoring and coaching in Oklahoma
- Online mentoring in Oklahoma City
- Online mentoring in Kansas City
- Online mentoring in Dallas
- Career and technical education
Common questions
What time are sessions for Tulsa families?
Tulsa is two hours ahead of Pacific time. A 4:00 pm session after school is 2:00 pm for the mentor, and a 7:00 pm session after work is 5:00 pm. Early mornings and weekends are available, and everything is booked in your local time.
Do you serve Broken Arrow, Owasso and Jenks by video?
Yes. Anyone in the Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs and Sapulpa, can work with a mentor by video. Text and phone contact between sessions keeps the plan moving.
Can mentoring help a young adult choosing between a trade and college?
Yes. A mentor helps the young adult look at both honestly, talk with people already doing the work and compare training time, cost of living and what each path leads to. Once a choice is made, the mentor keeps the weekly steps on track.
I just moved to Tulsa for remote work. Is mentoring a fit?
It can be. A mentor helps with daily structure, career goals and building a life in a new city, one week at a time.
Is there an in-person option in Tulsa?
No. Our team is in Los Angeles, and Tulsa-area mentoring is entirely online, with text and phone contact between sessions. In-person meetings are offered only in Los Angeles.
Get started
New to Tulsa, or raising a teen there? 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. In a crisis, call or text 988.
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Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.