We believe in your potential. We believe in you.

Who We Are & How Can We Support You?

We’re truly grateful you’re here. This is the home of Tapped-In Mediaworks, a growing national community dedicated to helping people, especially those who are justice-impacted—reclaim their stories, rebuild their confidence, and step into a life filled with purpose, healing, and possibility.

We’re all about helping you grow, transform, and move forward with the tools, guidance, and community support you need. Here, growth becomes the pathway to achieving your goals, turning your experiences into strength and your potential into real progress. Whether you’re rebuilding after incarceration, navigating major life changes, exploring your identity, or simply wanting to tap into new levels of resilience and self-worth—you’re in the right place.

We’ve worked with hundreds of individuals across prisons, jails, schools, colleges, and communities, helping them discover their voice, develop new skills, and access the support they need to shape a stronger future. And we’re here to walk with you, too.

No matter where you are on your journey—
✨ just beginning to heal,
✨ searching for purpose,
✨ stepping into reentry,
✨ supporting a justice-impacted loved one,
✨ or ready to grow into your next chapter—

We’ve got you covered.

We offer a full library of resources, resilience tools, storytelling programs, community support, monthly live sessions with Ricky Gaines & Team, and a safe digital space designed to help you make real progress at every stage.

Ready to begin your journey?

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Real stories. Real people. Real transformation

Tapped-In Magazine

Tapped-In Magazine brings raw, beautiful storytelling to your coffee table—true voices, bold art, and practical tips for living stronger. Dive into essays, portraits, and bite-size guides on growth, money, and wellness. For anyone who loves real people, real resilience, and a great read. Print + digital—subscribe or gift today.

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We Can Help

Get you setup for success

We are dedicated to connecting you with resources that fit your budget and lifestyle for a successful reentry into soceity.

Build your confidence

It can be intimidating to start changing old habits. Learn to present yourself and your concepts with confidence.

Expand your potential

We want to help you meet your maximum potential, set attainable goals, and increase your economic and social capital.

Explore Memberships & Class Packs

It All Begins Here

We help you move from where you are to where you want to be. This is a starting point—for ideas, growth, and transformation. No matter what you’re building or rebuilding, we’re here to help you take the first step with confidence, direction, and the tools you need to succeed.

We’re here to support you on your journey with resources, tools, and a community designed for your growth. Here is what you’ll find at Tapped-In Mediaworks:

- The Tapped-In Impact

Weekly stories, lessons, and conversations with returning citizens, creators, leaders, and community builders offering inspiration, practical wisdom, and real-life strategies for personal transformation.

- Tapped-In Magazine

Our digital and print publication highlighting the voices and stories of system-impacted individuals. Each issue is filled with guidance, resources, personal journeys, and creativity. (Members receive digital access.)

- The Tapped-In Community Membership

A supportive digital space where you can connect with like-minded individuals, follow guided programs, access our resilience library, and participate in our monthly live sessions with Ricky Gaines.

- Narrative-Based Healing Courses

Interactive courses designed to help you reclaim your story, build resilience, understand your triggers, and create a new direction for your life.

- Storytelling & Publishing Workshops

Learn how to write, publish, and share your story through books, poetry, articles, digital media, or creative art. We help you protect your voice and bring your message to life.

Meet the Founder

I’m Ricky Gaines

Founder of the Returning Citizens Association and Tapped-In Mediaworks, author, mentor, and believer in the power of second chances, storytelling, and community. My journey hasn’t been easy or linear. I spent decades navigating the criminal justice system, learning hard lessons about resilience, accountability, and purpose along the way. Like many, I experienced setbacks, uncertainty, and moments of deep reflection but also transformation.

I created RCA and Tapped-In Mediaworks to do what I wish had existed when I was searching for direction: a space rooted in lived experience, dignity, and real tools for growth. For years, I dreamed about building something that could help people reclaim their stories, rebuild their lives, and step into leadership—both inside institutions and beyond them.

Today, helping justice-impacted individuals, families, educators, libraries, and community partners access resources for healing, education, and success is what drives me. My mission is simple but powerful: to inspire, equip, and walk alongside people as they turn their lived experience into purpose and possibility. It’s time to move beyond survival and build the future we know is possible, together.

Work With Us

Meet the Team