The Essential Ingredient
Remaking Ourselves in Times of Crisis
by Keri Mangis
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Pub Date Aug 25 2026 | Archive Date Aug 31 2026
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Description
Our world is facing colliding crises: climate catastrophe, species extinction, a global rise in authoritarianism, economic collapse, water and food scarcity, rampant gun violence, the failure and dysfunction of our institutions, the erosion of community and social cohesion—and so much more.
Hope, by itself, is powerless against the magnitude of systemic breakdown we are facing. Hopelessness and despair are detrimental to our health and well-being. Denial, fear, blame, and willful blindness have brought us to this precipice.
Neither consoling nor fear-baiting, this book is a candid conversation with the reader about how transformation in the world begins within each of us. Inspired by the art of alchemy and some of the wisest thinkers throughout history, The Essential Ingredient asks: What might be possible if tomorrow’s ideas were not predicated on yesterday’s?
No more half-solutions and lukewarm platitudes that do little more than give change a nod and a wink. The time for radical work is now. We are the ones to undertake it.
A Note From the Publisher
Keri Mangis' award-winning debut book was Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness.
Advance Praise
Recommended to political and social thinkers, those involved in psychological and personal transformation, individuals undergoing life transitions, and readers struggling with changing times. — Midwest Book Review
Mangis combines philosophy, spirituality, and psychology in this holistic guide to personal evolution. Throughout, Mangis considers transformation from both a microcosmic (personal) and a macrocosmic (collective) view. — Kirkus Reviews
This isn’t just a book — it’s an initiation. Deeply moving and urgently needed, it reads like a survival manual for our times. Read it slowly. Let it gather in you. It will change you from the inside out. — Christina Donnell, Ph.D, Author of Encounters with Living Language: Surrendering to the Power of Words
Hers is a gentle, persistent voice talking us through the process of undoing for the sake of remaking, planting seeds for tomorrow’s solutions today, and so bringing forth new ways of being human together. — Amy Hallberg, Author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and founder of Courageous Wordsmith
In this book, Keri provides a map of self-reflection to systematically re-imagine the life we want to live. Each page is a breath of fresh air. — Meggie Mapes, Ph.D, Department of Communication Studies, The University of Kansas
Reading The Essential Ingredient felt like being gently guided through darkness toward light. Keri Mangis speaks with honesty and grace about the power of crisis to awaken something essential within us all. — Mellara Gold, Author of Living in Awareness: Deepening Our Daily Lives Through Prayer, Ritual, and Meditation
Beautifully written and courageously honest. Keri Mangis becomes both alchemist and guide as she shows us how to turn our pain into wisdom and the shadow parts within us to gold. — Cheryl Melody Baskin, Author of Peace Dreamer: A Journey of Hope in Bad Times and Good
The essential ingredient isn’t an aspiration—it’s who we are—if we’re willing to move through the breakdown to discover it. — Dr. Kyle R. Vareberg, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Northeastern State University
The Essential Ingredient articulates that transformation requires presence, patience, and a willingness to stay with discomfort. Mangis weaves reflection and embodied awareness into a compelling invitation to engage change more honestly. — Malynnda A. Stewart, Ph.D, BCPA, CEO, Compassionate Navigation
In a culture obsessed with quick fixes, The Essential Ingredient reminds us we are not merely observers of a world in crisis—we are participants with the capacity to reshape it. — Louise Griffith, Author of You Are Worth It: 52 Weeks to Honoring, Loving, and Nurturing Your Soul and founder of One Shining Light
Marketing Plan
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781732991224 |
| PRICE | $21.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 264 |
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