Andy Devaney
Ovie Soko has always carried himself like a man who could walk into a room full of emotional fireworks and calmly ask where the kettle is. The former Love Island favourite, professional basketball player and Sky Sports pundit became a national hit not by shouting the loudest, but by making sense when everyone else appeared to be losing the plot in swimwear.
A year on from becoming one of the most popular faces to emerge from the villa, Soko has built a following of 2 million on Instagram, appeared on Celebrity Bake Off, and developed into a familiar presence across sport and entertainment.
Now, the 29-year-old is turning that trademark poise into something more personal with You Are Dope (£12.99, Quadrille Publishing, out Oct 1st), a book about positive thinking, self-respect and learning to back yourself without needing a standing ovation every time you get out of bed.
From Basketball Court To Cultural Comfort Blanket
There was always something slightly unusual about Ovie Soko’s rise. Reality television can be a noisy old circus, full of peacocks, panic and people mistaking volume for personality. Soko, by contrast, seemed to operate at his own tempo.
He was calm. Measured. Funny without chasing the laugh. The sort of character who looked like he knew where the exits were and had already forgiven everyone for blocking them.
That unforced appeal has followed him beyond Love Island. He has moved into punditry, social media influence and now publishing, but the thread running through it all is the same: confidence without arrogance, positivity without the laminated motivational nonsense.
Why Ovie Soko Wanted To Write About Positive Thinking
For Soko, the idea behind You Are Dope did not arrive as a neat celebrity project tied up with a ribbon. It started long before the fame, in a journal.
“I’ve always wanted to give something back. I have a little journal that I keep and, way before I went on Love Island, I wrote down that I wanted to create a product that helps people to feel better about themselves.
“At the time, I didn’t know it was going to be a book, but I just believed that the opportunity would present itself. Then a year or two later I went into Love Island to a wild reception, which to this day I don’t think I’ll ever understand. Since then, I’ve been thinking, ‘Ok, how can I give something of substance back to people?’
“I didn’t want to create a book that was all about me, but I thought it would be nice to open up, didn’t know it was going to be a book, but I just believed that the opportunity would present itself. Then a year or two later I went into let people in and share some of the lessons that I’ve learned in my life along the way.
“That’s a key reason why I made sure the book was interactive with plenty of space for the reader to jot things down, make notes and apply some of the mini lessons along the way. I want [people] to be able to pick out scenarios in their lives which they can relate to what I’m talking about, and hopefully grow from it.”
It is an important distinction. This is not Soko presenting himself as a flawless guru in expensive trainers. It is more grounded than that. He is offering lessons gathered along the way, with space for the reader to bring their own life into the margins.
The Power Of Perspective
Part of Ovie Soko’s appeal has always been his ability to look relaxed without seeming detached. His positivity does not come across as forced cheerfulness. It feels more like discipline.
“I think your mindset is something you always have control of. Your perspective can make you limitless – it can make you indestructible.
“If you choose to see the silver lining in every situation, it means you will take something of benefit from it – regardless of how hard that might be. Training your perspective can really take you far in life.”
That is the athlete in him. Perspective, like a jump shot, needs repetition. You do not simply wake up mentally bulletproof because you once shared a quote on Instagram over a sunset.
Soko’s message is that mindset is active. It has to be trained, tested and used when life starts bowling bouncers at your helmet.
Morning Rituals, Gratitude And The Art Of Taking A Breath
Asked how he gets through difficult periods, Soko’s answer is refreshingly practical. No grand reinvention. No ten-step philosophy requiring a whiteboard and a wellness retreat in the Alps.
“I think you should always make sure that you’re taking time out for yourself – preferably in the morning. That way you can set the tone for the day.
“Another great tool is gratitude. When we forget to show gratitude for everything we have in life, we can easily forget how privileged we really are.”
There is wisdom in the simplicity. Taking time in the morning sounds almost too obvious, which is probably why so many people ignore it. But for anyone juggling pressure, comparison, work, relationships and the relentless ping of the modern world, a quiet moment can be less luxury and more maintenance.
Gratitude, too, is not about pretending life is perfect. It is about remembering that even on the hard days, the scoreboard is rarely as bleak as your mood suggests.
Ovie Soko On Social Media And Mental Health
For someone with a major social media platform, Ovie Soko speaks with notable honesty about its darker side. Instagram can be a marvellous place for connection, creativity and keeping up with people you half-remember from school. It can also be a hall of mirrors with better lighting.
Soko understands the pressure that comes with constant comparison.
“I’ve definitely struggled with confidence and I’ve had my own little struggles with mental health – I think this is something that is increasingly becoming an issue and has been magnified by social media.
“[Social media] is really hard on your mind – it will almost force you into a room with millions of pictures of people’s perfect lives. It can make you feel like you’re not good enough, because you’re measuring yourself up to the perfect side of people’s lives that they want to show. You’re not being fair on yourself.”
That final sentence lands cleanly because it is true. Most people would never judge a friend as harshly as they judge themselves after five minutes of scrolling through strangers’ holidays, bodies, relationships and breakfast bowls arranged like museum exhibits.
Soko’s point is not that social media is evil. It is that we need to remember what it is: a curated glimpse, not the full documentary.
What Being ‘Dope’ Really Means
The title You Are Dope could easily have tipped into throwaway slogan territory. But Soko gives it more weight than a catchphrase.
“I think being ‘dope’ is the ability for one to harness and realise the power and strength that they have in being exactly who they are. Realising that true fulfilment in this life means walking your own path.
“The journey will be different for everyone because we’re all supposed to walk our own unique journey. We’re not supposed to think about things the way that everyone else does. There’s power in that though, because you bring something that no one else has to the table.”
That is the centre of the whole thing. Not fame. Not image. Not becoming a shinier, more marketable version of yourself. Just the harder, quieter work of recognising your own worth and having the nerve to walk your own route.
Why Ovie Soko’s Message Connects
There is a reason Ovie Soko’s advice cuts through. He does not sound like someone selling perfection. He sounds like someone who has learned that confidence is not a permanent weather system. Some days it rolls in. Some days it disappears over the hills like a nervous tee shot.
His strength is in making positive thinking feel less like a performance and more like a practice. Something you return to. Something you build. Something you protect.
In a culture that keeps nudging people to compare, compete and polish themselves into exhaustion, Soko’s outlook feels quietly useful. He is not asking anyone to become someone else. He is asking them to stop underestimating who they already are.
A Calm Voice In A Loud World
Ovie Soko may have entered public life through reality television, but his staying power appears to come from something far rarer: emotional steadiness.
With You Are Dope, he is taking the same calm, grounded presence that made viewers warm to him and shaping it into a message about self-respect, gratitude and perspective.
It is not loud. It is not complicated. It does not need to be.
Sometimes the best advice is not delivered with fireworks. Sometimes it is a tall bloke with a basketball background, a notebook full of thoughts, and the good sense to remind people that walking their own path is not just enough — it might be the whole point.