Great British Bake Off star Kim-Joy shares how to find happiness in new book Ordinary Joy
When Kim-Joy appeared on The Great British Bake Off in 2018, she brought colour, charm, and cuteness to the iconic white tent. From monster-shaped meringues to space turtles hidden in a chocolate ball, her whimsical bakes delighted all those who tasted them. Now, Kim-Joy has used her creativity for a new project - a book named Ordinary Joy: A Realistic Guide to Being Yourself.
Published by Penguin Books UK, Ordinary Joy is a practical and inclusive guide on how to find enjoyment in your everyday life. In her own-life, Kim-Joy, who lives in Leeds with her partner Nabil and cats Inki and Mochi, finds happiness from house plants, board games, and of course baking. However, she understands that lasting contentment comes from something deeper: self-acceptance.
She said: “A lot of people say to me it's amazing that you are yourself but I’ve always struggled with being myself and I still do.
“I’ve struggled all my life trying to be myself and trying to have as much joy in my life as possible (and therefore) I wanted to talk about it.”
Ordinary Joy sees Kim-Joy analyse different aspects of self-acceptance by reflecting on memories throughout her life. She connects these with her knowledge gained from her experience as a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, to create a guide on how to live your life more authentically.
Kim-Joy said: “I used to work in mental health before I was on Bake Off so I’ve always been interested in how people work.
“(Writing this) felt kind of natural because I’m really interested in psychology and I’ve always been trying to figure out myself as much as possible.”
Kim-Joy has previously written five cookbooks and one graphic novel, however Ordinary Joy is her first venture into the self-help genre. The book addresses topics such as setting boundaries, saying no, and saying yes to the right things and people, however Kim-Joy recognises that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to finding happiness.
Kim-Joy said: “I didn’t want the book to be this is what you have to do.
“These are my experiences but it’s different for everybody. Everybody is in a different boat.”
She hopes that readers of Ordinary Joy learn how to be gentle with themselves and feel inspired to make small changes in their lives.
Split into nine chapters, Ordinary Joy is an honest account of Kim-Joy’s journey to self-acceptance. In some chapters, Kim-Joy recounts times she has felt the opposite of happiness as she details her experience of social anxiety and chronic daily migraine. The aim of this is to show that joy can be sourced from the most unlikely of places.
By creating Ordinary Joy, Kim-Joy had to learn how to practice positive thinking in her own life.
She said: “One of the things I often do is motivate myself through negative reinforcement. It sometimes works but in the long-term makes you feel rubbish.
“(Through writing) I learned to try to do more positive reinforcement and not put the blame cycle on myself.
“Its one thing knowing what you need to do and another actually doing it.”
Ordinary Joy is an honest reflection on Kim-Joy’s life so far. It’s a book made by stepping out her comfort zone with the ultimate aim to help others navigate their own journey to happiness.
She said: “I want people to feel more joy. It makes me happier when I see other people who feel joy - it's contagious for sure”.
Ordinary Joy by Kim-Joy (Quadrille, £12.99) comes out September 25.