Chris Paston

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About:

Chris is the Search Engine Marketing Optimisation Specialist for Right Angles PR and Reputation Management practice. He is also the SEO Specialist here at New Thinking. He has worked in search for over two decades and also owns a clothing chain and café bar with his wife Dannii. Chris and Dannii live in Rotherham, South Yorkshire with their two daughters.

 

Chris Paston wanted to share a little bit more about himself…

 

🇹🇭 Up until the age of 30, my journeys overseas had been limited to a couple of holidays in Spain, a stag party weekend in Prague and primary school activity trip to the Isle of Wight when I was 11. Yes, I know that’s still in the UK, but slim pickings and all that. Then I met my wife; a well-travelled 28-year-old who in the prior decade had spent more time outside the UK than in it.

 

Since then, I’ve travelled across Europe, proposed in Moscow’s Red Square, honeymooned up and down the East Coast of the US and been to Thailand… a lot. I’ve been very lucky. My eldest daughter at 8 years old has already been to Thailand 3 times despite contending with two years of Covid restrictions. That girl has lived more than I did in my first two decades.

 

When in Thailand, we visit the east coast with locations such as Krabi and stunningly secluded Railay, but the area we continually return to most is the island of Koh Samui, and particularly Thong Ta-Khian (aka Crystal Bay). It is without a doubt the best beach I’ve ever visited, and for parents with small children, the long clear shallow waters are a godsend. As of writing this bio, we visit Thailand and Thong Ta-Khian for the first time since pre-Covid in 5 weeks, and to say we’re excited is an understatement.

 

✈️ For reasons I’ll avoid for fear of not keeping this light, different paths weren’t really available to me until leaving school. And if you feel trapped by circumstances as I did, choosing another path is a hysterically funny concept. You feel like you’re a bobsleigh with the brakes applied. Life goes slow, but on an unerring path that someone built for you. The thing is, there’s always another path—sometimes you just need someone to tell you that.

 

Motivational speech aside, and linked to the previous question—I do lament not taking the path of travelling the world in my younger years. My unsophisticated and insular worldview from my twenties is somewhat embarrassing to look back on. Would I be doing something different now? I hope not—I’m pretty bloomin’ happy with my lot. Maybe that bobsleigh of fate would have delivered me here anyway.

With the aim of showing all the paths available to them, I’ll certainly be encouraging my daughters to travel. As terrifying the concept of saying bye for an extended period is right now…

 

🎶 What is your theme song?

 

I’d love to pick an utterly cool niche track that you’ve not heard of. Something that the NME hates. Or maybe an obscure tune from one of the losing shortlisted Mercury Prize nominees. Alas, as I get older, Mr Blobby by Mr Blobby is pretty much perfect.  My ‘Dad bod’ is certainly on point, and I don’t know about anyone else, but as soon as I hit my forties I didn’t half become a clumsy bugger.

 

I like to think that in my twenties and thirties I had feline-esque reflexes. But a switch was flipped when I hit the big four zero. Indeed, not a week goes by without me tripping over, dropping a glass or comically splitting my trousers.

 

This culminated last year in me tripping over my own feet in front of Rotherham’s Lord Mayor limousine, landing face first on the floor, near breaking my nose and losing a tooth in the process. Classy stuff. Someone fire up my theme tune…

 

🍽 What person living or dead would you invite to your dream dinner party?

 

Veteran manager and cantankerous old sod, Neil Warnock. As a Sheffield United supporter, I have a soft spot for the man, and assuming I can control every element of the dinner party, I would insist on awful service, dirty plates and rude staff just to see the reaction of ‘Uncle Colin’.

 

Just imagine the fury erupting from the man when his steak is served medium rather than medium-rare. Or when his Châteauneuf-du-Pape is served above room temperature rather than slightly cool. 

 

Ooph, I’m starting to tremble at the mere prospect.

 

❤️ Name three self-care practices you have adopted to treat yourself well

 

I do not look after myself very well at all; both physically or mentally, but I’m getting better. There are few things that are helping immensely.

 

Going for a good daily walk with a podcast. I couple this with walking to and from work; around two miles in either direction. FWIW, favourite podcasts currently include Off Menu (with Ed Gamble and James Acaster) and Wolf and Owl (with Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis.) Both hilarious and after all laughter is good for the soul.

 

Skipping breakfast every now and then. This helps me control my appetite and stops me hammering the delicious sugary carbs first thing in the morning. Hopefully eating healthier will delay the dad bod from becoming a dead bod.

 

Reducing caffeine. Guess what, a decaf and… erm… caf flat white are pretty much indistinguishable. And it’s that little bit healthier if like me you have around 10 coffees a day.