24/05/2026
A lot of people probably don’t realise that one of Fusion’s biggest strengths is also one of my biggest daily challenges, I have ADHD.
A lot of people probably think ADHD just means being distracted or having too much energy, but for me it’s the complete opposite in many ways. My brain tends to hyperfocus heavily on things that matter to me. Once something captures my attention, I can spend countless hours researching, analysing, comparing information and trying to understand every tiny detail possible.
That mindset has shaped almost everything about how Fusion operates and it was the case long before I was diagnosed, I just didn’t realise it.
A lot of people only ever see the finished result, healthy dragons, clean setups, strong genetics and detailed care information, but they don’t always see what goes on behind the scenes to achieve that. I obsess over details most people probably wouldn’t even think about because small details can create huge differences over an animal’s lifetime.
Lighting placement, heat gradients, UVB effectiveness, nutrition, calcium balance, hydration, enclosure design, behaviours and long term husbandry outcomes all matter enormously to me. I can genuinely spend hours researching something as simple as UVB positioning because even small adjustments can completely change how effective it is for the animal underneath it.
ADHD also makes me question things constantly. I’ve never been good at blindly accepting advice simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.” Reptile keeping is full of repeated myths, outdated information and shortcuts that continue because people repeat them often enough. My brain naturally wants evidence, reasoning and long term results rather than just following trends or popular opinions.
That’s why giving correct advice is something I take very seriously.
I see the effects of poor husbandry and misinformation constantly. I receive messages all the time from people struggling with sick dragons, poor setups or conflicting advice they’ve been given elsewhere. Good reptile care isn’t about cherry-picking one or two convenient pieces of information while ignoring the rest. Everything works together as a whole system, and the finer details genuinely matter.
At the same time, ADHD can definitely make me intense about these things. When I see husbandry standards being compromised for convenience, shortcuts or quick sales, I struggle to just ignore it and move on because I genuinely care about these animals and the people trying to care for them properly.
One thing people probably don’t understand as much is how ADHD can also affect communication.
Even when I fully intend to reply to messages or comments, my brain can sometimes make the process feel mentally overwhelming. I’ll overthink the response, get distracted while trying to answer properly, or put pressure on myself to give a detailed and accurate reply instead of a rushed one. Before I know it, hours have passed and I’ve accidentally created a backlog for myself.
That’s something I genuinely apologise for because it’s never about not caring. If anything, it’s usually the opposite. I care too much about responding properly and giving accurate information instead of quick copy-and-paste answers.
A huge reason we built the website, the detailed care guide and all the educational content was actually to help bridge those gaps. I realised that if I couldn’t always keep up with every single message the way I wanted to, then the next best thing was creating resources people could access anytime with reliable, well thought out information already there for them.
In many ways, ADHD is both exhausting and beneficial at the same time. It can make switching off difficult, it can make communication harder than people realise, and it definitely causes frustration at times. But it’s also a massive part of why Fusion operates the way it does.
The attention to detail, the constant drive to improve, the refusal to cut corners and the passion behind the standards we maintain all come from that same hyperfocused mindset.
Fusion was never built to simply be the biggest. It was built around care, detail and genuinely wanting better outcomes for these animals.
ADHD may make some things harder for me, but it’s also a huge part of why those standards exist in the first place.
To those of you who may have thought I sounded rude at times or have felt offended by the way I communicate, please understand it has never been intentional. Without experiencing ADHD yourself, it can be difficult to understand the complications it can create with communication, overthinking and emotional intensity. Sometimes my passion for these animals and the standards I believe in can come across stronger than I ever intend it to.
And to the people who have been patient, supportive and understanding along the way, I genuinely appreciate it more than you probably realise.
