I Worked at Peec AI for 3 Weeks and Got Fired. This Is My Story. #MentalHealthAwareness

If you’re looking for a juicy story, this isn’t it. 

I have nothing but kind words for the Peec AI team. When I was hired as an AI Search Strategist at Peec AI in late June 2026, it was a dream job. I have the utmost respect for the company and people, and I will continue to be a customer of Peec AI because I believe in GEO and the mission of the tool.

That said …

I got fired in my 3rd week at Peec AI because I was told there was something inappropriate in my past.

Here’s the part that sucks the most: I have no idea what it was.

But here’s what I do know …

I have a disability called Bipolar Disorder.

Knock on wood, I’ve been in a stable condition for years. It took lots of hard work to get here, and now I live a disciplined life that ensures my symptoms stay at bay.

But that wasn’t always the case.

I have what’s called Type 1 Bipolar Disorder because I’ve had manic episodes, two of them.

There’s no easy way to describe a manic episode, unless you’ve been through it or know someone who has. I guess that’s why there’s a stigma around Bipolar Disorder and mental health in general, because it’s hard to understand.

The best way I can describe a manic episode is it’s the scariest thing imaginable: a complete departure from reality coupled with hallucinations that can last weeks.

I want to say this early in this post so it’s clear: if our paths crossed during one of my manic episodes and I did anything inappropriate to you (or someone you know), please accept my sincerest apologies.

I would apologize directly, but the fact is I don’t really remember my manic episodes.

Well, I have some memories … traumatic ones, like being pinned to the ground in a mental hospital, involuntarily injected with a tranquilizer, and thrown in a padded cell, alone and confused.

I believe I have PTSD from my hospital stays during my manic episodes, which were akin to jails. But that’s a separate topic.

Mental illness can explain behavior without excusing it, and recovery doesn’t erase the past, but it does change the person.

With this post, I’d like to focus on mental health awareness.

I’ve written on my blog before about my Bipolar Disorder, but now I have even more hindsight and wisdom around the condition.

If you have Bipolar Disorder (or know someone who does), here are steps that have worked for me:

• Stay sober (I self-medicated with drugs and alcohol for years, prior to my diagnosis and even afterward; no good)
• Have a support system (I’d be lost without my wife, Dania)
• Meditate (It really works)
• Get exercise (Walking Central Park is therapeutic for me)
• Find the right medication (I’ve tried many, most sucked, but I finally found the right doctor and prescription)
• Be patient (The aftermath of manic episodes never leaves you, as I’m demonstrating here, but things do get better with time)

Mental health is a complicated topic, but it’s something we need to discuss publicly because, as I’m living proof, it affects lives.

My hope is that by sharing my story, others will feel encouraged to do the right thing, either for themselves or their colleagues, friends, or loved ones.

Having just lost a job, I’m going to take some time to reflect (being fired is a weird feeling), but my head is held high.

One takeaway I have is that, for someone with my mental health condition, working as an independent SEO/GEO consultant may be the smart move. My only hope is that I’ll be judged on the quality of my work rather than the worst moments of an illness that I’ve worked hard to manage.

Mental health is complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth discussing.

Let’s help fix the stigma, together.

With love and gratitude (and apologies, again, if I did anything inappropriate to you),

Ethan Lazuk