George B. Thomas
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Some career stories feel like clean ladders.
Megan Eunson’s is not one of them.
She started with a degree in healthcare administration, landed at Enron in Houston, built a career in oil and gas, then moved into HubSpot’s partner world, only to have her plans flipped and her role shifted when she least expected it.
What could have stayed a setback became something else.
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A decision to own her value.
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A choice to keep learning.
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A commitment to put humans at the center, even while leaning into AI.
This is Megan’s Women of HubSpot story and it is packed with the kind of real-world tension and hope that a lot of us feel in our own careers.
From Healthcare Halls to Houston Energy
If you met younger Megan, you would have expected to see her in hospitals and health centers. She graduated with a degree in healthcare administration and fully believed that was where her path would unfold.
Reality had other ideas.
She needed a job. So she asked a simple question: What am I really good at? The answer was admin. That skill, combined with geography, landed her in Houston’s energy world.
Her first big stop: Enron. She worked there for five years, including three years after the collapse. She lived through the bankruptcy from the inside, kept her job through the chaos, and learned a great deal about herself, what she valued, and where she might want to go next.
Younger Megan, looking at her current life, would be surprised by the places she has gone, the people she has met, and the fact that what started as “just an entry-level admin job” turned into a meaningful, people-centered career she genuinely loves.
When Plans Change and Confidence Wobbles
Across every chapter, Megan names a familiar foe: self-limiting beliefs. Surrounded by brilliant people in tech, especially at HubSpot, it is easy to ask:
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Do I belong here?
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Am I smart enough?
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Am I capable enough?
Those questions got louder when she moved to HubSpot. She began as a Channel Consultant, serving partners in the ecosystem. She loved it. She loved the partners, learning their businesses, and figuring out how to position HubSpot so they could flourish.
Then a curveball hit.
The path she expected, into a PDM role, did not happen. Instead, she was told she would move into Customer Success because that is where she was needed. The shift felt like a setback. A rug pull. She questioned if she should even be there. She doubted her place. And yet, she did what she has done at every turning point.
She came back to a simple grounding truth: HubSpot hired her for a reason.
From there, she let learning do the heavy lifting. As she put it:
"You have to be passionate about learning because it's the only way that you get better."
~ Megan Eunson
That passion became her way out of doubt and into a new chapter.
From Fish Out of Water to Team Lead
The move from Channel Consultant to Customer Success did not feel smooth. New product angles. New expectations. New customers. Same brain asking, “Do I really belong here?
She felt like a fish out of water for the first year. The product footprint was massive. Features kept changing and improving. She had to rebuild her confidence while learning a new role at full speed.
In one of her first conversations with her new manager, Megan drew a line in the sand for herself.
"I'm not at the top of the list now, I will be. Just wait."
~ Megan Eunson
That sentence was not bravado. It was a promise to herself. She decided to treat the discomfort as a crucible, not a cage. She kept learning. Kept serving customers. Kept showing up.
Over the next year, she exceeded her own expectations and regained something bigger than a title. She rebuilt her confidence in a new context. Today, she has stepped into a Team Lead role, a milestone that was on her original “path” but arrived through a very different route.
The detour turned into the doorway.
Mentors, Networking, and Owning Your Title
Empowerment, for Megan, is not a hashtag. It is daily ownership.
She defines it as taking responsibility for what you do every day, being open to feedback, and using both wins and mistakes to build your own path. That is where mentors and community come in. Her career has been shaped by women who showed her what leadership looks like in male-dominated industries:
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In oil and gas, leaders like Linda Hunk, Tessie Phillips, and Jennifer Petty modeled what it meant to be a woman who excels and lifts others as she rises.
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At HubSpot, leaders like Alana Lovett Griffin opened doors, believed in her, and gave her space to grow into her voice.
These relationships did more than cheer her on. They helped her see herself differently.
One of the clearest examples of empowerment in action occurred before HubSpot, when she was working in customer operations in the oil and gas industry. Her manager, Paul Wallace, named what she was truly doing: customer success.
The company did not have that title yet, but he saw the function.
Megan took that seriously. She started calling herself a Customer Success Manager, got it on a business card, and introduced herself that way long before it was official. She stood in the space she was already occupying.
That move captures her philosophy:
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Own the value you bring.
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Share what works and what does not.
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Lift others with the lessons you learned the hard way.
Networking sits right alongside that. Every major job change she named came through relationships. Leaving Enron. Leaving each oil and gas role and getting to HubSpot. People introduced her, vouched for her, and connected dots. She kept those doors open by saying yes to conversations, yes to intros, and yes to people she did not know yet but wanted to.
Humans, HubSpot, and AI
Ask Megan what excites her about HubSpot right now, and she will go straight to AI. Not because she wants robots to take over. Quite the opposite.
She uses HubSpot’s AI-powered tools every day, on every call, with every customer. They help her find answers, move faster, and support complex businesses more effectively. But for her, AI is a tool, not a replacement for human connection.
She shared a story from a recent regional connect where someone mentioned that the person who appears to be an “AI expert” is probably only a couple of weeks ahead of you. That idea lit her up. She flipped it. If someone is only a little bit ahead, then someone else is a little bit behind. Her question becomes: how do I help close that gap?
She believes the world is still better when a human voice delivers decisions and expertise. AI can help you find the answer. A human makes that answer land with empathy and context.
Looking forward, Megan wants to spend the next year figuring out what she wants to do with the next five years. Maybe that means leaning even further into leadership. Maybe it means going deeper into the product. Maybe it means being an incredibly strong individual contributor.
She plans to keep doing what she loves, stay open to where the wind blows, and adjust her sails as needed.
Why Megan’s Story Matters for Your Work
Megan’s journey is not a straight line, and that is exactly why it matters.
Her story is a reminder that:
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Your original plan can change and still lead to meaningful, joyful work.
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Feeling like a fish out of water does not mean you do not belong there.
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Setbacks can be the start of your next chapter, not the end of your current one.
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Learning a little every day builds real confidence, not just a shiny resume.
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Titles follow value. You can act like the role long before it is printed on a business card.
She also offers one clear message to women in tech and in HubSpot-adjacent worlds: Be your own advocate.
No one else is responsible for your career. You decide when to raise your hand. You decide when to ask for help. You decide when to pivot. When you combine that ownership with mentors, community, and a learning mindset, you create a career that can actually flourish, even when the path bends.
Reflect & Act
Take a minute with these:
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Where in your career do you currently feel like a “fish out of water,” and what would it look like to stay long enough to grow into it?
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What title or identity are you already living, even if it is not on your business card yet?
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Who are three people you could reconnect with this month to strengthen your network and open future doors?
