Award-winning filmmaker Shaina Feinberg joins Mikenzie to discuss her New York Times Op-Ed film "I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling" and how becoming a mother actually amplified rather than diminished her creative ambitions.

In this conversation, Shaina opens up about the moment she almost gave up filmmaking due to the overwhelming pressure of trying to make it as a filmmaker while being a mother to two kids, and how meeting legendary director Joan Darling restored her sense of purpose. She shares practical insights about making it as artist parents in New York City, navigating motherhood in a male-dominated industry, and why focusing on "the quality of your experience" transformed both her parenting and her career.

Shaina's films have premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and played at festivals worldwide including Hot Docs and Rotterdam. She's a former New York Times columnist, has been featured on This American Life, and is the author of four books. She's also the mother of two kids—a 10-year-old and 3-year-old—living in Brooklyn with her husband.

You can watch Shaina's short film "I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling" here - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/opinion/motherhood-career-joan-darling.html

Timestamps
02:45 – Background on the film inspiration Shaina's husband's 10-week Lincoln Center gig left her as primary caregiver, leading to burnout and the decision to visit Joan Darling.

07:15 – Three storylines in the film Her mother who gave up her acting career, Joan who pursued career without kids, and Shaina trying to balance both.

11:20 – Early motherhood and career decisions Getting married, pregnant, and making her first feature film all at once, and how that opened career doors.

16:30 – How motherhood changed her ambition Kids gave her structure, schedule, and permission to openly want career success instead of just making art casually.

21:00 – Decision to have a second child The six-year gap, her father's death, miscarriage, and pandemic decision-making that led to baby number two.

26:00 – Managing two kids vs. one How having two children is exponentially harder and childcare logistics in New York City.

30:30 – Being a woman in the film industry Hiding her second pregnancy during COVID and gender disparities she's witnessed at film festivals.

37:00 – Dealing with rejection as an artist How film festival rejections work, why persistence matters, and people dropping out at different life stages.

42:50 – Joan's advice about quality of experience The transformative philosophy that changed how Shaina approaches both filmmaking and parenting.

46:30 – Future projects and parenting philosophy What's next creatively and learning to let her family be themselves more.