I Was Failing at Work and Motherhood. Then I Met Joan Darling.

Opinion|I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling.

As Mother’s Day approaches, the Opinion Video above asks: Is it possible to be a great mom and have a great career? That question has plagued the filmmaker Shaina Feinberg.

Before Ms. Feinberg was born, her mother dreamed of a successful career as a performer — then gave up those dreams to raise her daughters. That loss still haunts her mother.

Now a mother herself, Ms. Feinberg is confronted with the same dilemma: Should she quit working as a filmmaker to be a full-time mom? Or keep doing a “depressingly bad job at both”?

The universe answers her in the unlikely form of Joan Darling, a 90-year-old director and actress. She’s the first woman to be nominated for an Emmy in directing. And unlike Ms. Feinberg’s mother, she never had children.

During the pandemic, a freelance job fortuitously connected Ms. Feinberg with Ms. Darling. That chance encounter spurred the pair to meet in person.

From there, Ms. Darling becomes Ms. Feinberg’s unexpected life coach on work and motherhood. They spend days filming — and playing — together, as Ms. Feinberg embarks on a journey to learn how to be a career woman and a mom at the same time.