Beautifully Unbroken: An Afternoon with Lisa Crites, the Woman Behind The SHOWER SHIRT

An accidental author, a “God-product,” and a conversation about breast cancer, grief, invention, and the stories we carry with us.

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I love books. I love the stories inside them, the people who write them, and the conversations that happen when you get to ask an author what was going through their mind when they put those words on paper.

But every once in a while, a book leads to something a little bigger than a review.

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, I traveled to Authentic Arts Gallery in Dexter, Missouri, to meet Lisa Crites, author of Beautifully Unbroken. I had already finished her memoir, and I had questions. LOTS of questions. LOL.

What I didn’t expect was just how much our conversation would cover. We talked about breast cancer, the realities of recovery, the patent process, publishing, faith, family, and the emotional weight of writing a memoir.

Photograph from the October 11 author event at Authentic Arts Gallery in Dexter, Missouri

The Woman Behind The SHOWER SHIRT

If you haven’t heard of The SHOWER SHIRT, there’s a very personal story behind its creation.

After undergoing breast cancer surgery, Lisa experienced firsthand the challenges of keeping surgical sites and medical equipment protected while showering. And the solution patients were being offered? Trash bags. Yes. Trash bags.

Imagine undergoing major surgery, dealing with the physical and emotional realities of a cancer diagnosis, and then discovering that something as ordinary as taking a shower has become another problem to solve.

Lisa described a cathartic, almost manic drive to create something better for the patients who would come after her. Her motivation, she told me, wasn’t simply to start a business. She wanted people facing similar recoveries to have another option.

A “God-Product”

Throughout our conversation, Lisa repeatedly referred to The SHOWER SHIRT as her “God-product.” The more she explained its development, the more I understood why that phrase matters to her.

She described the people who entered her life at different points in the process, the advice she received, and the opportunities that appeared as she tried to turn an idea into something patients could actually use.

Lisa also wrote about the experience in her own words for ELYSIAN Magazine. Her article, “Shower Shirt Redefines Post-Surgical Hygiene,” offers a deeply personal account of her surgeries, recovery, and the determination behind the invention. It’s worth reading alongside our conversation.

Her background in medical journalism and healthcare communications helped her navigate conversations with medical professionals. But developing an actual product required an entirely different education.

Her cousin Mandy and Mandy’s mother helped build the original prototype. I loved that detail. Behind all the technical challenges were family members helping bring an idea to life.

Photograph from Lisa Crites's Dexter author event

Seventy-Two Patent Citations?!

This part of our conversation fascinated me. Because I can appreciate a good idea, but actually developing a product, securing a patent, finding a manufacturer, and getting that product into patients’ hands? That’s another level of determination.

Lisa explained that the patent examination process involved addressing 72 citations to existing inventions. And some of those references seemed almost comically unrelated to her product. Leotards. Other inventions that had to be examined as part of the process.

The patent ultimately granted for The SHOWER SHIRT was U.S. Patent No. 8,516,613, titled Shower Shirt and Method of Use. Its claims describe functional features of the garment and methods of using it—not merely how it looks. The application was filed in June 2012, and the patent was granted in August 2013.

Then there was manufacturing. Lisa described a point when the manufacturer’s production requirement jumped from 700 units to 2,100 units. TRIPLED. For an independent inventor, that is no small obstacle.

What struck me was that the obstacles didn’t change the reason she started: she wanted patients to have another option.

The Reality of Recovery

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there’s something particularly important about talking about what happens after diagnosis and surgery.

Lisa and I discussed mastectomies, reconstruction, tissue expanders, infections, and the sometimes lengthy process of recovery. A mastectomy may be only one stage of treatment; for some patients, implant-based reconstruction involves temporary tissue expanders and later surgery. Drains, healing incisions, appointments, and complications can make recovery physically and emotionally demanding.

Lisa described The SHOWER SHIRT as a water-resistant garment designed to help protect vulnerable areas during showering, including for some people recovering from breast surgery or receiving other treatments. Its design reflects the challenges she encountered personally. The patent documents its construction and intended use; it does not, by itself, establish that the garment prevents infections.

Sometimes the challenges that affect someone’s dignity and independence aren’t the ones outsiders immediately think about. Sometimes it’s something as simple as wanting to take a shower.

Another photograph from the October 11 Dexter visit

The Book She Said No To. Twice.

Here’s something I found especially interesting: Lisa didn’t set out to become a memoirist. When publishers approached her in November 2025 about writing her story, she turned them down. Twice.

Despite her professional writing background, telling her own story was another proposition entirely. The publishers eventually assembled nine chapters based on her earlier blogging, speaking engagements, and media appearances. Lisa told me that reading what they’d put together made her cry.

The material reached beyond breast cancer and The SHOWER SHIRT. It brought her back to her mother, her childhood, and painful experiences that shaped her life.

She described the emotional process of writing the memoir in a way I don’t think I’ll forget:

“Unpacking 25 suitcases of emotional luggage.”

Twenty-five suitcases. What an image. And how many of us have our own metaphorical suitcases packed away somewhere? Experiences we’ve lived through. Things we’ve survived. Memories we don’t necessarily revisit because life keeps moving forward.

Lisa talked about the emotional toll of revisiting those memories and her observation that memoir writers can struggle with depression afterward. It’s a side of publishing that readers don’t always see. We see the finished book. We don’t necessarily see what it costs someone to write it.

Why I Loved Beautifully Unbroken

One of the things I specifically wanted to tell Lisa was how much I appreciated the structure of her memoir. Because this isn’t simply a book about a woman who had breast cancer and invented something.

Lisa takes readers back. We get to know her family, her upbringing, her relationships, and the loss of her mother. We begin to understand who she was long before The SHOWER SHIRT existed. And that matters.

By the time we reach her diagnosis and the challenges that follow, we’re not just reading about a medical experience. We’re reading about someone we’ve come to know.

I also appreciated that she didn’t try to make every chapter pretty. Life isn’t always pretty. There are difficult relationships, grief, mistakes, setbacks, and moments that don’t come wrapped in a neat little bow.

And I told her something else I loved: the book doesn’t feel like the end of her story. She’s still living it. She’s still figuring things out. And now, somewhat accidentally, she’s an author, too.

Photograph from the Authentic Arts Gallery event in Dexter

From Inventor to Accidental Author

Lisa gave me a fascinating look behind the scenes of publishing. We talked about beta readers, advance reader copies (ARCs), book reviews, and the importance of building an audience.

She explained that her publishers encouraged her to involve people who already knew her in the advance-reading process—people from different chapters of her life who understood parts of her story in ways the publishing team couldn’t.

We also discussed the intense promotional window around a new release. Lisa said her publishers emphasized roughly the first 90 days and the importance of building momentum during that period.

As someone working on my own writing projects, I was taking mental notes. LOTS of mental notes. And Lisa was generous with her advice, even offering to help me navigate my own writing journey.

And Then, Naturally, We Started Talking About Bookstores

Because of course we did. LOL.

Somehow, our conversation led to Wellington Square Bookshop in Exton, Pennsylvania, and The Avid Reader Show with Sam Hankin. Lisa offered to introduce me.

A bookstore. An author-focused podcast. Pennsylvania. You can probably guess where my mind went. ROAD TRIP.

The afternoon also connected me with Lauren, who works with tourism in Dexter, and we’ve been corresponding about the community. I’ll save more of that adventure for a future Dexter story.

Beautifully Unbroken — and Still Becoming

When I think back on my conversation with Lisa, I keep coming back to those 25 suitcases. Because Beautifully Unbroken isn’t about pretending difficult experiences don’t leave a mark. It’s about what shapes us, who helps us through it, and the unexpected directions life can take afterward.

Lisa didn’t plan on becoming an inventor. She didn’t plan on writing a memoir. But her determination to make recovery a little easier for future patients became The SHOWER SHIRT, and the experiences behind that invention eventually became a book.

I’m grateful she took the time to sit down with me in Dexter and share her story so openly. And I’m especially glad Beautifully Unbroken introduced me to Lisa Crites—not just the inventor or the author, but the person behind both.

Because sometimes the best thing about finishing a book is discovering that the story doesn’t actually end on the last page.

A Note of Thanks

I first discovered Lisa’s story through a press release from Amazon Publications distributed by PR Newswire. That announcement prompted me to reach out to Lisa directly, and what began as a simple review and interview inquiry turned into a wonderful in-person conversation. My sincere thanks to Lisa for sharing her time, her book, and her story with In My Mom Era.

Follow Lisa’s Journey

Want to follow Lisa’s writing, her invention, and whatever comes next? You can find her here:

I’ll just be over here remembering our conversation and plotting my next experience!!

Kelly – I M ME

In My Mom Era