Christen Press spends a lot of time thinking about her body—not so much how it looks in a dress or a swimsuit, but what it can do and what it needs and how far she can push it. She is, of course, a star forward on the national women's soccer team and bound for this summer's Rio Olympic Games, which means she has no choice. Her limbs have a job to do.

Even so, Press hesitated when ESPN approached her to strip down for its annual Body Issue. "I think that a lot of women experience that balance between feeling insecure about and appreciative for their bodies," she says on the eve of the debut of her cover for the magazine. "I definitely have. So, when I decided to say yes [to the shoot], I had all that in my mind and realized it would be a good opportunity to face some of my own fears and show my body some love."

Carlos Serrao

Press tries hard to "give back" to her body, whether it's being featured on newsstands or not. "I have to just to keep it running," she says, but she makes an effort for her own sake, too. "Staying grounded, eating healthy, doing yoga, staying out of the sun to protect my skin—I think that the daily decisions we make to protect our bodies are the best ways we can care for them."

Well! This much is obvious: Press is making good choices. Here, her thoughts on posing naked, body positivity, and equal pay.

She wasn't nervous to get naked because "there is a lot of naked culture in sports":

If anything, I was focused on what happens after you do something like this. I had to hope that all the people I'm close to would feel comfortable with it and would support me in it. But I wasn't really nervous. To be perfectly honest, there is a lot of naked culture in sports, just being in locker rooms. It used to be horrifying to me when I was 18 or 17 and going to college. But I've gotten a lot more comfortable with it, so I didn't really [get nervous] as much on set.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Her mom taught her to feel comfortable in her skin:

It's a super cliché answer, but I think my mom was always the one that showed me how to become comfortable in my skin. My mom is just authentically herself all the time. She loves herself. She loves her sense of humor. She brings people in when she talks. She brings people in when she laughs. Watching her, I think that that's when I first learned and was encouraged to be myself and to sort of love and live in that way.

The fight for equal pay from U.S. Soccer is a team effort:

Yes, I mean our entire team is involved in this fight. We're trying to do what's right. I really believe that when we push from the top, the rest of the world follows. I'm still grateful for the opportunities that the national team has afforded me and the comfortable life that I live because of that, but I do think that it's important to acknowledge that we're fighting for a greater good for women who are not necessarily in that situation.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

She practices mindfulness meditation to quash game-time nerves:

I'm very meditative, so I think I believe more that you have to have a mantra for all times. It's sort of about discipline and consistency for me. I try to practice mindfulness at all times, including the times where I'm nervous and I'm stressed. I just want to be in the present moment and so I try to bring myself back down to [thinking about] how lucky I am, how grateful I am, exactly what I'm doing in that moment. It allows me to not be overwhelmed.

I used to get so frustrated in games. I used to get so nervous. I would miss big chances and just get anxious. Now, I just feel more confident when I'm on the field. I know my best is good enough and I owe all of that to my meditation practice.

And hopes that people start to focus less on what bodies "should" look like and more on how incredible each and every one really is:

Just love your body no matter what it looks like. When I walk around the street and I tell people I'm a professional athlete, they often sort of give me a side look because I don't have the body that they think a professional athlete should have. Whether that's being super muscular or super tall—whatever it is. But I am an athlete, and I'm really proud of my body. I hope that people realize that athletes come in all shapes and sizes. And every body is beautiful.

The entire Body Issue—photos, videos, interviews, errant freckles, well-placed baseball mitts, and all—goes live on July 6 on www.espn.com/bodyissue.

This interview has been edited and condensed.