Alex Morgan Is Pushing Female Athletes to the Forefront—and She Isn't Letting Anyone Hold Her Back

Alex Morgan is always kicking ass. At 31, she's a captain of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, a forward for the Orlando Pride, and a new mom. (Her daughter, Charlie, was born in May, and her husband is soccer player Servando Carrasco.) On top of that, she's the creator of The Kicks—a series of young adult novels to inspire people to play their best—and is building a global content company that will showcase the stories of female athletes. Here's what gives her purpose.

Strength is her foundation.

"My confidence makes me strong. Dedicat­ing a lot of my life to my profession and feeling fulfilled makes me strong. Having a family and a husband who chal­lenge me makes me strong."

Her much-needed break.

"Right now, I'm at Charlie's disposal. Sometimes I just want to sleep when Charlie's sleeping, or clean the house—it's a mess! But I always think how good it feels to be sweaty after a workout. We have a Peloton bike, so I'm doing classes three or four times a week. Every day I have a 45­minute program customized for me, and it's all body­weight exercises, like glute bridges, lunges, squats, a lot of yoga poses."

A "one more" mantra drives her.

"Physically, I like to make myself uncom­fortable at least once a day. If I'm taking shots, it's taking a couple extra. If I'm in the gym, it's doing an extra rep or an extra five or 10 pounds. It's choosing to push myself more than I think I'm capable of. When you conquer that, you feel like, 'OK, I'm the only one holding myself back.'"

She won't stop fighting for equal pay.

"The judge's ruling in U.S. Soccer's favor [denying equal pay for the U.S. Women's Team] goes against what we stand for, not only in soccer but in life. A lot of my [Orlando Pride] teammates make $20,000 dollars a year—barely a livable wage. We're continuing to fight, and we're seeing a trickle­down effect: Athletes and women are standing up for themselves in positions where they've felt undervalued. What we've fought for is inspiring other women."

Her legacy will live on.

"Right now, I am creating a content company that will highlight many amazing female athletes' stories. That's one thing I'm really passionate about, and that's going to live on much longer than my playing career."

Photographer: Erez Sabag, @erezsabag // Hair and Makeup: @sagemakeup // Photo Assistant: Jeni Morgan, @yeahimjen // Creative Director: Noah Dreier, @noahdreier // Photo Director: Toni Loggia, @toniloggia