She has appeared in two “Dancing with the Stars” seasons, was a celebrity parade marshal at this year’s Indianapolis 500, and can practically take her pick of opportunities to capitalize on a superstar gymnastics career that culminated with gold and silver medals at the 2008 Olympics.

But Monday morning found Des Moines native Shawn Johnson in a less grandiose setting — chatting contentedly with people drinking coffee outside the clubhouse at the Elmcrest Country Club a couple of hours before the start of the Zach Johnson Foundation Classic golf tournament.

At 4-foot-9, Johnson could almost be mistaken for one of the kids hanging around waiting to see their golf heroes in action. Almost — except for that unmistakable million-dollar smile and her still-powerful gymnast’s build.

She has no handler and no entourage, hardly surprising for a sports star who clearly holds the celebrity culture at arm’s length. She’s approachable, modest and plain-spoken in her advice for young athletes — and especially girls.

“I have a lot of people ask me what it took and what I did and how long I trained and how many hours I practiced,” she says. “To me growing up in my sport it was never about getting to the Olympics, it was always about just my true passion for my sport.

“I genuinely fell in love with gymnastics, and I think there is something out there for every girl, every boy. It’s just that they’re pushed in the wrong direction because they’re not given the opportunity to find what they love. Gymnastics is truly what I loved and what my heart wanted, so everything else just came by itself.  The hard work felt easy.”

Her own intense focus on gymnastics notwithstanding, Johnson encourages younger kids to keep an open mind before committing to a sport.

“I think it’s absolutely imperative that kids try everything, especially at a young age when they’re still trying to learn and grow and find what they love,” she stresses. “If they find the one thing they have a passion for and they really want to focus on that, by all means let them. But in middle school I don’t think you can focus on anything.”

Participation in sports is especially valuable for girls in a culture that continues to send conflicting signals about what makes a person “beautiful,” Johnson says. “In a time where society pushes almost against sports for girls, sports teaches girls to be independent and strong and to stand tall and to learn that being a strong woman is important and is good. I think there’s too much emphasis put on ‘the Hollywood girl.’”

That’s something Johnson knows from personal experience, she says with characteristic candor.

“It’s been difficult,” she admits. "I’ve had my fair share of critics who have said that the style of girl that I am isn’t quite the right one, and in my opinion they’re wrong. You can be any kind of girl and person you want to be. I always grew up wanting to be the football-playing girl instead of the girl that was in a dress, and I’m happier that way.

“You look in People magazine — the right style of girl that society says is acceptable is the skinny, non-athletic Barbie doll-looking girl, and not that there’s anything wrong with that, but society makes it seem that that’s your only option, and I am completely against that. I think girls should be strong and powerful and tough and have a voice and be whoever they want to be and still be accepted as beautiful and a role model.”

Her bottom-line message is simple. “Hard work always pays off,” she says. “There is nothing more important than putting every ounce of yourself into something, but don’t be afraid to be whoever you want to be — especially for young girls. They always want to just kind of be like the one next to them, and I think the most important thing is being different, because you’re not made to be the same.”

Johnson, 21, plans to promote that gospel in the next phase of her career, which includes opening a gymnasium in Des Moines. “My big focus is kids and fitness and athletics,” she says. “I want to inspire kids to grow up in a world where they’re able to do whatever they want.”

That focus on kids — along with her admiration for the golfing Johnson — made her excited to be part of the Zach Johnson Classic, she says.

“Zach Johnson has become a good friend of mine, being from Iowa. With everything he’s done for the state and what he stands for with his foundation, it’s just something I wouldn’t miss for the world. There’s some of the best company in the world here today and we’re all here for a good cause.”

The foundation’s cause, Zach’s Kids on Course program, took center stage moments before the tournament began when a parade of balloon-carrying young Kids on Course participants marched to the first tee. There 9-year-old Lily Cahalan, after a word of encouragement from Zach, launched the official first drive of the day.

As for Shawn Johnson, her role on this day was a supportive one — as a caddy for her father, Doug, a weekly golfer who is teaching her the game.

"I’m trying to get a few tips this year, and maybe next year I’ll play,” she says.

That would be a welcome addition to a field that could use a few more role models for girls like Lily.