America’s Favorite Doctor

Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw and the Dr. Phil Foundation focus on the silent epidemics that affect children the most.

by Scott Murray

Less than four years ago, the Dr. Phil Show hit the network airwaves. The show quickly became the most successful syndicated program of the new millennium. But before television fame came calling, this psychologist from Texas was famous as the co-founder of Courtroom Sciences, Inc. (CSI), the premier full-service trial and settlement sciences firm.

Then along came Oprah Winfrey and the trial that made national headlines. A group of Texas cattlemen sued Oprah because of remarks she had made on her show pertaining to mad cow disease.

Before long, McGraw and CSI were involved, and Dr. Phil was becoming Oprah’s new best friend. Soon, he was a regular guest on her show, offering common-sense advice to millions in his trademark tell-it-like-it-is style.

Now, ten years later, Dr. Phil has his own show, where he is dispensing straightforward, common sense, down-to-earth thinking to millions, not only in the United States but in 41 foreign countries as well. The medium that introduced us to Dr. Phil has turned him into a megastar on the world’s stage.

Along the way, he’s authored six number one New York Times best sellers (25 million in print to date in 37 languages). And in 2003, he founded the Dr. Phil Foundation.
The Foundation’s mission and focus is about the children — to help those who need the chance to be productive. The foundation is set up to build awareness and offer solutions that address the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs of children and families. “I wanted to focus on the silent epidemics in America,” says Dr. Phil, “the things that really erode the quality of life in our society for individuals and society as a whole, the ones that don’t get any attention. And as a big advocate of children, foster children, abused children, and neglected children, I saw that I could do a lot to raise the awareness and draw people’s attention to it. But it also takes some good old-fashioned financial support as well.”

Earlier this year Dr. Phil and wife, Robin, on behalf of the entire McGraw family, set the tone for the Foundation and made a personal donation in the amount of one million dollars, kicking off “Dr. Phil’s Million Dollar Challenge for the Children.” “We challenged our viewers, as well as our corporate people, to step up and match that. And the viewers have been so responsive! We’ve just had hundreds of thousands of dollars pour in — contributions from a dollar to as much as a half million dollars from individuals of every walk of life and from corporations of all kinds. Every contribution is important and will be used for the work that the Foundation is focused on.”

The “Ask Dr. Phil & Robin” episodes are some of the most popular with the show’s viewers.

All administrative costs are paid for by the McGraw family, so every dollar donated to the Million Dollar Challenge goes directly to support the children in need. To that end, the foundation’s proposal evaluation process ensures that the organizations who receive funds will maximize the distributions for that purpose. Some of the organizations the foundation has collaborated with to help needy and disadvantaged children include The Children’s Defense Fund, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and the J.C. Penney After School Fund. It has also worked with The Boys and Girls Club of South Valley, Utah, TYME (Teaching Youth to Motivate and Empower) in central Pennsylvania, Camp to Belong in the Denver area, and the Second Harvest Food Bank in Greater New Orleans.

“I had the privilege of being raised by both of my parents in a very loving home,” Robin says “When I married Phillip, it was my focus and my goal to make my children and my marriage the center of my life. But, now that our boys are raised, I’m excited to be able to touch the lives of children who don’t know what it’s like to have someone in their lives who love them and is always there for them. So it’s almost a selfish role on my part because I’ll get back ten times what I give.”

That focus very much plays to the contents of her first book, due out in September, “Inside My Heart…Choosing to Live with Passion and Purpose.” “I’m not expert at any one thing, except how I lived my life and the choices I’ve made to be the best mother and wife and woman I can be,” Robin says.

“I’ve got a quote in one of my books that says that the older generation talks about the younger generation as though we have nothing to do with it,” Dr. Phil says. "We have everything to do with it, and it’s the role we provide and the example we set. Somebody was saying the other day that we are a selfish society. I disagree. I think we are a selfless society. We are living so much in the fast lane — with our kids racing from soccer practice to play dates to one thing and another — that we actually lose ourselves. There’s not much time to think and reflect. I think if you can get a kid to take pride in him or herself — in their body, their spirit, their integrity — all of a sudden, they hold themselves to a higher standard. For example, nowadays, it seems sex is as casual as a handshake. It’s immediate gratification, and I think it’s because we’ve got a generation with a sense of entitlement. We’ve got kids who have had so much given to them, they expect everything immediately, so, you don’t invest what you need in relationships.”

Being a responsible parent to sons Jay and Jordan has obviously been first and foremost to Robin and Phillip (as she calls him). Jay has appeared on his Dad’s show a number of times, offering a younger perspective. Prior to graduating from law school, Jay also authored three New York Times best sellers: self-help books for his generation in which he shared how he dealt with challenges in his own life. His younger brother, Jordan, is still in college, but already has his sights set on a musical career.

Understandably, Robin and Phil are extremely proud of both boys, calling their role as parents “their finest hour.”

Right: Still Going Strong — Dr. Phil and Robin will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in August. Below: Steve Davidson, President and CEO of the Dr. Phil Foundation, accepts a check from Dr. Phil and Robin for Dr. Phil's Million Dollar Challenge for the Children.

And both are pleased that Jordan is pursuing his passion for music, since nobody else in the family is musically inclined. Jordan’s passion for music may be one reason the Dr. Phil Foundation has adopted a program in Los Angeles called the Urban Entertainment Institute, an inner-city program that gives young people a place to go after school to get involved in music. “I think kids get to be 12 or 13 years old and they’re going to join something, and I would rather it be a band or a choir than a gang,” says Dr. Phil. The McGraws are approaching their 30th wedding anniversary, but, it’s obvious they are still a couple of kids at heart.

Robin has been at every taping of the Dr. Phil show since it went on the air in 2002 and occasionally offers viewers her perspective on issues. She escorts her husband off the set every day at the conclusion of each show.

The McGraw Family — Dr. Phil and Robin backstage following the taping of a show with sons Jay (left) and Jordan (right).

Asked if her husband is a romantic, Robin says “He’s not the kind that surprises me with flowers, or, as some of the tabloids have said, that he sits at the side of a tub reading poetry. He’s never done that, but when we were married twenty years, he gave me a leather-bound book of poems he had written for me. It was called ‘20 Year Spin,’ and every poem reflected a year of our marriage and had pictures on the page with a poem. I treasure that to this day.”

Asked what gets the big guy in the dog house, Dr. Phil answers before Robin can respond. “I wrecked her last two cars.” “He did wreck my last two cars,” Robin confirms, “so, I don’t like to drive with him because he goes too fast, but, he also works too hard.”

He may work too hard, but his efforts have made an impact on the lives of families and young people all across America — on TV, through his books, and on his DrPhil.com website, which gets 40 million hits per month.

“Visitors to the site are downloading all sorts of actionoriented information-based steps, so we know they’re interested in the information,” says Dr. Phil, “so I think we’re making a difference.”

“We are so blessed as a country and so blessed as a society, that if each of us would just take a minute to ask how we can give back to those that maybe haven’t had quite the same ride that we’ve had, it can make a huge difference,” concludes Dr. Phil. “Whether it’s money or just an hour or two a week that you volunteer and reach out at your church, the Boy’s Club, the YMCA, a shelter, somewhere you can just put an arm around somebody else’s shoulder, do it. Because we each matter in our own way.”

For more information, please visit www.drphil.com or
www.drphilfoundation.org.

Above: Following the taping of a benefit DR. PHIL show for the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Dr. Phil and Robin are joined by the organization’s Executive Director, Janis Spire (left) and actress Victoria Rowell.

Seeing Double — Jay Leno (middle, bottom row) does his best Dr. Phil imitation during the taping of the DR. PHIL show’s 500th episode.