ABSTRACT
McGraw – “Dr. Phil” as he is known to the millions of viewers who have seen him on Oprah and on his own daily show – is especially dynamic in his sales pitch for authenticity. He frankly admits that he used to be a “sellout,” a person who caved in to social expectations and money, was trapped in “life-chain momentum,” and ignored his own voice, needs and passions. Then, on a beautiful afternoon, he realized that his “life absolutely sucked,” that he hated his career, hated his house, and hated himself for getting so deep
into it that he now felt like he couldn’t get out. At that moment he resolved to “totally reengineer those parts of my life that were not ‘me,’ and build on those that felt right because they were right.”2 Dr. Phil’s exceptional appeal lies in the fact that his conversion experience resonates with the most troubling experiences of many of those in his audience. A modern-day Paul on the road to Damascus, he sees it all in a moment of vision: “I have one shot at this, one shot, and I’m choking, I’m blowing it. I’m now almost forty years old. I’ve wasted ten years of my life and I can’t get them back no matter what I do” (p. 6).
