Dr. Phil: 8 Things You Didn't Know About TV Host Phil McGraw

— -- Mark Twain once said, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

Psychologist Phil McGraw, 64, from the television show “Dr. Phil,” starts his show every day saying, "This is going to be a changing day in your life."

He counsels everyone from heroin addicts to the victims of domestic violence or survivors of suicide.No matter what you're going through, McGraw says he is out to change your life.

And he's made quite the business out of it.

Not only has his widely popular show, "Dr. Phil," been on air for more than 13 years and nominated 25 times for an Emmy, he's shaking up the health-care industry with an app, "Doctors on Demand." Investors have poured more than $20 million into it.

This year, he's tapping into the $60 billion weight loss industry with his new book, "The 20/20 Diet."

More than 25 years ago, he was merely a protégé of Oprah. Today, he’s a talk show icon estimated to be worth more than $280 million.

So what is McGraw’s secret to getting started every day?

In an interview on "Real Biz With Rebecca Jarvis," McGraw revealed what his typical day is like -- from how much sleep he gets to the first thing he does when he gets out of bed.

Here are eight things you likely don’t know about Dr. Phil McGraw:

1. Wake-up time:

Seven a.m. with no alarm. McGraw always makes sure to get six to seven hours of sleep.

2. Morning routine:

“I sleep with my wife and my dog,” McGraw said. “The first thing I do when I get up is put my collar on my dog.”

His dog is a Korean Jindo named Maggie.

“She’s a rescue, I got her nine years ago and she knows she was rescued. She knows she won the dog lottery, and she is like my shadow. She goes everywhere with me,” McGraw said.

3. Book he's reading right now:

"Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive," by T.D. Jakes.

4. Favorite book of all time:

Fiction: “To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee.

Non-fiction: “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl.

“I read the first half of the book, not the second half," he said. "The second half is logotherapy, which I don’t particularly care for. But the first half of the book is man’s search for meaning and I think that it is an absolute must read for everyone.”

5. Favorite movie:

Toss-up between "Tommy Boy" and "Used Cars."

“I totally escape into movies, so the dumber the better for me,” he said. “And I love those that make me laugh, so I like 'My Cousin Vinnie' and 'Tommy Boy' and those things that are just goofy.”

6. If he could be any cartoon character who would he be?

Superman.

“I’ve always wanted to have some super power,” he said. “Batman really has to have tools and suits and cars and all that, where Superman, it’s all built in.”

7. If he could be any animal, what animal would he be?

A big cat -- a panther or lion.

“They’re super-fast and agile, very stealthy, and they can see well at night. I love that,” he said.

8. One person he wishes he could have on his show:

Jesus Christ.

“I would ask him, 'For the rest of my life, what do I need to do from this day forward?'” said McGraw.