Philip Albenze

New York · Western New York · Buffalo

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is about 150 miles northeast of Phil's home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area he focuses on. Buffalo schools, colleges, recovery programs and workplaces get a speaker who drank for twenty years and talks about all of it.

156 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Buffalo
Erie County, NYBuffalo's county in Western New York
274,613people in Buffalo (Census estimate, July 1, 2025, U.S. Census Bureau)
Up to an hourper keynote or talk, for audiences of 50 to 600

Book Phil in Buffalo, NY Call (330) 314-0228

Phil speaking at a podium with a microphone

Why Buffalo groups book Phil Albenze

Buffalo's colleges, from the University at Buffalo to Canisius and D'Youville, get a speaker with a campus record: four talks at Otterbein University in Ohio, about 200 students each.

Phil drank for twenty years, held a job the whole time, picked up three DUIs and was shot on New Year's Eve 2002. In 2009 he weighed 304 pounds. He quit drinking cold turkey, lost about 140 pounds in a year, and became a champion natural bodybuilder and a personal trainer. For a Buffalo audience the story is close to home: he lives 156 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Buffalo audiences

Recovery centers in BuffaloFor treatment programs and recovery groups in Erie County: twenty years of drinking, three DUIs, quitting cold turkey, and the twelve steps a year later. Schools in BuffaloFor Buffalo middle and high school assemblies: the shy kid, the liquid courage, the DUIs, and five lessons from a jail cell to the stage. Colleges in BuffaloFor Buffalo campuses: Phil has spoken four times at Otterbein University, about 200 students each time. Veterans in BuffaloFor Buffalo veterans' groups: Army, 1987 to 1993, and the twenty years after it. Workplaces in BuffaloFor Buffalo HR and wellness events: the functional alcoholic who never lost his job. He spoke to 600 at HRACO. Conferences in BuffaloA keynote of up to an hour for a Buffalo conference or association meeting. His largest audience so far: 600 at HRACO. Fitness events in BuffaloFor Buffalo gyms and wellness days: 304 pounds to 4.5% body fat, and Masters boxing past 50.

The books behind the Buffalo talk

Every talk Phil gives in Buffalo comes from his memoir The Black Sword (2025) and its sequel, After the Sword (2026). Buffalo hosts can order copies on Amazon for their audience.

Hear Phil before you book him in Buffalo

Every episode of Phil's podcast has its full transcript on this site, so a Buffalo event planner can hear exactly how this motivational speaker talks before booking him.

22 minBattling Addiction and Taking Your Life Back11 minFrom Jail Cell to Stage: 5 Takeaways11 minSmall Habits, Big Change

Addiction and recovery in Buffalo and Erie County

In Erie County, New York, addiction and mental-health services are overseen by the Erie County Department of Mental Health.

Erie County, New York, confirmed 241 overdose deaths in 2025, 157 of them opioid-related (Erie County Department of Health, March 2026). Phil drank for twenty years before he quit, and his message to people still inside it is the one he gives on his podcast: "If I could do this, anybody can."

What a Buffalo audience hears

Every talk is Phil's own story, the one in his memoir The Black Sword. The flyer for his 2019 evening at California Palms Addiction Recovery Campus described it as his story "of battling obesity and alcoholism to what motivated his transformation and commitment to helping others." Talks run up to an hour.

The turning point is the center of the story: his nine-year-old son crying at the doctor's office, and Phil pulling into a gym he had passed every day on his way to the liquor store and telling a stranger, "I need help." From there he talks about replacing one habit with another, cutting off the people who drag you back, and why asking for help was the hardest step for a man raised the way he was.

Phil speaking on a stage in front of a screen that reads BELIEVE

Where Phil has spoken

Phil has spoken at Otterbein University, the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio, California Palms Addiction & Recovery Center, the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, Boardman Middle School, Hubbard High School, TCTC and the Rotary Club, to audiences from 50 to 600.

Buffalo schools, colleges and venues

Buffalo students are served by the Buffalo Public Schools; colleges in and around Buffalo include University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State University, Canisius University; Buffalo event venues include Buffalo Niagara Convention Center and KeyBank Center. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as the 26th president in Buffalo, after President William McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6; the site is now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. (National Park Service).

Booking a motivational speaker in Buffalo

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Buffalo is about 156 miles from his home in Austintown, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on, and he travels farther when an event needs him. His fee isn't published: send your Buffalo date, audience size and venue to ask.

As a speaker he has addressed audiences from 50 people at a Rotary Club to 600 at the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio, and Otterbein University has had him back four times.

Phil Albenze in the press, for Buffalo planners

Before you book a speaker in Buffalo, check the record. TRAIN magazine put his before-and-after on its cover. The Tribune Chronicle profiled him and The Black Sword. 21 News and The Vindicator reported on the blind client he trains.

  • Tribune Chronicle
  • TRAIN magazine
  • 21 News (WFMJ)
  • The Vindicator
  • Business Journal Daily

Read the press coverage

Talk topics for Buffalo events

Questions from Buffalo event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Buffalo?

Yes. Buffalo is about 156 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Buffalo?

Up to an hour, for a Buffalo classroom, a recovery group or a conference hall.

What does Phil talk about in Buffalo?

His own story, told for Buffalo audiences: twenty years of drinking, three DUIs, a shooting, 304 pounds, and the day his son's tears sent him into a gym. Then quitting cold turkey, natural bodybuilding, and helping others.

Can schools in Buffalo book Phil?

Yes. Buffalo middle schools, high schools, career centers and colleges can book him. He has spoken at Boardman Middle School, Hubbard High School and four times at Otterbein University.

Can recovery programs in Buffalo book Phil?

Yes. Buffalo treatment centers, recovery groups and county programs can book him. California Palms Addiction Recovery Campus in Austintown has hosted him three times.

Does Phil speak to veterans' groups in Buffalo?

Yes. Phil served in the US Army from 1987 to 1993 and speaks to Buffalo veterans' posts and programs about the drinking that took over after he came home.

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Buffalo?

Yes. He spoke to 600 people at the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio, and Buffalo conferences can book a keynote of up to an hour.

Is there a book to go with a talk in Buffalo?

Yes. The Black Sword is the story the talk comes from, and After the Sword is the sequel. Buffalo hosts can order copies through Amazon.

How do I book Phil for an event in Buffalo?

Send a message through this site with your Buffalo date, audience and venue, or call Body by Phil at (330) 314-0228.

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Motivational speaker in every city within 200 miles of Youngstown · Speaking

Book Phil Albenze in Buffalo

Send your date, audience and venue in Buffalo, or call (330) 314-0228.

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