Philip Albenze

Pennsylvania · Northwestern Pennsylvania · Erie

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is about 80 miles north of Phil's home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area he focuses on. Erie schools, colleges, recovery programs and workplaces get a speaker who drank for twenty years, quit cold turkey and became a champion natural bodybuilder.

78 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Erie
Erie County, PAErie's county on Lake Erie
91,838people in Erie (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 Erie, PA Call (330) 314-0228

Phil speaking at a podium with a microphone

Why Erie groups book Phil Albenze

Erie's colleges, from Gannon and Mercyhurst to Penn State Behrend, get a speaker with a campus record: Otterbein University in Ohio has had Phil back four times, about 200 students each time.

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 Erie audience the story is close to home: he lives 78 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Erie audiences

Recovery centers in ErieFor 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 ErieFor Erie 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 ErieFor Erie campuses: Phil has spoken four times at Otterbein University, about 200 students each time. Veterans in ErieFor Erie veterans' groups: Army, 1987 to 1993, and the twenty years after it. Workplaces in ErieFor Erie HR and wellness events: the functional alcoholic who never lost his job. He spoke to 600 at HRACO. Conferences in ErieA keynote of up to an hour for a Erie conference or association meeting. His largest audience so far: 600 at HRACO. Fitness events in ErieFor Erie gyms and wellness days: 304 pounds to 4.5% body fat, and Masters boxing past 50.

The books behind the Erie talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in Erie

Every episode of Phil's podcast has its full transcript on this site, so a Erie 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 Erie and Erie County

In Erie County, drug and alcohol services run through the Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Erie County reported 66 overdose deaths in 2024 (Erie County 2025 Overdose Fatality Review report). 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 Erie 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 on stage beside a projected photo of himself at his heaviest
Telling the story beside a photo of the man he used to be.

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.

Erie schools, colleges and venues

Erie students are served by the Erie's Public Schools; colleges in and around Erie include Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State Behrend; Erie event venues include Bayfront Convention Center and Erie Insurance Arena. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

Six of the eleven vessels in Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's War of 1812 fleet were built in Erie at the mouth of Cascade Creek; Perry won the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813 after shifting his flag to the brig Niagara, and a replica of the Niagara sails from the Erie Maritime Museum. (Pennsylvania DCNR, Presque Isle State Park).

Booking a motivational speaker in Erie

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Erie is about 78 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 Erie 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 Erie planners

Before you book a speaker in Erie, 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 Erie events

Questions from Erie event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Erie?

Yes. Erie is about 78 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Erie?

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

What does Phil talk about in Erie?

His own story, told for Erie 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 Erie book Phil?

Yes. Erie 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 Erie book Phil?

Yes. Erie 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 Erie?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Erie?

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

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

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

How do I book Phil for an event in Erie?

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

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Book Phil Albenze in Erie

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

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