Philip Albenze

West Virginia · North Central West Virginia · Morgantown

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown is about 110 miles south of Phil's home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area he focuses on. For WVU groups and Monongalia County schools he brings twenty years of drinking, told by the man who did it, and the turn that came after.

110 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Morgantown
Monongalia County, WVMorgantown's county, home of WVU
30,293people in Morgantown (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 Morgantown, WV Call (330) 314-0228

Phil speaking at a podium with a microphone

Why Morgantown groups book Phil Albenze

Campus audiences have already asked Phil back: four talks at Otterbein University in Ohio, 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 Morgantown audience the story is close to home: he lives 110 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Morgantown audiences

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

The books behind the Morgantown talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in Morgantown

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

In Monongalia County, the regional behavioral health center for addiction and mental-health care is Valley HealthCare System.

West Virginia's Office of Drug Control Policy counted 49 overdose deaths in Monongalia County in 2024, down from 77 in 2023 (West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy, 2025 county snapshot). 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 Morgantown 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.

Morgantown schools, colleges and venues

Morgantown students are served by the Monongalia County Schools; colleges in and around Morgantown include West Virginia University, West Virginia Junior College (Morgantown campus); Morgantown event venues include Hope Coliseum (WVU, formerly WVU Coliseum) and Hazel & J.W. Ruby Community Center Event Complex at Mylan Park. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

WVU's Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) has run since October 1975 and is the first large-scale automated guideway transit system in the United States, linking WVU's Morgantown campuses with downtown. (West Virginia University).

Booking a motivational speaker in Morgantown

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Morgantown is about 110 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 Morgantown 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 Morgantown planners

Before you book a speaker in Morgantown, 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 Morgantown events

Questions from Morgantown event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Morgantown?

Yes. Morgantown is about 110 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Morgantown?

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

What does Phil talk about in Morgantown?

His own story, told for Morgantown 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 Morgantown book Phil?

Yes. Morgantown 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 Morgantown book Phil?

Yes. Morgantown 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 Morgantown?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Morgantown?

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

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

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

How do I book Phil for an event in Morgantown?

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

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Book Phil Albenze in Morgantown

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