Philip Albenze

Pennsylvania · Central Pennsylvania · State College

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in State College, Pennsylvania

State College is about 150 miles east of Phil's home in Austintown, Ohio, at the eastern edge of the 200-mile area he focuses on. For Penn State groups and State College schools he brings the story of a shy man who found liquid courage in a bottle and spent twenty years paying for it.

151 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to State College
Centre County, PAState College's county, home of Penn State
40,844people in State College (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 State College, PA Call (330) 314-0228

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

Why State College groups book Phil Albenze

Campus audiences have already asked Phil back: he has spoken four times at Otterbein University in Ohio, to 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 State College audience the story is close to home: he lives 151 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for State College audiences

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

The books behind the State College talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in State College

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

In Centre County, drug and alcohol services are coordinated by Centre County Drug & Alcohol, the county's Single County Authority.

Pennsylvania's provisional count shows 9 overdose deaths in Centre County in 2024 (Pennsylvania Department of Health, open data). 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 State College 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 at a podium with a microphone

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.

State College schools, colleges and venues

State College students are served by the State College Area School District; colleges in and around State College include The Pennsylvania State University (University Park), South Hills School of Business & Technology (State College main campus); State College event venues include Bryce Jordan Center and The Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

Penn State, the reason State College exists, was chartered by the Commonwealth in 1855 as a college of agricultural science and is Pennsylvania's only land-grant university. (Penn State, History).

Booking a motivational speaker in State College

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. State College is about 151 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 State College 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 State College planners

Before you book a speaker in State College, 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 State College events

Questions from State College event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to State College?

Yes. State College is about 151 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in State College?

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

What does Phil talk about in State College?

His own story, told for State College 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 State College book Phil?

Yes. State College 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 State College book Phil?

Yes. State College 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 State College?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in State College?

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

Is there a book to go with a talk in State College?

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

How do I book Phil for an event in State College?

Send a message through this site with your State College 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 State College

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

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