Philip Albenze

Ohio · Mahoning Valley · Warren

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Warren, Ohio

The Tribune Chronicle in Warren profiled Phil and The Black Sword in September 2025. Trumbull County is familiar ground for him: he has spoken at Hubbard High School and boxed on Masters cards in Girard.

10 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Warren
Trumbull County, OHWarren's county, which also takes in Girard and Hubbard
38,328people in Warren (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 Warren, OH Call (330) 314-0228

Phil speaking at a podium with a microphone

Why Warren groups book Phil Albenze

Warren groups get a speaker from down the road. Phil's gym in Austintown is about 10 miles away, and the people in his podcast episodes, from a blind boxer to a 70-year-old cancer survivor, are Mahoning Valley neighbors.

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 Warren audience the story is close to home: he lives 10 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Warren audiences

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

The books behind the Warren talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in Warren

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

In Trumbull County, public money for addiction and mental-health services runs through the Trumbull County Mental Health & Recovery Board.

In 2023, 124 Trumbull County residents died of unintentional drug overdoses, an age-adjusted rate of 67.3 per 100,000 (Ohio Department of Health, 2023 Unintentional Drug Overdose Report, Table 8). 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 Warren 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 in boxing gear ringside, getting a kiss on the cheek
Ringside at a Masters boxing card.

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.

Warren schools, colleges and venues

Warren students are served by the Warren City Schools; colleges in and around Warren include Kent State University at Trumbull, Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH); Warren event venues include W.D. Packard Music Hall. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

The first Packard automobile rolled out of the Packard brothers' lamp factory on Dana Street in Warren on November 6, 1899. (Tribune Chronicle).

Booking a motivational speaker in Warren

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Warren is about 10 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 Warren 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 Warren planners

Before you book a speaker in Warren, 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 Warren events

Questions from Warren event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Warren?

Yes. Warren is about 10 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Warren?

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

What does Phil talk about in Warren?

His own story, told for Warren 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 Warren book Phil?

Yes. Warren 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 Warren book Phil?

Yes. Warren 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 Warren?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Warren?

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

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

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

How do I book Phil for an event in Warren?

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

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Book Phil Albenze in Warren

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

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