Philip Albenze

West Virginia · Northern Panhandle · Wheeling

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is about 70 miles south of Phil's gym in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area he focuses on. Wheeling schools, colleges, recovery programs and workplaces get a speaker who drank for twenty years, quit cold turkey and became a champion natural bodybuilder.

72 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Wheeling
Ohio County, WVWheeling's county in the Northern Panhandle
25,680people in Wheeling (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 Wheeling, WV Call (330) 314-0228

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

Why Wheeling groups book Phil Albenze

Phil grew up a few miles from Youngstown, in North Jackson and Lake Milton, and served in the Army before the drinking took over. Northern Panhandle audiences get a story from just up the road.

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 Wheeling audience the story is close to home: he lives 72 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Wheeling audiences

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

The books behind the Wheeling talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in Wheeling

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

In Ohio County, the regional behavioral health center for addiction and mental-health care is Northwood Health Systems.

West Virginia's Office of Drug Control Policy counted 20 overdose deaths in Ohio County in 2024, down from 32 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 Wheeling 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.

Wheeling schools, colleges and venues

Wheeling students are served by the Ohio County Schools; colleges in and around Wheeling include Wheeling University, West Virginia Northern Community College, West Liberty University; Wheeling event venues include WesBanco Arena and Capitol Theatre. Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling hosted the first and second Wheeling Conventions and the first West Virginia Constitutional Convention, and served as capitol of the 'Restored Government of Virginia' from 1861 to 1863. It was never West Virginia's own capitol. (West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History).

Booking a motivational speaker in Wheeling

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Wheeling is about 72 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 Wheeling 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 Wheeling planners

Before you book a speaker in Wheeling, 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 Wheeling events

Questions from Wheeling event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Wheeling?

Yes. Wheeling is about 72 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Wheeling?

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

What does Phil talk about in Wheeling?

His own story, told for Wheeling 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 Wheeling book Phil?

Yes. Wheeling 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 Wheeling book Phil?

Yes. Wheeling 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 Wheeling?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Wheeling?

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

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

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

How do I book Phil for an event in Wheeling?

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

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Book Phil Albenze in Wheeling

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