Philip Albenze

Ohio · Mahoning Valley · Youngstown

Motivational and addiction recovery speaker in Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is where Phil's story happened. He grew up in North Jackson and Lake Milton, trains clients at Body by Phil on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown, and has spoken at Hubbard High School, Boardman Middle School and the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center.

4 milesfrom Phil's home in Austintown to Youngstown
Mahoning County, OHYoungstown's county, home to Phil's gym in Austintown
58,832people in Youngstown (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 Youngstown, OH Call (330) 314-0228

Phil in boxing gear ringside, getting a kiss on the cheek
Ringside at a Masters boxing card.

Why Youngstown groups book Phil Albenze

Youngstown audiences already know pieces of the story. The Vindicator and the Tribune Chronicle have covered his gym, his book and his Masters bouts in Girard and Youngstown, and 21 News has filmed at Body by Phil twice.

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 Youngstown audience the story is close to home: he lives 4 miles away, in Austintown, Ohio.

Talks for Youngstown audiences

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

The books behind the Youngstown talk

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

Hear Phil before you book him in Youngstown

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

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

In 2023, 141 Mahoning County residents died of unintentional drug overdoses, an age-adjusted rate of 65.7 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 Youngstown 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.

A group training class at Body by Phil with Phil coaching
A group class at Body by Phil in Austintown.

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.

Youngstown schools, colleges and venues

Youngstown students are served by the Youngstown City School District; colleges in and around Youngstown include Youngstown State University, Kent State University at Trumbull (Warren, OH); Youngstown event venues include Covelli Centre and DeYor Performing Arts Center (Edward W. Powers Auditorium, Ford Family Recital Hall). Phil speaks to every kind of audience on that list, from a classroom to a conference hall.

On September 19, 1977, Youngstown Sheet & Tube announced it would close the Campbell Works with the loss of 5,000 jobs. The Valley still calls it Black Monday. (The Vindicator).

Booking a motivational speaker in Youngstown

Phil gives a conference keynote, a school assembly, a recovery-group talk or a workplace session, each up to an hour. Youngstown is about 4 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 Youngstown 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 Youngstown planners

Before you book a speaker in Youngstown, 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 Youngstown events

Questions from Youngstown event planners

Does Phil Albenze travel to Youngstown?

Yes. Youngstown is about 4 miles from his home in Austintown, Ohio, inside the 200-mile area around Youngstown he focuses on.

How long is a talk in Youngstown?

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

What does Phil talk about in Youngstown?

His own story, told for Youngstown 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 Youngstown book Phil?

Yes. Youngstown 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 Youngstown book Phil?

Yes. Youngstown 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 Youngstown?

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

Can Phil give a keynote at a conference in Youngstown?

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

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

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

How do I book Phil for an event in Youngstown?

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

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Book Phil Albenze in Youngstown

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