Philip Albenze

HR, wellness and employee assistance

The employee nobody knew was drowning

For twenty years Phil Albenze showed up to work hungover and went home to 24 to 30 beers. "I was always able to hold a job," he says. "I was becoming what I know now to be a functional alcoholic." The Human Resource Association of Central Ohio had him tell that story to 600 HR professionals. It is the story of an employee who looked fine until he wasn't.

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Phil speaking at a podium with a microphone

What it looked like from his desk

Phil tells the routine in plain detail on his podcast. "I'd wake up early, more often than not hungover, and go to work." He'd throw up, shower or not, and go in, feeling sick all day with his head pounding, then do it again that night. "And repeat this pattern, this destructive behavior, for years. I did this for 20 years."

The people around him drank the way he did, and he avoided anyone who might say something. Food was a second addiction: at his heaviest he weighed 304 pounds, needed an inhaler, had high blood pressure and a fatty liver, and was close to type 2 diabetes. A doctor finally told him his body was like a 70-year-old man's.

What changed, and what workplaces can take from it

What turned him was his nine-year-old son crying at the doctor's office, and a stranger at a gym who said, "I got you. Let's start tomorrow." Phil quit drinking cold turkey, worked the twelve steps with a sponsor, and lost about 140 pounds in a year.

The lessons he draws on his podcast apply on both sides of the desk. He now runs his own business, Body by Phil in Austintown, Ohio:

  • Meet people where they are. "I'm here to help and encourage, not tear anyone down." His gym has no yelling, and its clients have included a blind man another gym turned away.
  • Asking for help is the hardest step. He grew up in an Italian family where "asking for help was often looked at as a sign of weakness."
  • Discipline beats motivation. "The real champion mindset, you know, is the days that you do those things, you get up and you go when you really don't want to."
  • Small habits compound. "Small habits repeated over time create massive change."
A group training class at Body by Phil with Phil coaching
A group class at Body by Phil in Austintown.

Format

A keynote of up to an hour for HR conferences, employee assistance programs, wellness kickoffs and leadership meetings. Phil is based in Austintown, Ohio, and travels in any state, with a focus on events within about 200 miles of Youngstown.

Where he has spoken

  • Otterbein University4 talks, about 200 each people
  • Human Resource Association of Central Ohio (HRACO)1 talk, 600 people
  • California Palms Addiction & Recovery Center3 talks, 100 to 150 each people
  • Mahoning County Career & Technical Center (MCCTC)3 talks, 100 to 150 each people
  • Boardman Middle School1 talk, 200 people
  • Hubbard High School1 talk, 200 people
  • Trumbull Career & Technical Center (TCTC)1 talk, 100 people
  • Rotary Club1 talk, 50 to 60 people

Hear him first

22 minBattling Addiction and Taking Your Life Back3 minDiscipline Over Motivation11 minSmall Habits, Big Change

Workplace wellness keynotes near you

Phil focuses on events within about 200 miles of Youngstown, Ohio. These cities have their own page:

Questions from HR and event planners

Has Phil spoken to HR professionals before?

Yes. He spoke to 600 people at the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio.

Is the talk about alcohol only?

Alcohol, food addiction and health. The workplace thread is that he held a job through all of it, and what finally reached him.

How long is it?

Up to an hour.

Where does Phil travel?

Anywhere, with a focus on events within about 200 miles of Youngstown, Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Detroit and the cities between.

Is there a book to go with the keynote?

Yes. The Black Sword is the story the talk comes from, in paperback, Kindle and audiobook.

Can the talk be part of a wellness week or an employee assistance program?

Yes. His story fits that audience: for twenty years he looked fine at work while drinking every night.

Book Phil for your workplace event

Send your date, audience and city, or call (330) 314-0228.

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