The room was charged with anticipation and enthusiasm as An Empowered Woman held its One Day event at the Luxe Hotel in Bel Air, Calif., on June 5.

"In one day, you can change your mind, your attitude, your life," Desiree Doubrox--founder, host and organizer--told the women attending,

The air was festive as old friends embraced, new friendships began and both neophyte and long-time entrepreneurs were regaled by outstanding women business owners who described how their lives were changed for the better in a single day.

1. For interior designer Bobi Leonard, it was the day real estate mogul and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling volunteered to be her mentor.
    
2. For PR maven Jill Lublin, it was the day she broke both her ankles. "God stopped me in my tracks," she says. He not only taught her how to ask for help, he turned her thoughts inward. "What the world needs now is hope," she concluded. So she developed the Messages of Hope TV show, which will debut in the Bay Area in July. "I'm going to bring hope to the planet and force you to take action on the dreams brewing in your head," she says.
    
3. For restaurateur Madelyn Alfano, the day that changed her life was the day her son, who was developmentally disabled, died. "I learned from his life not to take for granted the simplest things we can do, and not to underestimate the value of relationships," she says.
    
4. For business consultant Kimber Lim, it was learning to be less self-reliant, realizing that, as she puts it, "surrender isn't for sissies." She also challenged every attendee not to focus only on monetary success but to take the "components of yourself that you've been putting on the shelf and discover what's going to be magical or amazing" about your life.

Frequent short breaks gave the women a chance to schmooze, exchange business cards and ask questions of the speakers. Everyone had an opportunity to present a 30-second elevator speech. During the course of the day Dubrox also called upon a number of women to give a short presentation about the day that changed their lives.

They ranged from 76-year-old Joyce Kenyon--who at age 53 discovered The Radiance Technique, which healed her of migraines and back spasms, and prompted her to teach the technique to others--to legally blind life coach Nancy Solari. Solari uses the insights she gained from living with vision loss to helps clients overcome the obstacles that keep them from living life to its fullest and achieving their dreams.

As Lim put it, "Whatever your dreams are, your goals are, you can achieve them."