LOCH SHELDRAKE -- I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to SUNY Sullivan's 23rd annual Women's Conference. A group of women conferring? Women getting together to talk about issues facing our gender today? But when I walked through the doors and was greeted by an extremely friendly group of women dressed as Rosie the Riveter, I knew it was going to be something I was going to enjoy.

Said Rosie the Riveters signed me in, handed me a program and a goodie bag. I didn't have time to look in it as I was off to the first event of the day, the keynote speaker Robin Fox.

Fox is a stand-up comedian, and has appeared on Nick Jr.'s “Mom's Night Out” series, has hosted the Lincoln Center “Lucie Awards” and is the winner of the Gilda's Club Laugh Off. And she sure was funny. Her jokes and stories had the audience roaring in laughter, and you could tell so many of us could relate to what Fox was saying.

But she wasn't there just for laughs. She also had some wise words of advice. She talked about stepping into your power, and told her own personal story. Ever since she was little she wanted to be a comedian. But she lived in a time when women didn't do that; they were mothers and housekeepers.

She went to college and then began a career in advertising. She married and had two children, and she loved being a mother and a wife. But that dream was always there, tucked in the back of her mind. It wasn't until later in life when she finally decided: I'm going to be a comedian.

And it's not just about having a dream; there's a lot of work and dedication that goes into it. In between having a career and raising her kids, she found the time to read books by some of her favorite women comedians. She learned from their stories.

She then signed up to do her first stand-up routine. She only had five minutes on stage, and even though the other comedians didn't listen to her, there were people in the audience who came up to her and said she was funny.

She decided to keep going. She signed up for more stand-up time and took comedy classes. She then started gaining success, and is where she is today: touring across the country doing comedy shows.

Her talk was both entertaining and enlightening, and set the perfect tone for the day. The schedule included a variety of workshops, and you could sign up to take two. They had everything from classes on diet and exercise, to cooking, to yoga, as well as more spiritual offerings like classes on crystals, tarot cards and Reiki.

I attended the morning workshop “Eat to Live: Retooling Your Diet.” It was presented by Dr. Lauren Roman, MD, Amanda Highhouse, RD and Jacqueline Palmer, Chef at Catskill Regional Medical Group and Catskill Regional Medical Center.

These medical experts provided practical and information-packed advice. In a time when fad diets seem to be taking over, they went back to the basics: eat lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, nuts and legumes. Limit your intake of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats (such as butter). They also recommend getting at least 30 minutes of daily exercise, which can include walking, swimming, hiking, etc.

The class ended with Chef Palmer demonstrating how to make a delicious and healthy salad. It included greens (spinach and kale), baked chicken, quinoa, black barley, fennel, strawberries, sunflower seeds and a creamy avocado dressing. The combination of veggies, protein and grains made it really fulfilling (unlike boring salads that often leave me unsatisfied and still hungry).

After the workshop I remembered my goodie bag. I looked inside and there was a small, pink toolbox. I couldn't help but smile, as the theme of the entire conference was “Retooling Your Life.”

I left the conference feeling as if I had a lot of new tools in my toolbox; not just the literal ones, but the ones you can't see or touch. I was feeling inspired by Fox's speech, by the valuable information I had learned in the diet workshop, and by an overall sense of women coming together and lifting each other up.