Candie Zar did not begin her fitness business with a packed studio, a large staff, or a waiting list. She began with three women, a free trial class, and a determination to keep showing up even when the numbers did not make financial sense.
More than a decade later, SWEATWITHCANDIE has become a busy women-only fitness community in Great Neck. Classes run from early morning through the evening, often drawing dozens of participants at a time. The business also offers personal training, children’s programming, mother-and-child classes, camps, and private events.
Its growth has been significant, but Zar believes the company’s real value cannot be measured by attendance alone. She has built a place where women can exercise without judgment, connect with one another, and become more confident in their bodies and lives.
Turning Education Into Movement
Fitness had been part of Zar’s life long before it became a business. As a child, she read anything she could find about nutrition and exercise. She was constantly moving, climbing, and looking for new physical challenges.
She also loved group fitness classes. The energy of exercising beside other people made movement feel social and motivating, while still allowing each person to compete primarily with herself.
Zar initially planned to build a more traditional career in education. She earned a master’s degree in special education and early childhood education and had grown up around children through her mother’s daycare business.
After having children of her own, however, she reconsidered what she wanted from her professional life. She wanted meaningful work, but she also wanted the flexibility to remain actively involved with her family.
Fitness instruction gave her a way to combine those priorities.
Teaching a workout class required many of the same skills she had developed as an educator. She needed to explain movements clearly, recognize different ability levels, motivate people, and create an environment where participants felt comfortable learning.
She eventually developed a class called Sweat Session, which combined strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and Pilates-inspired movements.
The early response was slow.
Zar paid rent while losing money and sometimes watched participants leave as quickly as new ones arrived. It took between six months and a year to establish a consistent class.
What kept her going was the belief of a few early participants. One woman repeatedly assured her that the classes would grow and that people would eventually be waiting outside the door.
That confidence helped Zar continue long enough for the community to take shape.
Creating a Space Built on Belonging
SWEATWITHCANDIE was designed specifically for women. Zar had attended both coed and women-only gyms and found that an all-female environment created a different level of comfort.
That distinction is particularly meaningful in her Persian Jewish community, where some religious women cover their hair or dress modestly in public. Inside the studio, they can remove those coverings, move freely, and exercise without feeling watched.
The environment is also welcoming to women from outside that religious background. Zar says the common attraction is the freedom to focus on oneself without comparison or embarrassment.
Her educational philosophy remains central to the experience. She uses positive reinforcement and reminds new participants that they do not need to arrive fit, coordinated, or confident.
The hardest step is simply entering the room.
A beginner may use one-pound weights while another participant lifts 20 pounds. Zar encourages women to see that difference as evidence of what is possible rather than a reason to feel intimidated. The stronger participant also started somewhere.
That approach has helped produce transformations extending far beyond physical appearance.
Zar recalls one woman who lost roughly 80 pounds, developed visible strength, and went from appearing drained and unhappy to arriving with energy and enthusiasm. Another participant entered the community after a devastating family loss. Through consistent exercise, she gradually rebuilt her emotional strength and became someone who now encourages others through their own struggles.
These women did not simply change their bodies. They changed how they carried themselves.
Growing Without Losing the Culture
As the business expanded, Zar had to balance friendship, community, and financial reality. Many participants are relatives, friends, or women who became close to her through the studio.
Charging for services initially felt uncomfortable, but she learned that a business can remain caring while also recognizing the value it provides.
She has taken a similarly careful approach to hiring. Zar would rather cancel a class than bring in an instructor who does not fit the company’s culture. Many of her instructors began as participants, which means they already understand the atmosphere she wants to protect.
She encourages them to incorporate elements of the SWEATWITHCANDIE style while also developing their own identities as teachers.
That investment is paying off. Zar recently opened a second space next door to the original studio, allowing other instructors to lead full classes at the same time she teaches.
Her next goal is to make the experience available beyond Great Neck through livestreamed and recorded classes. Women who have moved, traveled, or heard about the community from other cities have asked for a way to participate remotely.
For Zar, expansion is not only about reaching more customers. It is about spreading a simple message: caring for oneself is not selfish.
Women, especially mothers, often give their energy to everyone around them. Zar believes setting aside one hour for exercise can help them return to their families, careers, and communities feeling stronger, happier, and more capable.
“Exercise is not an option,” she says. Health may not eliminate life’s problems, but without it, every other concern can quickly become secondary.