Local fitness instructor leaves finance job for good after finding her true calling [Video]

For Pride Month, many businesses are supporting the LGBTQ community. That includes Barry’s—which is a gay-founded and led gym that works to create an inclusive environment.

“I’m a runner,” admitted Kelly Whittaker, the Chief Instructor at Barry’s Downtown Crossing.

To put it modestly, at the age of 37, Kelly Whittaker has already completed 39 marathons—including the Boston Marathon in 2013.

“I finished and crossed the finish line actually 8 seconds before the bombs went off,” said Whittaker. “So I was right there. As you can imagine, that really impacted me. It took me a little while to like find my purpose with that, but ever since I’ve really tried to make running my focus in life.”

Kelly quickly realized that sitting at a desk all day for her job in finance wasn’t her passion. So she took a big risk and started teaching at Barry’s shortly after it opened in …