Today we’d like to introduce you to Elijah Busier.
Hi Elijah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, my name is Elijah, but I didn’t come into this world with that name. My birth name is Desiree, and I am a proud Transgender man. I decided to share this part of my story because it ties into my whole life and career. I spent most of my life in Pleasanton, California where I was born and lived out my youth. I always knew I was different when I was younger, but never understood why I felt like I never fit in. As years passed in my life, I became more of a tomboy and soon fell in love with my best friend, that was a woman. After that, everything change in my life, but it was a long road all through my teen years and twenties trying to figure out who I really was or who I wanted to become. Over those years, I struggled with identity and cutting off my hair. In my small town, a lot of people would look at me when I presented myself to others dressed like a man. I grew tired of this feeling and at the time I had a girlfriend that wanted to move to San Diego at this point in my life I had nothing to lose so, I packed my bags and hit the road. At the time I was working in the medical field as a sterile processing technician at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto but resigned and got a job with a hospital in San Diego doing the same thing. I never imagined that moving to a beautiful place like San Diego could change my whole life! Beginnings are tough, and moving to a place where you only know your girlfriend is hard. Time passed, and I started to feel like this place was my home; I feel in love with San Diego, and it took my breath away. San Diego inspired me to become better in every way imaginable. About a year after I moved here I change careers and became a personal trainer I told myself I wanted to help people before they ended up in hospitals, or unhappy in their life. I was a personal trainer for about six years, and I loved every minute of it. To watch people change into the most beautiful, best versions of themselves changes you and fills your soul. I also competed in bodybuilding for the first time for an NPC show in San Diego and got 3rd place. Even though I stepped on that stage in a swim suit I still never felt confident or comfortable I had this space inside me that just was never full no matter how much I helped others or achieved. Around the time Covid hit my personal training hit rock bottom, so I went back to an old job at Trader Joe’s, thinking to myself every day this is not the end of my road. I always had this little dream of becoming a firefighter, but I only stand 5’2, and even though I am strong, I didn’t really believe I had what it takes. That year during Covid was hard on the whole world but it really gave me something so powerful it gave me courage because all I could think of is if this is my last chance in life to become who I want to be then I need to just do it! So, one day, I was sitting on my couch processing my thoughts and decided I am going to apply to fire academy, and I did it. Another thing I would do in my free time was stalk pages on Instagram that had transgender men and I would ask myself over and over if maybe I was meant to be a man but was scared to lose my family and friends. I also did modeling on the side and at a photo shoot one day I met a transgender man and we became good friends over time I realized with his connection that I definitely was meant to be a man. He inspired me to finally sit down and say I am ready to share this with the world. I am ready to show them who I really am. Those conversations were probably the hardest conversations I will ever have in my life. I lost family, friend, loved ones, but I was finally doing this for myself, and no one else, and that feeling was the most freeing feeling I would ever experience in this lifetime. I also had people in my corner, but it took time for them to understand. The crazy part is I started transitioning at the same time I was going through Fire Academy and let me tell you that is not a good combination haha! I have never pushed my body past its breaking point in all my life but I did in that academy and guess what I made it! Soon after as my body was changing I got picked up with Calfire and did my first season as a wildland firefighter and man was it hot! I was becoming more of a man day by day and the guys at first would really give me the cold shoulder but over time they learned that I was trying to be the best to stay equal with them and the boys respected that. During my season, I got helicoptered out to the middle of nowhere to fight fires a lot, and I always enjoyed being in the helicopter; little did I know that would soon inspire me for my next adventure in life. After that season I finally started growing a beard and really seeing the man I was becoming and boy oh boy I finally felt like I was me in my own skin. I felt so alive! I decided with my second season that I wasted to work with a private contractor company that worked with wildland firefighters that would go out to job sites with SDGE and I also decided I wanted to change my career path one more time and go into aviation. Now we have fast forward to where I am in life now. I am back in school to become a pilot and what I really want to do is inspire people, I want to inspire my community and all others that you have what it take to become anything you want in this lifetime! If sharing my story stories helps others then I have lived a fulfilled life! Of course, there is always more I could add to this story but that would become a book haha! Thanks!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My struggles, man I had so many, but to name a few, was transitioning and my relationships around that, becoming a firefighter, being a trans man, and now becoming a pilot as a trans man.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I am a firefighter, and I specialize in wildland firefighting. I used to be a personal trainer and completed in bodybuilding. Now, I am getting into aviation and becoming a pilot. I am known for how inspiring I am and how dedicated and determined I am with my goals. I am most proud of allowing myself to be authenticity me in all areas of my life. I believe what sets me apart from others is I truly believe I can do anything, and I never give up even if the odds are against me.
How do you think about luck?
I believe I had a little bit of both good and bad luck. We hyper-focus on the bad but I also believe that the bad is what makes us good in the end. We need to learn to grow. Even if I don’t feel like I have a lot of luck, I believe that if I stay positive, good things will continue to come my way, and they somehow just do!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @elijah_busier
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desiree.busier
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/desiree-busier-546588152
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@elijahbusier?_t=8hpkaEKxwEw&_r=1 https://linktr.ee/elijahbsr
