Six and a half years ago, Jack and Karen Ensign were among the busiest real estate agents in Kitsap County. In the top five of local Realtors in terms of listings and sales, they were making exceptionally good money. The problem was they had very little time to enjoy it.

Then, one day, amid all the noise and activity in their private office at Windermere Real Estate in Silverdale, Jack overheard the bookkeeper in the next room say, “I put these things in my shoes and all the swelling in my feet and ankles went away in just a few minutes.”

Jack took off his headset and went over to find out what it was she was talking about. He ended up buying three pairs of what are called Magsteps — magnets that fit in your shoes.

However, when asked if he would like to join Nikken, the network marketing company that sells them and be able to buy them wholesale, Jack quickly replied, “No thanks. Been there, done that.”

The Ensigns had previous experience with several network-marketing companies — none of them good. “We never made any money and several of the companies went broke,” says Karen.

But the Ensigns have both always been very interested in health and wellness. In fact, one of the previous network marketing companies they were involved with sold a health drink called Barley Green.

It took awhile, but they came to believe Nikken was different. “It fit right in with our belief that good health is priceless and that it is far better to invest a little money in prevention than try to regain health later,” Jack says. “We ended up buying all of Nikken’s products, but we did join so we could buy wholesale!”

The Ensigns credit Trish Schwenkler with getting them involved in the company. “Trish encouraged us to come to a wellness review where Dennis Williams was the presenter,” Karen says. “We still didn’t get excited about Nikken as a business because we were just so busy in real estate that we didn’t see the possibilities.”

Jack went to the Nikken convention in Seattle in 1994 and heard Nikken founder Isamu Masuda speak of a balanced life, humans being more, and his vision of offering health and wellness to the whole world. It struck a responsive chord in him and he came back and said, “Karen, we are going to do this and we are going to take this all the way to the top!”

Karen was not quite as enthusiastic. “In fact, I cried,” she says, “but I was willing to support my husband.”

They had been attending local Nikken functions when Schwenkler called and said they needed to go to the first Team Diamond event being held in Hilton Head and meet the leaders.

Even though they had just returned from a vacation and had work piled up and waiting for them, Jack said, “We had great respect for Trish and when she said, ‘Go, it’s important,’ we did.”

It was in Hilton Head that Karen understood the vision.

Jack and Karen met the leaders and found they were not only successful and making money, but they were relaxed and had a lifestyle of balance. They also had the two things the Ensigns craved more than anything — time and freedom.

“We compared the top agents in real estate who work ever more hours and hire more assistants, adding ever greater stress and liability,” says Jack. “Then we looked at our new Nikken friends and saw that as they moved up the ranks and made more money, they worked less hours and had more family and personal time. They were relaxed and laughing and having so much fun helping others.”

It was an easy choice for Jack and Karen who decided that Nikken was the ticket for them to achieve their goals for not only financial security, but the family time and freedom they desired as well.

Although their real estate business continued to boom, they managed to fit Nikken into their schedules a little at a time. They took people to Wellness Previews every week and went to all the training and events, including Silver Training and Gold Training, both of which were transformational for them.

“We began to grow,” said Jack. “We needed to learn how to go from being successful in real estate, as individuals, to learning how to build teams and to empower others to dream and to let their special qualities shine.”

Not long ago, the Ensigns reached the Diamond level, and were featured on the cover of Nikken’s nationally distributed magazine. However, they were quick to note that achieving the Diamond status is a team effort, and were quick to thank everyone who made the dream a reality for them. “This is a team win!” said an elated Jack.

Jack and Karen’s path to success includes seeing the good in everyone and treating each person as unique and special. “Grow, go to the events, listen to tapes by mentors like Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn and Bob Proctor,” says Jack. “This is a very simple business. It is all based on our attitudes and beliefs.”

The Ensigns use affirmations and visualization to help move them from where they are to where they want to be. They also talk to lots of people and share from the heart. Karen says, “Write down your goals, make a rock solid commitment, and go for it! We want to help people dream big dreams. Help them be free to create their own life. We want everyone to know that if we can do it, they can do it, too!”.