About Makin Institute for NeuroChange

Our Mission

Our mission is to inspire people and organizations, especially the Church, to ReThink Change.

We promote transformative change strategies in individuals, practitioners, leaders, pastors, and organizations.

The Way We Work

Many mental health professionals operate off the old paradigm of the brain and emotions and focus on insight, new ways of thinking, or changing your behavior. We facilitate corrective relational experiences to replace earlier unhealthy experiences, which cutting-edge neuroscience informs us is the most powerful way to create change.

We teach 6 NeuroChange strategies, 5 NeuroRelational skills, and 4 NeuroDynamic techniques are the central components for creating deep, lasting change in the fastest way possible.

You will learn this through immersive relational experiences within a group atmosphere. Our facilitators have years of experience enhancing and accelerating these kinds of experiences. Differences are valued as group members draw close to one another in the midst of their weaknesses or failures while collaborating and championing one another's gifts, passions, and strengths.

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Makin Institute Founders

Scott Makin, MA

Scott Makin is an executive leadership coach, business consultant, and a licensed mental health counselor for over 30 years. He co-founded the Graduate School, Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling, with Dr. John Townsend (New York Times best-selling author)…

…at Huntington University and then later at Concordia University Irvine. He was the Executive Director from 2014 to 2021. He has given hundreds of presentations and led hundreds of small group growth experiences for small organizations to billion-dollar companies.

Scott was the Founder and Director of the Wabash Friends Counseling Center from 1993 to 2014. He also founded Huntington County Outreach in 1981, later becoming the Joe Mertz Center in 1992 and eventually renamed the Friesen Center in 2013 at Huntington University.

Scott has been an adjunct faculty member in psychology for over 40 years at various Christian and public universities. He has worked as an Associate Dean for Students, Director of Residence Life, and Resident Director for 13 years at Indiana Wesleyan University, LeTourneau University, and Huntington University.

He graduated cum laude from Houghton College in 1977 with BS in Psychology and magna cum laude from Trinity International University in 1980 with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology.

A resident of Wabash, Indiana, Scott, and his wife, Carrie, have two grown sons and a daughter and seven wonderful grandchildren. One of Scott’s passions is creating a backyard full of unique experiences for his grandchildren, like a 175-foot zip line, go-cart track, electric scooters, slacker balance line, hot tub, two tree house villages, a tree full of unique swings, giant inflatable rolling wheel, giant Connect Four, elaborate swing set, trampoline, basketball and tennis court, and a climbing mountain made out of cut up logs called The Stairway to Heaven! Scott can often be found in the stands on a Friday or Sunday night at the local sprint car dirt track like the ones his father took growing up.

Click here for Scott’s Curriculum Vitae.

Gregg Makin, PhD

Gregg Makin is a dynamic educator and leadership coach with 40 years of impacting individuals through equipping, guiding, and supporting them in various roles in non-profit, for-profit, and government organizations. In addition, Gregg was responsible for recruiting, developing, and supervising over 800 leaders in a non-profit.

Gregg has also facilitated hundreds of small group growth experiences and presented even more workshops to leaders at all levels from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to educational institutions to churches. He is a Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, a Certified Crucial Conversations and Accountability Facilitator, and an EQ-I2.0/EQ360 Certified Coach.

Since 2007, Gregg has been the Deputy Department Chair of family studies at Nyack College in NYC, taught transformational leadership at Bethel Seminary, educated organizational leaders at Huntington University, and trained executive coaches and consultants at Concordia’s Graduate School of the John Townsend Institute for Leadership, Executive Coaching, and Counseling. He graduated from Houghton College with a BA in Sociology, from Hofstra University with a MS in Education, and from Regent University with a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Gregg has enlarged his TrueNorth Coaching & Consulting practice to engage more fully and deeply with leaders, pastors, coaches, professionals, and professors through executive and group coaching. And now he’s exceptionally excited to partner with his brothers to begin the Makin Institute to expand his opportunities to help others grow even more! His strengths include: Connectedness, Adaptability, Input, Relator Communication, Developer, Empathy, Ideation and Includer. He values Authenticity, Growth, Teamwork, Adventure, and Stewardship.

He loves to bike, run, and play tennis, racquetball, and pickleball. He's been married to Joyce for 40 years, and they enjoy hiking, kayaking, and hitting the beach together. He is a dad to four adult children and Eleanor, his granddaughter. Growing up in central PA, he began his relationship with Jesus Christ as a teen. During those years, he became an avid Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins fan!

Click here for Gregg’s Curriculum Vitae.

Bruce Makin, PHR

Bruce Makin has been in the customer service industry for over 40 years. He has worked as a Restauranteur, Executive Director for a 401-3c recreation center, Vice-President of a cell phone retailer, and Director of Food in a personal care home.

Bruce’s life is a story inundated with highs and lows. Growing up, he found a passion for sports, and you could always find him on a court, a field, playing pick-up, leagues, or training. High School and college days were for sports, not academics.

The family has always been a big part of his life, and he didn’t recognize how important and steadfast those relationships would be until his life unraveled. Alcohol and drug experimentation began to take a toll, and at a later age, he entered rehab. Bruce is nine years sober and living a satisfying, healthy lifestyle.

Bruce has witnessed and experienced business failures and successes, divorce's devastation, and love's rebirth. In recovery, Bruce reconnected with his faith through the forgiveness, love, and acceptance of family and close friends. The journey continues one day at a time, and Bruce’s life resurrection has given him a passion for helping others in their journey.

He is a resident of Blair County in the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania. Bruce and his wife, Christi, have a combined family of four grown sons, a daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. One of Bruce’s passions is soccer; he enjoys coaching and training players. He loves to read fiction and non-fiction books, especially at the beach. Music has been a part of his life since sneaking into Scott’s room as a kid, listening to rock legends on his 8-track player.

Click here for Bruce’s Resume.

What others are saying

“The Immersive Training Program is a stroke of genius. It combines practical training and personal/professional growth. I would not hesitate to recommend this program to anyone who wants to be a better leader and a better person."

Michael AndersonExecutive Coach and Trainer

“Scott has a unique ability to see beyond my immediate challenge to the bigger picture of me and my growth. Time and again, he gives me the response and experience I'm deeply needing, whether or not I'm initially aware of it.”

Dave HendricksExecutive Coach, Hendrick Coaching

“This immersive experience is similar in my mind to those changes in life that have you knowing that something is profoundly, holistically different but somehow unable to capture its full scope immediately. However, in time, the dynamic impact becomes clearer.”

Anthony JohnsonFormer NFL Player, former Chaplain for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Therapist

"You have plumbed the depths of the human soul much like a miner searches for diamonds among the darkness and disaster of being exposed to the circumstances of a coal mine.…You have shown extraordinary compassion to teach me how to fail forward."

Anna

“Gregg's presence creates an opportunity for others to get into a creative, collaborative, and caring space that leads to progress and breakthroughs. His Coaching is top notch, and he has the ability to truly get to the heart of the matter and uncover possibilities, opportunities, and ways forward.”

Tony HustedMCC, Shipley Coaching's Executive Director for Training and Development

"I began working with Gregg when I was really stuck both personally and professionally. He helped me find my voice and my calling, not by telling me directly, but by frustrating my desire for answers so that I'd have to look deeper and find them in myself."

Derek

"Your care for the growth of others is tangible. I am so thankful for the opportunity to continue learning from and with you in the journey of healing and renewal.”

Autumn

“I first met Scott…as I was making my decision to pursue higher education. Four years later I joined his TLG group and I'm thankful that I did. The three things that I am receiving out of it is a sense of accelerated growth, genuine community and tools to help navigate both personal and professional life.”

Matt BarnickExecutive Coach, Firefighter, Paramedic, Actor

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

“First, clean the inside of the cup, and then the outside will be clean.”

Matthew 23:6

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Matthew 23:6

Discover a key strategy to rewire your brain

In order to experience real transformation and grow, we need to ReThink Change. This document will show you one of the six ways to do that.

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Next WORKSHOP: The Secret Sauce to Spiritual Growth, Tues. September 17, 7p.m.