High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Valerie Austin is an internationally renowned English hypnotherapist, trainer, lecturer, author and journalist. She is married to James Pool, medical hypnosis trainer, author and historian.Austin was born in Blackpool to parents, who were hoteliers. She married at 18 years and had a son. The marriage ended in divorce, and to support herself and her son, Austin took a job selling advertising space on a commission only basis and surprised herself by quickly becoming the top sales person, breaking all their records during her seven years there.