Episode 378: OneTaste Sex Cult - Part 1
Her experiences in Northern California sex cults set this entrepreneur up to run one of her own. She claimed her company’s goal was simple: to foster connection between individuals through the practice of orgasmic meditation. But those who joined called it a prostitution ring, complete with coercive control, financial manipulation, and sexual abuse - all packaged in shiny Silicon Valley wellness culture. This week’s episode is OneTaste Sex Cult - Part 1.
SOURCE
Sex and Sensuality, SF Examiner (2007): http://www.rigorousintuition.ca/board2/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=23674&view=previous
The Pleasure Principle, The New York Times (2009): https://archive.is/dKxjs
TEDxSF - Nicole Daedone - Orgasm: The Cure for Hunger in the Western Woman (2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9QVq0EM6g4&t=1s
I Went to an Orgasmic Meditation Class, The Cut (2013): https://archive.is/p8pxe
Techies Predictably Eat Up Orgasmic Meditation Lifestyle, The Cut (2013): https://archive.is/IuLCO
“Behold the glory of the p*ssy!”: My orgasmic meditation awakening, Salon (2015):
Silicon Valley Wants to Disrupt Orgasms—With Science!, Wired (2016): https://www.wired.com/2016/02/silicon-valley-wants-to-disrupt-orgasms-with-science/
The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company, Bloomberg (2018): https://archive.is/tZ1Rd
Inside the multi-million dollar orgasm cult endorsed by Hollywood, The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/inside-multi-million-dollarorgasm-cult-endorsed-hollywood/
Gwyneth Paltrow’s favorite orgasm guru faces years in prison over claims her OneTaste empire was a sex cult, New York Post: https://nypost.com/2024/02/03/news/gwyneth-paltrows-onetaste-orgasm-guru-ran-sex-cult-feds/
Slow Sex: The Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm by Nicole Daedone: https://wakefieldbooks.com/book/9780446567183
Erotic Justice: Making Social Change from Love by Nicole Daedone: https://bookshop.org/p/books/erotic-justice-making-social-change-from-love-nicole-daedone/2d99694322f91595?ean=9781961064089&digital=t
Trauma, victimhood and for-profit spirituality on display as sex cult trial winds down, Courthouse News: https://www.courthousenews.com/trauma-victimhood-and-for-profit-spirituality-on-display-as-sex-cult-trial-winds-down/
Founder of Sexual Wellness Company “OneTaste” and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy, U.S. DOJ: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-sexual-wellness-company-onetaste-and-former-head-sales-convicted-forced-labor
Interview with Ellen Huet, Let's Talk About Sects: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4i0wwg5Gl7j1eOufmU2dzQ?si=3zeyvnRYTsi8vBPvr-6IiA&nd=1&dlsi=61952b77894a4ba5
The Orgasm Expert Who Ended Up on Trial, The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-orgasm-expert-who-ended-up-on-trial
The Cult of Orgasm, LA Review of Books: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-cult-of-orgasm/
Orgsm: A Memoir: Inside the Matriarchal Cult of OneTaste by Ruwan Meepagala: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/orgsm-a-memoir-ruwan-meepagala/1148476159;jsessionid=CD47EEFB354897A0E4A9E185453C782D.prodny_store01-atgap18
A California sex ‘cult’ became a Netflix hit. This new book unpacks even darker secrets, LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2025-11-18/one-taste-orgasmic-meditation-book
Orgasm, Inc.: The Story of OneTaste, Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81487901
Nicole Daedone’s Orgasmic Meditation Workshops Promised Spiritual Growth—Employees Called it a Cult, People Magazine: https://people.com/nicole-daedone-orgasmic-meditation-promised-spiritual-growth-employees-said-cult-11751854
Eros Platform, OneTaste Official Website: https://erosplatform.com/
real or fake? the orgasm inc. cultleader's story that her father was a child molester, r/cults: https://www.reddit.com/r/cults/comments/11b6beg/real_or_fake_the_orgasm_inc_cultleaders_story/
