Episode 379: OneTaste Sex Cult - Part 2
She built a brand that caught the attention of Goop, TEDx, and Silicon Valley’s elite. Orgasmic meditation was sold as empowerment and connection. But former members later described something else entirely: coercion, exploitation, and control behind the curated wellness aesthetic. By 2023, the story moved from podcasts and profiles to arrests and a criminal courtroom. This week’s episode is OneTaste Sex Cult - Part 2.
SOURCES
Indictment of Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, U.S. District Court - E.D. of New York: https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/daedone-cherwitz-indictment-eastern-district-new-york.pdf
Episode 4 - The Hidden Power of Feminine with Nicole Daedone, Soulmaker Press (2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-dGIKK96zA
Gwyneth Paltrow’s favorite orgasm guru faces years in prison over claims her OneTaste empire was a sex cult, NY Post: https://nypost.com/2024/02/03/news/gwyneth-paltrows-onetaste-orgasm-guru-ran-sex-cult-feds/
Trauma, victimhood and for-profit spirituality on display as sex cult trial winds down, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/trauma-victimhood-and-for-profit-spirituality-on-display-as-sex-cult-trial-winds-down/
Boss ordered employees to have sex at Bay Area startup: Witnesses, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/boss-ordered-employees-to-have-sex-at-bay-area-startup-witnesses/
Sex cult lawyer: ‘Being mean is not a crime’, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/sex-cult-lawyer-being-mean-is-not-a-crime/
Bay Area ‘sex cult’ workers forced to service wealthy clients sexually per Witnesses, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/bay-area-sex-cult-workers-forced-to-service-wealthy-clients-sexually-witnesses/
Women’s empowerment branding belied focus on men at ‘sex cult,’ trial witnesses say , Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/womens-empowerment-branding-belied-focus-on-men-at-sex-cult-trial-witnesses-say/
Witness recounts sex abuse, public humiliation at NYC ‘cult’ branch, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/witness-recounts-sex-abuse-public-humiliation-at-nyc-cult-branch/
Inside the multi-million dollar orgasm cult endorsed by Hollywood, Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/inside-multi-million-dollarorgasm-cult-endorsed-hollywood/
The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company, Bloomberg: https://archive.is/tZ1Rd
Founder of Sexual Wellness Company “OneTaste” and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy, DOJ: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-sexual-wellness-company-onetaste-and-former-head-sales-convicted-forced-labor
OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone SPEAKS OUT on Sex Cult Accusations Against Her Company, E! News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtbrOmxL3aE
Jailbirds in Flight: Everything You've Wanted to Know About Enlightenment in Prison but were Afraid to Ask by Nicole Daedone (2025):
OneTaste Verdict Sets Dangerous Precedent: When Meditation Teachers Become "Traffickers", National Law Review: https://natlawreview.com/article/onetaste-verdict-sets-dangerous-precedent-when-meditation-teachers-become
Marxism is a Virus, Nicole Daedone on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQWsPZIEdd0/?hl=en
Is an ‘Orgasm Cult’ Tycoon Looking for a Trump Pardon?, The Bulwark: https://archive.is/wO612
Dr. Phil was embedded with ICE during controversial Los Angeles immigration raids, CNN: https://archive.is/2oMNP
OneTaste: Cult or Wellness Revolution?, Dr. Phil Primetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFdd3pRhw2A
The War on Women Eerily Resembles the War on Drugs, Black Enterprise: https://www.blackenterprise.com/is-there-a-war-on-women/
The Erotic View on Bianca, Nicole Daedone Musings: https://nicoledaedone.com/musings/the-erotic-view-on-bianca/ / Video Version: https://youtu.be/_nmnoG9EQgI?si=srW6Gk5JAEZ0zz2i
Despite fabricated evidence, DOJ sticks with 'orgasm cult' forced labor case, Legal Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff: https://www.legalaffairsandtrials.com/p/despite-fabricated-evidence-doj-sticks
The 'orgasm cult' founder accused of recruiting people with childhood sexual trauma once told Insider these victims have 'a heightened ability to experience arousal', Business Insider: https://archive.is/vLBzw
Former members of an 'orgasm cult' alleged they were told to have sex with prospective clients. An investigator says a federal human-trafficking law could have been violated, Business Insider: https://archive.is/qZsYe
OneTaste felt like an ‘orgasm cult’ — this is how I escaped, The Times: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/onetaste-orgasm-cult-nicole-daedone-n5sxbv9tn
In Pursuit of the Four-Month-Long Orgasm: Getting Off with OneTaste Orgasmic Meditation, Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/in-pursuit-of-the-four-month-long-orgasm-getting-off-with-onetaste-orgasmic-meditation/
EXCLUSIVE: OneTaste sues ex-worker for breaking her NDA as it claims she flipped on the 'orgasmic meditation cult' when her ex-boyfriend fell in love with another woman who she punched in the face before quitting, Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12292615/Worker-sued-OneTaste-orgasmic-meditation-cult-tried-launch-legal-bid-ex-met-wo.html
OneTaste Execs Can't Get High Court Relief Over 'Stolen' Docs, Law360: https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/2331706/onetaste-execs-can-t-get-high-court-relief-over-stolen-docs
OneTaste Co-Founder Tells Jury Of Group's Pressure Tactics, Law360: https://www.law360.com/articles/2345548/onetaste-co-founder-tells-jury-of-group-s-pressure-tactics
Feds rest in OneTaste trial as defense raises First Amendment red flags…, Revolver News: https://revolver.news/2025/06/feds-rest-in-onetaste-trial-as-defense-raises-first-amendment-red-flags/
Government wraps 'sex cult' case in Brooklyn, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/government-wraps-sex-cult-case-in-brooklyn/
Cherwitz v. United States, SCOTUSBlog: https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/cherwitz-v-united-states
Journal of Lies: How Ayries Blanck Deceived Netflix and the FBI, The Frank Report: https://frankreport.com/2024/06/02/journal-of-lies-how-ayries-blanck-deceived-netflix-and-the-fbi/
FBI Misconduct Claims Rock OneTaste Case; Judge Mulls Dismissal, The Frank Report: https://frankreport.com/2024/07/10/fbi-misconduct-claims-rock-onetaste-case-judge-mulls-dismissal/
Convicted 'orgasmic meditation' leader rips outcome in Sean Combs trial as double standard, NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/nicole-daedone-rips-sean-combs-verdict-double-standard-rcna217276
The Government Wants To Punish Orgasmic Meditation Defendants for Crimes They Weren't Charged With, Reason: https://reason.com/2025/12/08/the-government-wants-to-punish-orgasmic-meditation-defendants-for-crimes-they-werent-charged-with/
Sentencing Memorandum of Defense: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025.11.19__471__Daedone_Sentencing_Memorandam.pdf
Founder of Sexual Wellness Company “OneTaste” and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy, DOJ: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-sexual-wellness-company-onetaste-and-former-head-sales-convicted-forced-labor
United States v. Rivera, No. 13-2722 (2d Cir. 2015): https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/13-2722/13-2722-2015-08-25.html
Women over Dinner: https://womenoverdinner.org/
Nicole Daedone Mourns Charlie Kirk, Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nicoledaedone/post/DOeVZISER3C
How an Orgasmic Meditation Group Sparked a Troubled Federal Case, Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-federal-case
A California sex ‘cult’ became a Netflix hit. This new book unpacks even darker secrets, Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2025-11-18/one-taste-orgasmic-meditation-book
How an Orgasmic Meditation Group Sparked a Troubled Federal Case, Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-federal-case?srsltid=AfmBOoq5n1rsWxUrh2KZNFYMFDX2CIK4pglYE5cfouFWOOEcuviXOedm
Witness testifies to mix of love and darkness living at OneTaste sex 'cult', Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/witness-testifies-to-mix-of-love-and-darkness-living-at-onetaste-sex-cult/
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
Accused sex cult leaders ready for NYC criminal trial, Courthouse News Service: https://www.courthousenews.com/accused-sex-cult-leaders-ready-for-nyc-criminal-trial/
