Orgasmic Meditation

Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the company’s former sales director, were convicted in Brooklyn on federal forced labor charges. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued that Daedone and Cherwitz ran a scheme where they groomed followers, many of whom were victims of sexual trauma, to obey their commands. They used economic, sexual, and psychological abuse, intimidation, and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into uncomfortable or repulsive sexual acts, such as having sex with potential investors or clients. The defendants told followers these acts were necessary for "freedom" and "enlightenment" and to show commitment to the organization's principles. Additionally, prosecutors stated that OneTaste leaders did not pay promised earnings to members who became workers and even compelled some to take out new credit cards to continue company courses. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta asserted that the defendants "built a business on the backs" of victims who "gave everything" to them, including their money, time, bodies, dignity, and sanity. Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, stated that the verdict "unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labour and services for the defendants’ benefit".

Daedone's defense portrayed her as a "ceiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur" who created a unique business around women's sexuality and empowerment. Cherwitz's lawyer argued that the witnesses were not forced into anything and simply left when they no longer liked the organization. The defense lawyers stated their clients maintain their innocence and plan to appeal the verdict.

OneTaste was co-founded by Daedone in San Francisco in 2004 as a self-help commune focusing on female orgasms as key to wellness and connection. Its central practice was "orgasmic meditation," or "OM," involving men manually stimulating women in a group setting. The company received positive media attention in the 2010s, expanded to cities like Los Angeles and London, and generated revenue by offering courses, coaching, and OM events for a fee. Daedone sold her stake in 2017 for $12 million, a year before the company's practices came under scrutiny. The current owners, who rebranded the company as the Institute of OM Foundation, believe their work has been misunderstood and the charges were unjustified, asserting that sexual consent has always been a core principle.