Leaders of 鈥榦rgasmic meditation鈥� wellness company convicted in forced labor trial
Jun 9, 2025, 2:17 PM
FILE - Nicole Daedone, center, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, departs Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The leaders of a sex-focused women鈥檚 wellness company that promoted 鈥渙rgasmic meditation鈥� have been convicted of federal forced labor charges.
A Brooklyn jury on Monday found Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the California-based company鈥檚 former sales director, guilty of forced labor conspiracy after deliberating for less than two days following a roughly monthlong trial.
Daedone鈥檚 defense team had cast her as a 鈥渃eiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur鈥� who created a unique business around women鈥檚 sexuality and empowerment.
But prosecutors argued the two women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents 鈥� many of them victims of sexual trauma 鈥� to do their bidding.
They said Daedone and Cherwitz used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive, such as having sex with prospective investors or clients.
The two told followers the questionable acts were necessary in order to obtain 鈥渇reedom鈥� and 鈥渆nlightenment鈥� and demonstrate their commitment to the organization鈥檚 principles.
Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn鈥檛 pay promised earnings to the members-turned-workers and even forced some of them to take out new credit cards to continue taking the company鈥檚 courses.
Lawyers for the two women didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.
OneTaste started in San Francisco around 2005 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection.
A centerpiece was 鈥渙rgasmic meditation,鈥� carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting.
The company quickly opened outposts from Los Angeles to London following glowing media coverage in the 2010s. At the time, OneTaste was portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritized women鈥檚 sexual pleasure.
But Daedone sold her stake in 2017 鈥� a year before OneTaste鈥檚 marketing and labor practices came under scrutiny.
The company鈥檚 current owners, who have rebranded it the Institute of OM Foundation, have said its work has been misconstrued and the charges against its former executives were unjustified.
They maintain sexual consent has always been a cornerstone of the organization. The company didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
