Podcast Summary: “Sexual Wellness” or Spiritual Abuse? (#361)

Podcast: Religion on the Mind
Host: Dr. Dan Koch
Guest: Ellen Hewitt (Journalist, Author of "Empire of Orgasm: OneTaste and the Wellness Cult that Seduced Silicon Valley")
Release Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deeply into the story of OneTaste—a controversial San Francisco-based company that built a devoted following around “orgasmic meditation”—and the fine line between sexual wellness movements and spiritual abuse. Host Dan Koch, a researcher in spiritual abuse, interviews journalist Ellen Hewitt, whose upcoming book explores the rise, allure, and exploitative collapse of OneTaste. They explore how sexual self-help, spirituality, wellness culture, and tech entrepreneurship converged at OneTaste, ultimately resulting in serious allegations and federal convictions for forced labor and exploitation.

“If you’ve ever seen or seen the little the tile on Netflix for a documentary called Orgasm, Inc.… that is about the same company, OneTaste.”
—Dan Koch (03:05)

Content Note: This episode contains explicit discussion of sexual practices, exploitation, and spiritual abuse.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Was OneTaste and Orgasmic Meditation? (05:51–10:40)

• Origins & Practice:
  Founded in 2004 in San Francisco by Nicole Daedone, OneTaste promoted “orgasmic meditation” (OM), a partnered, 15-minute clitoral stroking ritual positioned as both a sexual and spiritual practice.
  • “A stroker, usually a man… strokes a woman’s clitoris using his left index finger in this very prescribed way for specifically 15 minutes, no more, no less.”
    —Ellen Hewitt (06:18)
• Appeal:
  OM promised a mindful, intentional approach to sexuality, appealing especially to those seeking new ways to experience intimacy, improve relationships, or heal sexual difficulties outside conventional or “performance” sex.

“It offers a totally different way to approach having a sexual connection… for a lot of people, OM is really appealing.”
—Ellen Hewitt (08:05)

2. Intersection of Wellness, Tech Culture, and Spirituality (11:11–12:21)

• OneTaste emerged at the dawn of the commercial “wellness” boom (e.g., when Goop launched, 2008), branding OM as a technique for improved vitality, presence, and self-actualization in a market eager for self-help solutions.
• Tech workers, startup founders, and wellness seekers flocked to OneTaste, drawn by promises of life transformation.
• “The wellness industry is really kicking off… orgasmic meditation was being sold as this kind of panacea… like one crazy trick to really improve your life.”
  —Ellen Hewitt (11:44)

3. From Investigative Journalism to Federal Trial (12:22–15:21)

• Ellen shares how she was pitched by OneTaste in 2017 and, after initial curiosity, uncovered widespread stories of financial, sexual, and emotional exploitation.
• Her reporting in 2018 spurred broader scrutiny and eventually contributed to an FBI investigation and the 2025 federal trial, where founder Nicole Daedone and her head of sales, Rachel Chorwitz, were convicted of forced labor.
• “They invited, they were like an unsustainable pyramid scheme… then from that, the thing fucking toppled.” (Dan, 13:45)

4. Spiritual Language and Leadership Dynamics (16:01–23:00)

• Nicole Daedone was positioned not just as a business CEO but as a spiritual leader, authoring “sutras” and rebranding the group’s teachings as ancient wisdom.
• OneTaste borrowed liberally from Eastern (Buddhist, tantric) and Western (Christian, mystical) sources, crafting a sense of spiritual legitimacy.
  • “Nicole’s been writing sutras… She’s the inspiration for everything. She’s the source of all the principles.”
    —Ellen Hewitt (16:34)
• The branding of practices as “OM” and the adoption of terms like “Eros Sutras” signaled an intentionally hybridized, cosmopolitan spirituality.

5. Exclusivity, Manipulation, and Spiritual Abuse (24:46–34:17)

• OneTaste cultivated both implicit and explicit messages of exclusivity: Only those in the group were seen as “awake.” Departing members were disparaged as “Muggles.”
• Leaders avoided direct commands, instead using praise, shaming, and modeled behavior to pressure members into sexual and organizational compliance.
  • “She was very good at actually rarely making any sort of explicit order… all she had to do was talk about the fact that she did it.”
    —Ellen Hewitt (29:14)
• Victim-blaming narratives were prevalent: Members were taught to be “100% responsible” for their own experience, making it hard to name or report harm.

“No one… told me, like, I have to do this thing. But I felt all this, you know, pressure or, like, if I didn’t do it, I was, like, shamed or cut out of meetings…”
—Ellen Hewitt (29:22)

6. Psychological and Group Dynamics (36:55–47:21)

• OneTaste preyed on deep yearnings for intimacy, healing, and community—attracting many with histories of sexual trauma or unmet emotional needs.
• Members rapidly became enmeshed, often moving into communal houses, working for the company, and severing outside ties.
• Peer pressure, sunk-cost thinking, and behavioral commitments (volunteering, purchasing expensive courses) made leaving psychologically costly.
• Manipulation tactics included leveraging personal vulnerabilities for sales and social approval.

“All of a sudden this organization is your lovers, your friends, your co-workers, your housemates, your employer… the idea of leaving becomes quite intimidating and terrifying.”
—Ellen Hewitt (42:37)

7. Commercialism, High-Demand Groups & The Wellness Industry (47:21–61:17)

• Discussion of how OneTaste perfectly blended high-demand group tactics (deep buy-in, exclusivity) with mainstream startup mentality (margin-driven, mass-scale ambitions).
• Sales structures used psychological manipulation to push “all the way in or all the way out.” Entry-level programs gave way to expensive, high-commitment courses.
  • “If they’re a little bit out, you push them all the way out. And if they’re a little bit in, you push them all the way in.”
    —Ellen Hewitt on Rachel Chorwitz’s sales philosophy (51:36)
• OneTaste aspired to institutionalize OM alongside yoga and meditation, employing grandiose, “Silicon Valley” mission statements:
  • “Their mission… was to bring Orgasm—capital O—to a billion people.”
    —Ellen Hewitt (56:54)
• Comparison to trend in U.S. wellness and startup culture where charismatic leader-led companies blend spiritual promise and commerce, leading to new forms of cultic exploitation.

8. Changing Face of Cults and Exploitation in Wellness (61:17–67:44)

• Ellen argues OneTaste is archetypal of a new breed of “cults”—less rural, less male-led, more interwoven with online wellness marketing and influencer culture.
• Modern “wellness cults” exploit shifting trust away from institutions toward charismatic individuals promising healing, often in a commodified space.
  • “What we see is gonna look really different. … It might take a while for people to catch on to what, like, a new cult looks like. But… the cult is led by a woman, the cult has a big presence online, the cult maybe is more focused on health and wellness…”
    —Ellen Hewitt (62:31)
• The need for robust consumer/institutional protections in wellness and self-help industries is highlighted, as charismatic leaders will always find a market among those in pain.

9. OneTaste’s Recent Positioning and Ongoing Activities (67:44–69:08)

• In response to legal scrutiny and conviction, OneTaste has begun rebranding itself as a “religion” and framing prosecutions as attacks on religious freedom, finding sympathetic coverage in right-wing outlets and apparently hoping for political intervention.

“You can try to put on this ‘we’re a religion’ hat when it might suit you… they continue to be active… and arguing for this [religious freedom], even though Nicole and Rachel are currently in jail awaiting sentencing.” —Ellen Hewitt (68:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "[Orgasmic meditation] is a pleasure practice focused on the female orgasm with no goal other than to have both parties spend those 15 minutes meditating on and feeling the sensations in their body."
  —Ellen Hewitt (07:37)
• “Now that is some fucking branding.”
  —Dan Koch (07:05), regarding “OM” as the name.
• “Your soul will never relax again… she’s talking about OneTaste specifically, not like a way of living.”
  —Ellen Hewitt (28:04)
• “She was kind of the queen of implicit [pressure]… praising people who did what she wanted, subtly negging others.”
  —Ellen Hewitt (29:14)
• “If you’re not into it, you don’t need to be here. And if you make the demand a little higher, the people who stay are— you know that they’re locked in.”
  —Ellen Hewitt (51:58)
• “A cult is going to shift. And that’s what I think wellness is going to get mixed up in, because of course there’s a lot of great ideas… but it’s also ripe for exploitation.”
  —Ellen Hewitt (63:02)
• “When dollars hit the wisdom… it immediately gets messy.”
  —Dan Koch (58:43)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment Description | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Introduction to OneTaste and Orgasmic Meditation | 05:51–10:40 | | Wellness/Tech/Spirituality Backdrop | 10:40–12:21 | | Ellen’s Reporting and Legal Fallout | 12:22–15:21 | | Spiritual Leader Dynamics and Ancient Branding | 16:01–23:00 | | Exclusivity, Spiritual Abuse & Implicit Power | 24:46–34:17 | | Psychological Dynamics & Leaving High-Control Groups| 36:55–47:21 | | Commercialism, Sales Tactics & Wellness Industry | 47:21–61:17 | | The “Modern Cult” and Wellness Exploitation | 61:17–67:44 | | OneTaste’s Religion Defense & Ongoing Activity | 67:44–69:08 |

Conclusion

This candid, in-depth conversation examines OneTaste not just as a failed sexual wellness company but as a case study in modern spiritual abuse—where spiritual longing, commercial interests, and manipulative group dynamics create fertile ground for exploitation. Ellen Hewitt’s reporting illuminates how cult tactics now shape commercially driven wellness movements, a pattern likely to proliferate in an era of distrust for institutions and the rise of influencer-led spirituality.
Book recommendation: “Empire of Orgasm,” out November 18, 2025.

For further questions or comments, contact Dan at dan@religiononthemind.com