On June 9th, 2024, a Brooklyn courtroom delivered a verdict that reverberated far beyond New York. Nicole Daedone, founder of the controversial sexuality-focused organization OneTaste, and her colleague Rachel Cherwitz, were found guilty of forced labor — a ruling that could carry sentences of up to 20 years. For many, this trial was just another headline. But for those of us who were once part of the Bay Area communities where OneTaste was born, this story cuts much deeper.
OneTaste began in San Francisco and was marketed as a radical path to healing, sexual empowerment, and embodied living. At the time, it seemed to offer something revolutionary — especially for those who felt left out of traditional wellness spaces or disconnected from their bodies due to trauma, shame, or isolation. It was a heady mix of sex-positive feminism, mindfulness, and bold marketing. And for a moment, I was one of the many who walked through their doors curious about what OneTaste had to offer.
As a trauma-trained somatic psychotherapist, sexuality coach, and long-time advocate for healing through embodiment, I approached OneTaste with a discerning eye. Still, I found myself drawn to the promise of community and transformation. The practices — including the now infamous “Orgasmic Meditation” or OM — were framed as tools for connection, presence, and self-awareness. And in a world that too often neglects the emotional and energetic dimensions of sex, that pitch can be incredibly compelling.
But what I quickly began to see, and what I describe in detail in the article I wrote for the San Francisco Gazette, was how these same tools could be used to manipulate, pressure, and control. It wasn’t the practice of OM itself that was problematic — in fact, there is value in mindful, non-performative touch and in de-centering orgasm as the goal. But within the culture of OneTaste, practices that might have been healing in a safe and supportive container were pushed to extremes in service of the company’s growth and the founder’s charisma.
What unfolded over time with OneTaste was a deeply troubling pattern:
community members being pressured to override their boundaries, vulnerable individuals being re-traumatized under the guise of personal growth, and a spiritualized language being used to justify coercion. The phrase “listen to your pussy” was repeated like a mantra — but often, the message beneath it was, “Do what we say.”
Eventually, I left OneTaste — and not quietly. When I informed them I was stepping away, I was met with a barrage of phone calls and unwanted contact, which only stopped when I threatened legal action. The deeper I reflected on my experience — and the more I spoke with others who had similar stories — the clearer it became that this was not a space of true empowerment. It was a place where people’s longings for connection, healing, and belonging were commodified and used against them.
I know this story isn’t mine alone. Over the years, I’ve heard from many others — former OneTaste participants, clients in my practice, even strangers who recognize me from those early days — all processing their own complicated relationships with what happened inside that community. Some still carry the trauma. Some are only just beginning to understand what they experienced.
The recent guilty verdict doesn’t erase the harm that was done, but it does offer a moment of reckoning — a reminder of what can happen when a well-intentioned practice is twisted in service of power, ego, and profit. It’s also a chance for those of us committed to real healing work to redouble our efforts to build safer, more ethical spaces for transformation.
If you’re curious about what really happened inside OneTaste — and how a promising idea turned into something much darker — I invite you to read my full reflection in the San Francisco Gazetter:
May we all continue the work of listening deeply — not just to our bodies, but to our whole selves.
