Latest news with #NicoleDaedone
New York Times
06-07-2025
- New York Times
In ‘Orgasmic Meditation' Case, Did a Zealous Media Strategy Backfire?
When they were convicted of forced labor conspiracy, two leaders of OneTaste, a lifestyle company devoted to the female orgasm, used a fierce public relations campaign to claim they were victims of the justice system. Then, that fervent advocacy helped land the women, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, in jail. After weeks of sordid testimony, the judge, Diane Gujarati, specifically cited the publicity effort before refusing to grant the defendants bail before their September sentencing, an uncommonly strict requirement for first-time, nonviolent criminals — and one that the government had not sought. Juda Engelmayer, the women's lead publicist, had written online posts that the judge found troubling, including one that featured a swastika superimposed over the Justice Department's logo. 'You think a swastika is helpful to the defendants?' Judge Gujarati asked Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Ms. Daedone, at a hearing on June 10 in federal court in Brooklyn. Zealous media strategies surrounding celebrity trials have become common, with a blueprint created by President Trump's aggressive attacks on prosecutors, judges and plaintiffs. For the defendants in the 'orgasmic meditation' case, the strategy may have backfired, even though it won some conservative commentators to their side. 'It's treacherous, the relationship between the media and the clients and court,' said Arthur Aidala, a lawyer who has represented high-profile clients including Harvey Weinstein. 'You really need to proceed with caution.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nicole Daedone's Orgasmic Meditation Workshops Promised Spiritual Growth—Employees Called it a Cult
Nicole Daedone founded OneTaste, a company dedicated to teaching the practice of orgasmic meditation in 2004 and sold her stake in 2017 for $12 million She and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were convicted of forced labor conspiracy by a jury in Brooklyn on June 9 and face 20 years in prison, but plan to appeal the verdict The two "sought complete control over their employees' lives," alleged prosecutors, "driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages"'Would you like some tea?' Nicole Daedone asked a reporter on June 1 after introducing two employees at the Harlem offices of the Institute of OM, formerly OneTaste, the company she cofounded in San Francisco in 2004. She motioned toward a table set with plates of macaroons, nuts and dried fruit and sat down for a discussion of orgasmic meditation, OM for short, the 15-minute sexual stimulation practice that Daedone, 57, turned into a multimillion-dollar business. OM represents the radical idea that women's bodies hold wisdom, not shame,' she said, 'and that we can train our attention through pleasure.' The practice claims to unlock a woman's full spiritual and physical potential and even heal past sexual trauma. Daedone said she has taught OM to tens of thousands of people over the years while growing a community of devoted followers, some of whom viewed her as their spiritual leader. 'I decided from the beginning I was going to run this company as a woman, and it would be designed in a feminine way so I didn't have to separate my life and my practice from my work,' she said. 'That's why we have the community—I designed it like that.' What Daedone described as a collaborative community, however, was a business that some former employees have likened to a cult. In April 2023 Daedone—who sold her stake in OneTaste for $12 million in 2017 but remains a consultant for the rebranded company—and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44, were indicted on a federal charge of forced labor conspiracy by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. 'Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants are alleged to have sought complete control over their employees' lives, including by driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages,' said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. For more on Nicole Daedone and OneTaste, , or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Prosecutors argued that Daedone recruited employees by promising to heal their trauma with her teachings and then made them dependent on her and OneTaste for basic necessities such as food and shelter, isolated them from friends and family and in some cases instructed them to engage in sexual activity with individuals despite their objections or resistance. In addition ex-employees have accused Daedone and Cherwitz in civil lawsuits of sex trafficking and forcing them to do OM with potential investors. Daedone and Cherwitz have denied liability in the civil suits and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. But after a five-week trial, a Brooklyn jury on June 9 found them guilty of forced labor conspiracy. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 'The defendants built a business on the backs of a select group of women who they targeted, abused and exploited,' prosecutor Nina Gupta told jurors in her closing statement. 'They claimed they would free them.'Orgasmic meditation, or OM, is a partnered practice that involves the methodical stroking of a woman's genitals for 15 minutes. By putting the woman in a 'turned on' state of power and self-awareness, the technique leads to calm and alertness, heightened creativity and deeper relationships and can even help to heal sexual trauma, claims Daedone. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology reported measurable changes in brain function in 20 sets of OM Daedone told it, her venture began with a happy coincidence. Born in California and raised by a single mother, Daedone graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in semantics and gender communications and was studying to become a Buddhist nun when she met a fellow guest at a party who told her about OM. She said she spent years studying the practice before launching OneTaste on a shoestring budget. 'We had people sleeping on couches, working for passion rather than maximizing paychecks, because they believed in the vision,' she recalled. 'It was Silicon Valley energy applied to human consciousness. The combination was electric.' The start-up was a financial success, offering OM workshops and retreats that cost as much as $60,000 per person. But some former employees say they were exploited for profit. 'I was really, really lonely. I really wanted community, and OneTaste offered that in such a clear way,' an ex-sales team member, who went by the name Becky Uma at work, testified in federal court on May 7. But she said her monthly salary barely covered the cost of the communal space with a shared bed she rented from the company and the OM courses she was expected to take. Becky told jurors she lived in a state of constant surveillance from peers and higher-ups and endured verbal and sexual abuse from Cherwitz. 'It was the expectation that I would be open to OMing with anybody off the street,' Becky testified. Lawyers for Daedone and Cherwitz argued that Becky, who was ultimately terminated by her bosses at her own request in order to receive unemployment benefits, could have left her job or moved out of company housing at any time. Each facing up to 20 years in prison, Daedone and Cherwitz plan to appeal the case. 'This was not justice—it was the criminalization of regret and a retroactive rewriting of consensual experiences,' Daedone said. 'The government turned ideology into prosecution, targeting female sexuality and freedom of expression.' U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. had a different take: 'The jury's verdict has 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 labor and services for the defendants' benefit.' Nocella added that he hopes 'future charlatans think twice.' Read the original article on People
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation' women's wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor trial
NEW YORK (AP) — The leaders of a sex-focused women's wellness company that promoted 'orgasmic meditation' 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's former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days following a five-week trial. The two each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later. Prosecutors had argued the two women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents — many of them victims of sexual trauma — to do their bidding. They said Daedone, 57, of New York, and Cherwitz, 44, of California, 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 'freedom' and 'enlightenment' and demonstrate their commitment to the organization's principles. Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn't 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's courses. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity.' 'The jury's verdict has 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 labor and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Daedone's defense team cast her as a 'ceiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur' who created a unique business around women's sexuality and empowerment. Cherwitz's lawyer, Celia Cohen, argued that the witnesses who testified weren't forced to do anything. When they didn't like the organization anymore or wanted to try other things, she said, they simply left. 'No matter what you think about OneTaste and what they were doing, they chose it. They knew what it was about,' she said in her closing statement last week. 'The fact they are regretting the actions that they took when they were younger is not evidence of a crime.' Lawyers for the defendants said their clients maintain their innocence and intend to appeal. 'We are deeply disappointed in today's verdict,' the lawyers said in a statement Monday. 'This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit.' Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. A centerpiece was 'orgasmic meditation,' or 'OM,' which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. The company enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened outposts from Los Angeles to London. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritized women's sexual pleasure, it generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. Daedone sold her stake in the company in 2017 for $12 million — a year before OneTaste's marketing and labor practices came under scrutiny. The company's 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.
Mint
10-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Who is Nicole Daedone, the woman convicted of forcing employees into sexual acts?
The founder of sexual wellness company, OneTaste Inc., and its former sales head have been convicted of forced labour charges by a Brooklyn court. The California-based company promoted 'orgasmic meditation', or 'OM', which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. Following a five-week trial, the court on Monday found Nicole Daedone, 57, founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, the former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days, reported news agency AP. The two accused could face up to 20 years in prison. During the case hearing, prosecutors argued that Nicole and Rachel ran a years-long scheme that groomed adherents, many of them victims of sexual trauma, to do their bidding, the AP report said. The two women used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts such as having sex with prospective investors or clients. Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity,' according to the AP report. 'The jury's verdict has 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 labor and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Nicole Daedone of New York co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritised women's sexual pleasure, the sexual wellness company generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. OneTaste enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened centres from Los Angeles to London. Nicole sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, a year before the company's marketing and labour practices were criticised. OneTaste's current owners, who have rebranded it as the Institute of OM Foundation, said its work has been misconstrued, and the charges against its former executives were unjustified.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Leaders of sex-focused women's wellness company that promoted "orgasmic meditation" convicted in forced labor trial
The leaders of a sex-focused women's wellness company that promoted "orgasmic meditation" were found guilty Monday in what has been described as an abusive scheme to coerce their employees into performing traumatic and demeaning tasks with little or no pay, authorities said. A Brooklyn jury deliberated for less than two days before convicting Nicole Daedone, 57, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, on federal forced labor charges, following a five-week trial. Daedone founded OneTaste Inc., the California-based wellness company, and Cherwitz formerly served as its sales director. The two each face up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later time, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Eastern District. Prosecutors had argued Daedone and Cherwitz ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents — many of them victims of sexual trauma — to do their bidding. They said Daedone, of New York, and Cherwitz, of California, 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. Three witnesses testified they were coerced into becoming a "handler" for OneTaste's first investor, who was also Daedone's boyfriend, and said doing that that required them to live with him, cook for him, and "perform demeaning sex acts at his direction," the U.S. Attorney said in a news release. Daedone and Cherwitz allegedly told followers the questionable acts were necessary in order to obtain "freedom" and "enlightenment" and demonstrate their commitment to the organization's principles. Nicole Daedone, center, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, departs Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in New York. Jeenah Moon / AP Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn't 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's courses. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants "built a business on the backs" of victims who "gave everything" to them, including "their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity." "The jury's verdict has 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 labor and services for the defendants' benefit," said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Daedone's defense team cast her as a "ceiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur" who created a unique business around women's sexuality and empowerment. Cherwitz's lawyer, Celia Cohen, argued that the witnesses who testified weren't forced to do anything. When they didn't like the organization anymore or wanted to try other things, she said, they simply left. "No matter what you think about OneTaste and what they were doing, they chose it. They knew what it was about," she said in her closing statement last week. "The fact they are regretting the actions that they took when they were younger is not evidence of a crime." Daedone was convicted on federal forced labor charges by a Brooklyn jury. Jeenah Moon / AP Lawyers for the defendants said their clients maintain their innocence and intend to appeal. "We are deeply disappointed in today's verdict," the lawyers said in a statement Monday. "This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit." Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. A centerpiece was "orgasmic meditation," or "OM," which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. The company enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened outposts from Los Angeles to London. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritized women's sexual pleasure, it generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. Daedone sold her stake in the company in 2017 for $12 million — a year before OneTaste's marketing and labor practices came under scrutiny. The company's 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.
