Nicole Daedone is an American writer and business executive. She founded and became the CEO of OneTaste in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Early life and education
Nicole Daedone was born in Los Gatos, California,[1] she holds a bachelor's degree in communication studies[clarification needed] from San Francisco State University.[2][3] She studied with teachers of yoga and Buddhist meditation, and with Ray Vetterlein, who was in turn inspired by Morehouse, a community of which Daedone was a member.[4][5] Former students of Baranco set up their own practices and groups, among them The Welcomed Consensus. She lived at The Welcomed Consensus, a community formed by former Morehouse students for two years. Morehouse and the Welcomed Consensus, regarded themselves as "the elite connoisseurs of exquisite gourmet sex."[5] "The Welcomed Consensus had no desire to be mainstream. But Daedone had bigger ideas" according to Ken Blackman, a member of Welcome Consensus and later Onetaste.[5]
Career
Daedone published her first book, Slow Sex, in 2012. Since 2022, she published a number of books on a range of topics. Daedone draws parallels between slow sex and the Slow Food movement associated with chef Alice Waters.[6] With sex as with food, she says, people can overindulge without getting nourishment, or go from one extreme of consuming mindlessly to the other extreme of self-denial.[7] The principles of her philosophy are in her book, Eros Sutras, Volume 1: Principles which has become an Amazon.com best seller in women's spirituality.[8]
OneTaste was cofounded in San Francisco by Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell. Daedone stated that a Buddhist monk introduced her to orgasmic meditation before she started OneTaste, though she did not name the monk nor the lineage the monk studied under.[9] OneTaste trademarked the "orgasmic meditation" (OM) procedure delivered through the company's classes.[citation needed]
OneTaste originally operated two communal-style "urban retreat" centers, one in San Francisco's Soma District and another in Lower Manhattan.[10] OneTaste then expanded to Los Angeles and London.[11] The company produced media, workshops, weekend retreats, and a coach training program. In 2014, OneTaste was listed as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company.[12]
Investigations
In June 2018, Bloomberg Businesweek published a story about OneTaste which included several allegations of misconduct at the company which Daedone led. The article also mentioned that in 2015 the company reached a $325,000 settlement with former employee Ayries Blanck to settle a labor dispute.[13] Five months later, Bloomberg Businessweek published a story that the FBI had begun making an inquiry in to the company.[14] Later publications confirmed the federal investigation and revealed the FBI was investigating for prostitution, sex trafficking, and violations of labor law.[15] The company made $12 million in revenue in 2017.[13] In 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.[11]
In June 2023, Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were indicted on charges of conspiracy for forced labor.[16] Daedone, who was the company's chief executive officer, was charged by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York. Rachel Cherwitz, OneTaste's former head of sales, was also charged. According to the government, Daedone and Cherwitz claimed to be able to help those recover from past sexual trauma or abuse but instead manipulated their victims into debt.[16][17]
Former members of the organization testifying about their experience at OneTaste said it "resembled a kind of prostitution ring" where managers frequently ordered staffers to engage in sexual relations with customers.[13] According to NBC News, the company's staffers sometimes were told "to engage in sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive as a requirement to obtain 'freedom' and 'enlightenment' and demonstrate their commitment to OneTaste and Daedone", the indictment claims, and "resistance … was not tolerated".[18] Meanwhile, according to the indictment, OneTaste did not pay promised wages and commissions to members-turned-workers.[18]
The indictment and investigation have come with unusual public scrutiny.
Legal scholars note that this is the first time in United States history that anyone has been charged with a stand-alone, single count conspiracy for forced labor. The novelty of the prosecution is further drawn in to questions given that the FBI investigated for five years looking for a more substantive crime of sex trafficking.
The investigation itself has been under heavy legal scrutiny since 2023 when the indictment first unsealed. The spotlight on lead FBI agent, Elliot McGinnis, began in summer 2023 when the prosecution were forced to withdraw a warrant after defense revealed evidence that the agent lied on their affidavit. The controversy continued through 2024 with claims that Special Agent Elliot McGinnis improperly appeared in a Netflix film, tampered with witness testimony, instructed a witness to delete key evidence, instructed another witness to hide key evidence, and breached the defendants Attorney Client Privilege while hiding the evidence from superiors.[19][20] In December 2024 defense counsel presented evidence that Agent McGinnis tampered with key evidence at the heart of the prosecutors case that would otherwise demonstrate that the evidence was fabricated.[21]
Arrest and indictment
Daedone was charged with engaging in a years long conspiracy to manipulate victims of past sexual trauma and abuse into providing forced labor.[22] Former OneTaste sales chief Rachel Cherwitz was arrested in northern California on June 21, 2023.[23] Both were indicted on a forced labor conspiracy charge.[24] As of February 2024[update], a federal judge in Brooklyn has tentatively set a trial date for January 2025.[25]
In the media
Daedone is the focus of the 2022 Netflix documentary Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste.[26]
In 2024, Daedone was also the focus of an NBC News profile by Chloe Melas.[27]
