Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Powered by Orgasm: The Rise and Fall of a Sex Cult - with Ellen Huet
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Jan 30, 2026 
Ellen Huet, Bloomberg journalist and author of Empire of Orgasm, investigated OneTaste and its founder Nicole Deadone. She recounts the rise of orgasmic meditation, the startup-style marketing and pricey courses. She explores coercive tactics, blurred work-life boundaries, the FBI investigation and trial. The conversation highlights how modern wellness movements can mask exploitation.
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Rebranding Sex As Meditation
- OneTaste framed orgasmic stimulation as a meditative, spiritual wellness practice to normalize intimate coaching.
- Ellen Huet shows this branding made a confronting sexual practice seem mainstream and marketable.
Origin Story Of Orgasmic Meditation
- Nicole Daedone learned stroking practices from existing groups and repackaged them under her leadership.
- She positioned herself as a female founder and rebranded the practice as orgasmic meditation (OM).
Name Signals Both Spirituality And Hook
- The name OneTaste combined Buddhist phrasing and suggestiveness to create spiritual legitimacy.
- Huet argues the name also signaled an intent to create dependency: "one taste" that pulls people back.
