Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Ellen Huet (on wellness cults)
39 snips
Jan 28, 2026 
Ellen Huet, investigative journalist and author of Empire of Orgasm, digs into OneTaste and the rise of orgasmic meditation. She outlines how a startup pitch turned into deep reporting on sexual control, power dynamics, and manipulative systems. The conversation covers the mechanics of OM, growth tactics, financial pressures, legal outcomes, and why anyone can be vulnerable to indoctrination.
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Sex Control As A Cult Strategy
- Controlling members' sexuality is a common and effective tactic for cults because sex is deeply intimate and leverageable.
- Ellen Huet argues it's not always required but is a "most-have" for manipulation and status extraction.
Compare Groups To Spot Extraction
- To avoid an extractive group, try joining more than one demanding organization and compare experiences.
- If multiple groups coexist in your life comfortably, you may be less vulnerable to undue control.
How OneTaste's Practice Worked
- Ellen describes OneTaste's OM: a 15-minute partnered clitoral stroking practice presented as meditation, not sex.
- The woman receives focused touch while observers may narrate sensations, framing it as communal and clinical.
