Nicole Daedone: How sexual wellness firm founder forced employees into sex acts

The founder of a sexual wellness company has been found guilty of exploiting women.

Nicole Daedone, who preached orgasmic meditation as a form of female empowerment, has been convicted of exploiting employees and forcing them to undertake degrading sex acts.

But who is the 57-year-old Daedone, the founder of OneTaste Inc? What do we know about her and the crimes for which she has been convicted?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know about Daedone and the company?

Daedone is a former prostitute who was raised in an abusive household. Daedone, who claims to have been inspired by Buddhism, founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004.

Daedone said the idea behind the company was to address the gender gap when it comes to sexual satisfaction. OneTaste promoted orgasmic medication – what it called ‘OM-ing’ – as its main practice.

This involved men stimulating the genitals of women in a group setting for around 15 minutes. Over the next few years, the company received rave reviews in the media. It soon opened offices in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York.

Daedone eventually sold her stake in the company in 2017 for $12 million. It has since been rebranded the Om Foundation.

What about her crimes?

However, the first rumblings that all was not well with OneTaste emerged in 2018.

This was when a Bloomberg investigation uncovered employees’ claims of being exploited by Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz – who joined the firm in 2007 and became the company’s head of sales.

The company’s employees accused Daedone and Cherwitz, 44, of forcing them to work for free, making them rack up enormous credit card debts to pay for the company courses and even sleep with customers and potential clients and wealthy backers.

They essentially claimed that they were victims of brainwashing by both women.

Federal prosecutors in New York’s famed Eastern District charged both women with forced labour and criminal conspiracy in 2023.

“From approximately 2004 through 2018, OneTaste generated revenue by providing courses, coaching and events related to so-called wellness practices, in exchange for a fee.  Many OneTaste members lived in residential warehouses where they participated in courses and experimented sexually,” the indictment read.

“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,” US Attorney Breon Peace wrote.

“This prosecution should serve as a reminder to both employer and employee that no matter the marketing mantra, this conduct is never acceptable.”

“The defendants advertised their company as being able to help individuals recover from past trauma.  In reality, they allegedly targeted their victims in order to manipulate them not only into debt but to limit their independence and create a reliance on OneTaste for basic needs.  The FBI will continue to ensure that anyone willing to engage in a forced labour schemes are held accountable in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll in the indictment.

During the trial, witnesses claimed that they were ordered to sleep with Daedone’s boyfriend at the time – a tech entrepreneur who was bankrolling the firm – as well as engaging in BDSM practices with him including walking him on a leash.

The trial witnessed one dramatic twist – when it turned out that key evidence against the company featured in a Netflix documentary was fabricated.

Though Daedone had vowed to take the stand in her own defence, she ultimately did not testify at trial.

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.”

Gupta accused the women of “coercing vulnerable women to perform sexual acts,” especially with older, wealthy male investors, as per Vanity Fair.

“Having more sex especially with potential clients, would free them.”

Daedone’s lawyers, on the other hand, argued that she was a “ceiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur” who created a unique business around women’s sexuality and empowerment.

Daedone’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, in her closing statement, sought to shift the blame.

“They knew it was controversial,” Bonjean was quoted as saying by Vanity Fair. “These grown women went there.”

Bonjean has previously represented Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and R Kelly – all big names accused of sex crimes against women.

Cherwitz’s lawyer also claimed the victims weren’t forced into anything.

“No matter what you think about OneTaste and what they were doing, they chose it. They knew what it was about,” Celia Cohen said in her closing statement. “The fact they are regretting the actions that they took when they were younger is not evidence of a crime.”

“You are not here to determine whether they violated some kind of standard of decency,” Cohen told the jurors, as per The New York Times.

The Verdict

However, the jury seemingly didn’t buy such arguments.

It took them just two days of deliberation to find both women guilty.

“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 labour and services for the defendants’ benefit,” Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said after the verdict.

Both women face up to 20 years in prison.

Their lawyers have vowed to appeal the judgment.

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s verdict," the lawyers said in a statement on Monday. “This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit.”

The company’s current owners Have also come out in support of both women.

They insist that sexual consent has always been the pillar of their firm.

With inputs from agencies