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Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult
by Ellen Huet
A cautionary tale of sex and salvation for the wellness generation: how orgasmic meditation turned into a cult.
OneTaste hoped orgasm would change the world. Emerging in the midst of the late-aughts for-profit wellness boom, the company was unwavering in its faith in orgasmic meditation, or OM, a fifteen-minute practice featuring a woman being clitorally stimulated by a clothed, usually male partner. Nicole Daedone, the group's magnetic and cunning founder, envisioned a world where OM was as widespread as yoga. But Daedone's vision came with a price: behind the militant loyalty she inspired and her millions of dollars of sales was what former members describe as a cult of manipulation, abuse, and coercion driven by a relentless quest for control. And by the time the FBI showed up at her door in 2023 with an indictment alleging she conspired to commit forced labor, even Daedone herself was no longer safe.
Building on the viral Bloomberg article that exposed the dark side of OneTaste and Daedone, Ellen Huet's Empire of Orgasm is a deeply reported and cinematic chronicle of how a boundary-pushing wellness program became a cult that, according to dozens of witnesses, ruthlessly exploited its members. Huet, the undeniable authority on the group, reveals how, in demanding absolute fealty to Daedone as a path to enlightenment and healing, OneTaste pushed its followers past their limits―sexually, emotionally, financially―and left many of their lives in shambles. The story culminates in Daedone's conviction in June 2025 after a five-week criminal trial.
A riveting saga and a nuanced exploration of the mechanics of manipulation, Empire of Orgasm is an extraordinary account of wellness gone wrong.
"A carefully written exposé of an 'infinite game' built on lust for wealth and power―but on mere lust, too." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Ellen Huet has written a harrowing, exquisitely crafted account of perhaps the strangest cult in history and the almost biblical downfall of its larger-than-life leader. You won't be able to put this book down." ―Brad Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Amazon Unbound
"With her ultra-vivid reporting, Ellen Huet guides us through a surreal San Francisco subculture where sex served as currency and the boundary between empowerment and exploitation was obliterated. This isn't just a tale of one cultish company―it's a mirror held up to tech's dark side, so full of greed and self-delusion." ―Ashlee Vance, New York Times bestselling author of When the Heavens Went on Sale and Elon Musk
"In Empire of Orgasm, Ellen Huet deftly pens a thrilling tale on the collision of founder worship and cult behavior. Huet brings an engrossing, inside-the-room look at the rise and fall of an exploitative machine fueled on Silicon Valley hype." ―Eliot Brown, bestselling author of The Cult of We
This information about Empire of Orgasm was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ellen Huet is an investigative journalist who covers technology and Silicon Valley for Bloomberg News. She writes award-winning features for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, has hosted two seasons of the podcast Foundering, and holds a particular interest in writing about strange and complex subcultures. Previously, she was a staff writer at Forbes and a crime reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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