Nicole Daedone

Nicole Daedone
Born	1967 or 1968 (age 57–58) Los Gatos, California, US
Education	San Francisco State University
Occupation(s)	Writer, business executive
Organization	OneTaste
Criminal status	Remanded following conviction
Conviction	Forced labor conspiracy
Accomplice	Rachel Cherwitz
Imprisoned at	Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn

Nicole Daedone (born 1967 or 1968) is an American writer, business executive, and convicted felon. She founded and became the CEO of OneTaste in the San Francisco Bay Area. A federal jury convicted Daedone for the crime of forced labor conspiracy in a scheme enriching herself while subjecting OneTaste members to "economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse; surveillance; indoctrination; and intimidation."

Early life and education

Nicole Daedone was born in Los Gatos, California and raised by a single mother. She earned a bachelor's degree in gender communications and semantics from San Francisco State University in 1994. After graduating, she opened an art gallery, worked as a waitress at a pizzeria, and had a brief stint working as a stripper and an escort. She studied with teachers of yoga and Buddhist meditation, and with Ray Vetterlein, who was in turn inspired by Lafayette Morehouse, an intentional community of which Daedone was a member. 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 Lafayette Morehouse students, for two years. Lafayette Morehouse and the Welcomed Consensus regarded themselves as "the elite connoisseurs of exquisite gourmet sex." "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.

Career

Daedone published her first book, Slow Sex, in 2012. Since 2022, she has 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. 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. The principles of her philosophy are in her book, Eros Sutras, Volume 1: Principles. This volume is part of a 5-volume series of sutras, outlining what Daedone refers to as a feminine path to personal liberation. The series includes The Eros Sutras, Volume 2: Tumescence; The Eros Sutras, Volume 3: Orgasmic Meditation; The Eros Sutras, Volume 4: Relationship; and The Eros Sutras, Volume 5: Justice (publishes 2025).

In addition to The Eros Sutras, Daedone has published five other titles that draw on the Eros philosophy. These include Play: A Path to Genius, The Age of Eros: A Manifesto of Connectivity and Consciousness, Erotic Justice: Making Social Change from Love, Art of Addiction co-authored alongside Kate Feigin, From Guards to Guardians, The Art of Soulmaking for the Incarcerated authored alongside Beth Wareham, The Art of Soulmaking: A Path to Unconditional Freedom also authored alongside Beth Wareham and The Prison Monastery authored alongside Kate Feigin, Caryn Roth and Marcus Ratnathicam.

OneTaste

Main article: OneTaste

OneTaste was cofounded in San Francisco by Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell. Daedone stated that, prior to starting OneTaste, she had been introduced to orgasmic meditation by a man who she variously described as a Buddhist, a monk, and "a cute guy" who said "the best pickup line I'd ever heard". OneTaste later trademarked the orgasmic meditation (OM) procedure delivered through the company's classes.

OneTaste originally operated two communal-style "urban retreat" centers, one in San Francisco's Soma District and another in Lower Manhattan. OneTaste then expanded to Los Angeles and London. The company produced media, workshops, weekend retreats, and a coach training program. In 2014, OneTaste was listed as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company.

Unconditional Freedom

Daedone also is the co-founder of a nonprofit called Unconditional Freedom, which she helped start in 2002 in San Francisco. The nonprofit, which now has programs across the US and extending into Europe, focuses on rehumanization for marginalized populations such as the incarcerated and homeless, with the belief that with dignity restored, people naturally want to contribute.

Unconditional Freedom's Art of Soulmaking program guides incarcerated individuals through meditation and self-inquiry practices that can transform the experience of prison to a monastic one. Over 55,000 incarcerated individuals across 1,000+ prisons have participated in the program, which includes contemplative writing, meditation and a pen pal and an art component to channel creativity.

Investigation and Criminal Conviction

In June 2018, Bloomberg Business 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. Five months later, Bloomberg Businessweek published a story that the FBI had begun making an inquiry in to the company. Later publications confirmed the federal investigation and revealed the FBI was investigating for prostitution, sex trafficking, and violations of labor law. The company made $12 million in revenue in 2017. In 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.

In June 2023, a grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York indicted Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were indicted for the charge of conspiracy for forced labor (18 USC §§ 1589(a), 1589(b), 1594(b)). 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.

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. 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". Meanwhile, according to the indictment, OneTaste did not pay promised wages and commissions to members-turned-workers.

In December 2024, Daedone's defense counsel alleged that an FBI agent edited a journal that was to be submitted as evidence in the case. In March 2025, the government dropped their lead witness in the case, Ayries Blanck, after she disclosed that her handwritten journals were partially transcribed from her typewritten journals. Attorneys for Daedone argued that the government's case was flawed and sought dismissal. The trial continued with the journals excluded from evidence.

During the trial, the New York Times noted that Daedone hired crisis communications specialist Juda Engelmayer, who has previously worked for convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. The article noted that Engelmayer and Daedone's defense team, "were cheerful, as if there were no greater privilege than being paid handsomely to wage war against people they see as woke and whiny."

At trial several women who worked for OneTaste testified against Daedone. The witnesses described instances of forced labor ranging from sex work with investors to menial tasks such as cooking. A video entered into evidence contained footage of Daedone claiming that rape could be "deflected" if the victim would "turn on 100 percent, because then there is nothing to rape."

On June 9, 2025, a jury voted to convict Daedone and Cherwitz. The Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr., said, "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 labor and services for the defendants’ benefit. I commend the witnesses who testified at trial notwithstanding the trauma that they experienced at the defendants’ direction.  It is my hope that the just conclusion of this process will bring them closure, and that future charlatans think twice about exploiting human beings in this manner."

A post-conviction hearing found that Daedone had not met the burden of demonstrating that she should be released pending sentencing. The court remanded Daedone to the custody of the United States Marshals Service. She is currently held in Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn and has inmate register number 63699-510.

In the media

Daedone is the focus of the 2022 Netflix documentary Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste.

In 2024, Daedone was also the focus of an NBC News profile by Chloe Melas.

Publications

• Slow Sex: the Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm. New York: Grand Central Publishing. 2012. ISBN 978-0-446-56718-3. OCLC 858900850.
• The Eros Sutras. Vol. 1: Principles. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-00-3. OCLC 1390560063.
• The Eros Sutras. Vol. 2: Tumescence. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-02-7.
• The Eros Sutras. Vol. 3: Orgasmic Meditation. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-16-4.
• Erotic Justice: Making Social Change from Love. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-07-2.
• From Guards to Guardians: Rebuilding Prisons from the Ground Up. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-15-7. OCLC 1396699143.
• Play: A Path to Genius. Great Work Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-961064-10-2. OCLC 1407314448.
• The Eros Sutras. Vol. 4: Relationship. Great Work Publishing. 2024. ISBN 978-1-961064-24-9.