‘Gwyneth Paltrow’s sex guru’ facing 20 years in jail over claims her $12m orgasmic meditation firm was an abusive sex cult that ‘recruited vulnerable women to perform sex acts’
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Once hailed as ‘Gwyneth Paltrow’s sex guru’, Nicole Daedone was the glamorous, blonde wellness queen who claimed that the female orgasm could heal trauma, spark creativity and promote women’s empowerment.
In 2018, actress and multimillionaire businesswoman Paltrow granted Daedone, a fellow Californian with a yen for exotic sex therapies, the honour of a starry interview to discuss her business, OneTaste, on Paltrow’s Goop podcast.
The Avengers star gushed over Daedone, describing her as ‘very magnetic’ and revealing she too was a fan of the 15-minute group masturbation sessions Daedone had developed.
‘She is a long-time proponent and teacher of a practice called ‘orgasmic meditation’, which has been called the yoga of sex’, Paltrow told her listeners.
And so ‘orgasmic meditation’ was enthusiastically added to the Goop hall of fame, alongside ‘vaginal steamers’ and jade vaginal eggs.
Paltrow also sang the praises of Daedone’s bestselling book, Slow Sex, saying: ‘I often recommend [it] to women who are looking for more desire in their relationships.’
But this week, Paltrow’s description of Daedone as ‘very magnetic’ took on a sinister undertone as Daedone and a fellow OneTaste executive found themselves on trial in a Brooklyn courtroom, accused of turning their self-help empire into a ‘sex cult’ that preyed on vulnerable women.
At its peak, OneTaste was making $12million a year and operating in nine cities, including London and New York, with 150 staff.
The company claims 35,000 people attended OneTaste’s introductory courses and events. Its orgasmic meditation – or OM – classes promised to help clients achieve ‘higher meaning’, ‘deeper universal connection’ and heal their ‘trauma’.
Daedone is on record as having claimed that practitioners could enjoy orgasms lasting three hours.
However, insiders have claimed for years that OneTaste had a dark, exploitative side.
Both men and women paid to attend the classes, the most devoted practitioners often joining as staff to help offset the high cost of the sessions.
Ex-members claimed OneTaste not only targeted attractive young women, ordering them to wear lipstick, heels and short black skirts, but also rich, lonely men – often working in the technology industry – who would empty their wallets for the chance to do OM.
And this week, the court heard how 58-year-old Daedone, OneTaste’s former co-founder and chief executive, and her ex-head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, 45, demanded ‘absolute commitment’ from members and reduced their devoted followers to ‘shells of their former selves’.
‘They recruited vulnerable women to perform sexual labour for their benefit. What did they gain? Power, prestige and money,’ said federal prosecutor Sean Fern.
The jury heard how their ‘abusive and manipulative tactics’ included keeping victims under surveillance in communal homes, collecting sensitive information about them and withholding wages.
Content retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14697549/Gwyneth-Paltrow-sex-guru-jail-orgasmic-meditation-firm-abusive-cult.html.
