When Wellness Turns Dangerous: Inside the OneTaste Cult

Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Sony Music

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Comedy, Education

4.9 • 21.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Why do people join cults? JVN is joined by investigative journalist Ellen Huet, who spent years interviewing more than 125 former members to expose how a movement built around empowerment, intimacy, and “sexual wellness” spiraled into coercion, manipulation, and abuse of power. Together, we break down how wellness culture can blur boundaries, why charismatic leaders are so effective, and how language around healing and liberation can be weaponized. They explore what OneTaste and Orgasmic Meditation (O.M.) actually promised, how social pressure and taboo minimization kept people trapped, and what finally led to an FBI investigation and federal trial. Most importantly, we talk about why smart, curious people join cults, how to spot red flags before it’s too late, and what to do if someone you love might be caught in one. Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. Follow Ellen Huet on Instagram @ehuet Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Senior Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, Better Babes. Welcome back to Getting Better. We are coming in hot. We are coming in strong with the
0:05.6	story of the downfall of a wellness cult. This story is the intersection of consent, power, pleasure,
0:13.7	cults, escape, belonging. It is quite a tale. It also culminates in a courtroom. So we're coming in hot on 2026. This is an
0:22.9	incredible conversation. And let's get to it with Ellen Hewitt.
0:28.5	Ellen, how are you? I'm so excited to be here. Welcome to getting better. And thank you so much
0:32.2	for coming. Of course. Queen. Okay, so now set the stage for us. You write Empire of Orgasm. This just set the stage for us.
0:40.8	Year, time, place, what's happening when you stumble upon this? Totally. I'm an investigative journalist
0:46.2	and I work at Bloomberg News and it back in 2017, you know, I wasn't, I didn't study cults. I wasn't like a cult expert or wasn't even particularly like my beat was not like writing about sexual topics. But.
1:01.1	Okay, wait, really quick. I'm so sorry to interrupt. It's okay. But I love that term. Your beat. Like that's like what the writer is like, that's like the thing that they like to write about. When I was first starting in reporting, I was a crime reporter.
1:11.8	So my beat was crime, breaking news.
1:14.2	Yeah.
1:14.7	Yeah.
1:15.1	Anyway.
1:15.8	Yeah.
1:16.0	My beat is usually like tech and Silicon Valley.
1:18.7	But I also covered startups.
1:21.2	And back in 2017, I was pitched a story about a startup, a fast-growing woman-led sexual wellness startup, a company called One Taste.
1:31.1	And what they teach and sell courses on is a practice called orgasmic meditation, also known as
1:38.5	OM or OM or Oaming for short.
1:41.0	Oh, don't bring an Ome into it.
1:42.5	Oh, they did.
1:43.5	Oh, my God.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sony Music, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Sony Music and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.