My Life Inside the Bizarre Orgasm Cult
Ruwan Meepagala's descent into an international sex cult began with a seemingly innocuous Ted Talk. Struggling with confidence from a young age, he had become addicted to online self-improvement content, consuming videos two or three times daily during meals. By chance, he clicked on a lecture titled 'Orgasm: The Cure to the Hunger in Western Women,' which immediately captivated him.
The Initial Attraction
The video was created by Nicole Daedone, founder of the sexual wellness company OneTaste. It resonated deeply with Ruwan, who had always felt inhibited and unable to form meaningful connections with women. Despite being in a relationship at the time, it was an unhappy one, and the then-23-year-old grappled with erectile dysfunction. When an email promoting OneTaste's orgasmic meditation courses landed in his inbox, his curiosity was piqued further.
This practice, which involved genital stroking to achieve bliss, originated in the hippy communes of 1960s California. In the 2000s, Nicole rebranded it under her sexual wellness brand, transforming it into a multi-million dollar business endorsed by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London.
First Steps into the Cult
Feeling he had nothing to lose, Ruwan signed up for a session in New York in September 2012, purchasing tickets for himself and his then-girlfriend, who failed to appear on the day. Nervously attending the 90-minute session alone, he encountered activities where attendees asked personal questions and shared secrets they wouldn't normally reveal.
"I thought I would learn about sex and connection but instead I experienced group vulnerability for the first time. It scared me – but also excited me," Ruwan, now 37, recalls from his New York home.
Within weeks, a OneTaste representative offered him a $50 discount on a $150 'How-to OM' course. He signed up and soon found himself participating in his first genital stroking exercise with strangers. At the session, he watched as a woman lay exposed on a massage table while Nicole stroked her to orgasm. Later, Ruwan was partnered with a woman as the 'strokee,' following a ten-step process involving consent, latex gloves, lubricant, and eventual climax.
Deepening Involvement
Afterwards, the group was subjected to a sales pitch for a year-long course to become an orgasm coach. Ruwan left unconvinced, but organisers insisted he needed to try the practice ten times before deciding. They compared it to yoga or weightlifting, claiming benefits only came with repetition. Having already spent $100, Ruwan continued.
"I felt that I had discovered this alternate world that could potentially be the solution to my problems. All the OneTaste people seemed so confident, intuitive and magical, I felt part of a fascinating, secret community," he explains. "But the actual practice of orgasmic meditation, I just didn't get it. Even months in. I didn't understand the point of what we were doing or why."
Finding Validation and Financial Strain
He joined twice-weekly 'OM circles' and a secret Facebook group called the OM Hub, quickly becoming popular as a 'stroker.' "I felt this was a sign I was on the right path. I'd tried the marines, motivational speaking, sales jobs… but never felt I was really succeeding," he remembers. "The validation of the OM community felt like I had finally found 'my thing'."
Within six months, he was invited to move into a OneTaste residence—a Manhattan penthouse with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, and a private rooftop courtyard, complete with daily OM sessions. Rent included meals, so Ruwan, who had just lost his marketing job, seized the opportunity.
"I'd lived with strangers before but when you add on the sexual layering, it was very bizarre," he admits. "Eventually I learned to enjoy it, because there's a lot of fun and excitement, too."
Manipulation and Debt
Reflecting back, Ruwan believes he was manipulated from the very first session. "Even their intro event was based on emotional vulnerability. Part of their indoctrination was giving legitimate and helpful life advice, mixed in with philosophical statements that you had to think about. So by the time they suggest you spend a lot of money, you've developed a certain trust that they can see reality better than you can," he explains.
After revealing his struggles with depression and emptiness, he was persuaded to sign up for a discounted ten-month Coaching Programme costing $11,000, which he paid by credit card. Over time, he attended various training courses, and after a year, he was $30,000 in debt due to course costs and lost earnings.
"I knew that I was being financially irresponsible, but it came with a kind of exercise of faith. And after a certain point when you're insolvent, you just stop budgeting," he admits.
Employment and Exploitation
In June 2013, Ruwan started working for OneTaste, initially overjoyed at being hired with a salary of '20% of New York's revenue.' His role involved driving head of sales Rachel Cherwitz to meetings and tasks like managing social media, hosting YouTube videos, editing blogs, coaching, training, sales, and PR.
However, he often waited months for payment and was dismissed when he challenged higher ranks, accused of having a 'scarcity mindset.' "I was framed as crazy for wanting money," he remembers. Nicole told staff: "Remember, OneTaste runs on two currencies: money and orgasm. Muggles won't understand what it's like to be paid in orgasm. But you all do." Calculating his hours, Ruwan realised he was earning under $2 an hour.
Escape and Aftermath
In December 2014, two years after his first session, Ruwan left the company. Life outside was a shock; he had been so enmeshed that he didn't even know his city's mayor. "When I tried to interact with other people not connected to the cult, I just felt so out of place," he remembers. "I couldn't tell if I had done this amazing thing and was just having a hard time integrating, or whether I'd betrayed my spiritual path by leaving the group. I worried that maybe I had ruined my life."
After two difficult years, he rebuilt his life as an author, coach, and podcaster. In 2018, news emerged with allegations from OneTaste employees about being pressured into unaffordable courses—a familiar story for Ruwan. In 2025, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz were indicted, with witnesses testifying to coercion into degrading sex acts, unpaid work, and psychological abuse under the guise of spiritual enlightenment.
Legal Reckoning and Reflection
Daedone had sold her stake in 2017 for $12 million, and the company, rebranded as the Institute of OM Foundation, claimed the charges were unjustified. However, the pair were convicted of forced labour conspiracy charges in June 2025 and await sentencing.
Ruwan acknowledges the warped environment, noting how 'Aversion Therapy' was repurposed to encourage women to sleep with repulsive men as proof of spiritual growth. "Some female staff members would be encouraged to 'love up' certain men with the understanding that this would lead to them spending money at OneTaste. In this case, it was framed as 'bringing people to orgasm' as a spiritual practice," he explains.
While he doesn't consider himself traumatised, he remains "confused and disoriented." "I wouldn't necessarily think of myself as a victim. I would probably say that I gained more than I lost, because it did heal a lot of my anxieties, especially in those first months there," he says. "But a number of women that I knew from then, some of whom also testified in the court case are still experiencing PTSD."
Ruwan is the author of Orgasm – A Memoir, detailing his experiences within this controversial organisation.
