Ellen Huet (on wellness cults)

Episode overview

Ellen Huet (Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult) is a journalist, startup founder, and author. Ellen joins the Armchair Expert to discuss must-haves versus most-haves in terms of cult sexuality requirements, her hot tips for avoiding cults that are too extractive, and her dealings with Silicon Valley and venture capitalists. Ellen and Dax talk about when she began covering orgasmic meditation startup OneTaste, the OM course to cult pipeline, and the intricacies and systems of manipulation concocted by OneTaste’s leader. Ellen explains unpacking potential power dynamics of sexual abuse, how much status games weigh into human behavior, and why she believes there’s no one invulnerable to indoctrination.

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Short transcript highlights

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1. 0:00Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert, experts on expert. I'm Dan Shepard and I'm joined by Modest Mouse.
2. 1:02:36experiencing something painful or uncomfortable or emotionally difficult but you might be also told that well
3. 2:08:20Now I know what to get her for her birthday come July. Exactly. Um that's all for the facts.