Personal Life Media

Episode 32: Poly? Monogamy?

On this episode we approach the topic of monogamy, in a very backward way. Hear the stories of four people engaged in open relationships and their reflections on monogamy. A woman finds a greater capacity for love after her boyfriend decides to be monogamous with someone else. Another woman concludes that, “Just because you get the animal in a cage doesn’t mean it will let you pet it.” A very cynical view of monogamy from a man who couldn’t express his desires to his wife. And a correspondence between two women who slept with the same man. 

Also, participate in our survey about monogamy by going to www.onetaste.us/monogamy. We want to hear whether you think monogamy is, or is not the most appropriate form of relationship.

Episode 31: The Lifting of Shame

Going into sexual desire brings up shame for many people. There is the shame of feeling like you have a secret – perhaps from your past -- or that your desire is wrong, or that there may be something wrong with you because you feel this way. Hear how the process of diving into their shame lifted the burden of it for two people. First, a sex addict who could not control his actions, no matter how he tried. Plus, a poem about a ritualistic experience that had its author re-live the terror, loneliness and shame of an operation that removed one-eighth of her cervix.

Also, go to www/onetaste.us/allparts and take advantage of a free special offer to hear OneTaste’s founder Nicole Daedone speak about her exploration of the divine. Daedone is an original thinker and an inspirational speaker, definitely worth listening to.

Episode 30: When You Hate Everyone

Ever been a state of mind where you couldn’t stand to be around anyone; where you felt like everything that everyone did was intolerable and wrong? Hear commentaries from people on what they find most annoying about their fellow human beings when they fall into such a mood. Also, the story of a four-day stint of “hating everyone,” and the lessons learned.

Episode 29: Perfection

Hear the arguments in favor and against

What would you say if brought before a jury that argued for your perfection? For every fault that you listed, the jury would counter with an argument of how that particular trait was necessary and important  

Many people like to say that they are perfectionists. What they often mean is that they are intensely critical of themselves. 

Who among us does not know our faults? In fact, we are so critical of ourselves, it is sometimes hard to remember that we are human, and that humans are jealous, judgmental, angry, insecure and not always operating at full capacity. We think that these flaws stand in the way of our perfection. But what if we assumed that they were part of being perfect? Listen to the story of Izzy an Orthodox Jew who worried he might lose his faith if he continued to follow his intuition, and who brought this conflict before a OneTaste jury to argue against his perfection. Also, hear from other people about their very human flaws, and the jury’s arguments for how those traits point toward – rather than away – from perfection.

Episode 28: Women on Women

There are three types of women. 1) Those who exclusively like men. 2) Those who like both men and women. 3) Those who only like women. On this episode, we explore women who like women, whether exclusively or in addition to their relationships with men. First, hear from Stephanie – a woman who draws oodles of attention from many men -- on how she came to terms with her identity as a lesbian. Next, hear from women who say they mostly like men about their attraction for members of their same sex.

For those who want help with their flirting techniques, go to http://onetaste.us/flirt. You’ll find tips from Stephanie, (a master at flirting with women) on how to improve your success rate.

Episode 27: Obsession

In the state of obsession, the person you desire becomes the person you must have. You want to own and control them. Your mind won’t have it any other way. Hear three stories that explore the drama, patterns and lessons of obsession First, hear about a real-life laboratory for studying obsession. Second, the story of one woman’s 36-hour triumph in obsession. Finally, a scientific inquiry with a personal twist, into the nature of obsession.

Episode 26: Who’s Running the Show?

You remember the short, bald man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz? Each of us has similar characters inside of us. They may not be short and bald, but they are the ones running our life’s shows. They want attention, love, power and play, and whether or not we meet their demands determines how we react to the world. Often, they are characters who did not get what they wanted when we were 6, 8, 10 or 12 and so, they stuck around. Hear five short interviews with people willing to let you in on the somewhat twisted, but always humorous logic of the characters running their shows.

Episode 25: Sports, Sex and Orgasm

Every athlete can identify peak moments in their career, when something seemed to take over their bodies and they performed at their best. In sports, this is called flow, where the critical mind shuts down and the body takes over. Hear from one athlete about his peak experiences pitching, how he owned the field and everything that happened, and how they relate to orgasm and sex.

Episode 24: Synchronicity

Some coincidences – like when friends call just as you are thinking about them – seem be more than accidents of statistics. So is there a connection that binds everything in the universe together such that nothing happens by chance? Or are all coincidences phenomena of probability? Hear from those who believe in synchronicity, versus those who do not. Plus, the story of a relationship where synchronicity brought two people together, and then back together again after two years apart without contact.

Episode 23: Permission

“Most of our lives as women in the early years are spent having some relationship to our future with children -- whether we’re going to have them, or not going to have them, and how we’re going to have them and with whom. Then you have the children and all of a sudden, something shifts within you. There is this incredible yearning to express a freedom that you now feel.” --Monica, OneTaste Resident

For most people, sexuality is entangled in shame and guilt, for how much we want and the ways that we want it. What happens when we give ourselves permission? What happens when we give a voice to our desire? Hear the story of a woman who, after her children were born, found a freedom in sex that she had never known before. Also, a live performance of an improvisational poem about the sadness behind suppressed desire. 

Episode 22: Learning to Feel Through Orgasm

“There’s something so special and precious about it. And it challenges my view of myself to carry something like that inside of me, even if it’s not a tangible, static thing. It feels like a greater responsibility to be kinder to myself, once I acknowledge how much I can feel. ” --Beth Crittenden, OneTaste Resident

Most of us know orgasm as the climax of sex, a messy, pleasurable release of pent-up energy that often fades into sleep. But if you stop and think about it, the concept of orgasm is extremely profound. From orgasm comes life. In orgasm we also return to a primal state where we are released – even if for just a few seconds – from the prison of our minds.

In this first of a two-part series, we venture off the traditional path of orgasm. We look at alternative definitions and the role that orgasm can play in our lives. Also, the story of a woman who couldn’t feel her body and what happened when she began a practice called Orgasmic Meditation.

Episode 21: The Art of Seduction, Part 2

“Here at OneTaste we talk about the orgasm that exists between two people. In Eastern religions, they call it prana. I feel like there’s a place where two people meet before they actually speak a word, and there is a connection that happens that can never be taken away. ” --Kal Holtzler, OneTaste Resident

What does it take to seduce people past their own defenses? In this second of a two-part series on seduction, hear a story of the ultimate seduction, where a date in San Francisco’s North Beach released a lifetime of desire. Also, an interview with a seasoned veteran of seduction, a man who says that seduction is a doorway to connection.

Episode 20: The Art of Seduction

“To seduce, you have to be seduced by the person you’re seducing. It’s all about noticing because people say they want one thing and often they want something different.” --Robert, OneTaste Resident

Do you like to seduce, or be seduced? In this first of a two-part series on the seduction, hear tried and true ways of seducing and being seduced. Also, a commentary on the methods recommended by communities devoted to teaching men seduction skills. Does being a jerk really turn women on, and is it a practice that will sustain a healthy relationship?

Episode 19: The Calculating Minds of Women

“Women are very calculating…They have a very covert power that they can use to their advantage and that’s the advantage of their sex. It’s something that men are blinded by. that I am -- of course -- blinded by. It’s like a drug. You don’t care. You don’t even care if they are calculating.” --Joshua Boshnack, OneTaste Resident

Women calculate. What to say, what not to say. How to get favors from friends. How to get productivity from coworkers. How to keep a safe distance if they are not interested in sex. How to seduce if they are. In nearly every interaction, about nearly every part of their lives, they calculate.

Hear the inside story on the mechanics of a woman’s mind as the women of OneTaste confess some of their most embarrassing calculations, including attempts to calculate the future. Also, one man’s perspective on why women calculate, especially about sex.  

Episode 18: The Black Hole and How to Crawl Out

"I realized that no one is ever going to make me feel like enough. No person outside of me is ever going to be able to fill that void inside." -- Chris Kosley, Community Member OneTaste™ Urban Retreat Center

Chris Kosley was a really nice guy. He did everything that he could to please women. He demanded a price, however. If he didn’t get what he wanted – attention, love or sex – he got pissed. Except that he usually didn’t say it; you just felt it. For Chris, nice covered a Black Hole – a void inside of him that craved constant validation from women. This is the story of a nice guy who got angry and what happened when he began befriending his Black Hole.

Episode 17: Friendship: The Judy and Nicole Halpern Show Part 2 of 2

What is the true nature of friendship? Is a friend someone who supports and accepts you? What about a friend who constantly pushes your buttons? On this episode Nicole Halpern tells her side of the Judy and Nicole drama, a three-year on-again, off-again friendship that changes faster than most people at OneTaste can - or care - to keep up. A show that could redefine your ideas about friendship. more.

Episode 16: Friendship: The Judy and Nicole Halpern Show

What is the true nature of friendship? Is friendship restricted to someone who likes you and whom you like? Is a friend someone who supports and accepts you? What about a friend who constantly pushes your buttons? Can a friend be someone who is also an enemy? On this episode we tell the story of Judy and Nicole who have experienced the best - and the worst - of each other. They dated the same men, worked together and lived together at OneTaste. Their relationship of love and hate reflects a new paradigm for friendship. It’s one where it’s not comfort that matters, but a willingness to see and acknowledge all parts of yourself and someone else. Tune in and Turn on. more.

Episode 15: The Buddhist and Sensuality

At age 30, Tempel Smith boarded a plane for Burma, joined a monastery and became a celibate Buddhist monk. Over the next year, he would spend 14 hours a day meditating and watching the ceaseless wanderings of his mind. Tempel struggled with how to handle feelings of sexuality that would arise. His confusion remained once he left the monasteries. The Burmese teachers taught that sex was dangerous and an obstacle to enlightenment. At the same time, he recognized that sex - and lust - was an element of life that should not be ignored. Join us as we explore the attempt of one man to build a bridge between his Buddhist practices and that of sensuality. more.

Episode 14: Sexual Cinema: The Making of Shortbus with Raphael Barker

When Raphael Barker came across a call for auditions by director John Cameron Mitchell, he couldn’t resist making a tape and sending it in. Mitchell described a movie about sex that would go beyond the usual love and romance. It would inquire into the curiosity and vulnerability of sex that is rarely talked about, let alone portrayed in film. Set in New York City after 9/11, Shortbus follows its characters in their quest to know themselves through their sexuality. After its release in 2006, reviews praised its frank, yet humorous treatment of a subject rife with emotion and taboo. On this week’s A Taste of Sex, Raphael tells the behind the scenes story of Shortbus. He talks about his motivation for doing the film. He also reveals the care taken by Mitchell to develop intimacy among the Shortbus actors before filming so that the outcome would appear genuine and real. more.

Episode 13: Power Dynamics and Sex

Simple physical contact between two people can morph into so many things: love, pleasure, passion, power, physical connection or energetic release. The mix makes up the convoluted and often confusing dynamics of sex. For Harmony, sex was power. She got a rush out of controlling of her partner’s physical or emotional well being. It helped make up for an emptiness that she felt inside. Her brush with sexuality started at a young age. It would be many years before she would discover that the power she felt was empty, an illusion, like a mirage in the hot desert sun. more.

Episode 12: Masturbation

In this episode we explore that most natural, but also taboo of subjects: masturbation. For as long as she can remember, Kerri Knox masturbated. As a young child, she quickly learned that touching her genitals anywhere but in private would bring a reprimand. The message from her parents and siblings: masturbation is bad. So though she masturbated a lot, she usually rushed to get through it and that diminished the amount of sensation she could feel. The feeling of numbness carried over to her sex life. As she grew older, she grew frustrated knowing that there was more, but not knowing how to access it. Join us this week for our masturbation episode. You’ll hear about Kerri’s early experiences with masturbation and the process of awakening to sensation through the practice of orgasmic meditation. more.

Episode 11: Meditation on the Street

Isaac Levin spent several years living on the streets of several California cities. In 2004, he hit rock bottom, and received a wakeup call. He realized that it was time for him to take responsibility for his life, and to start making some changes. He put himself into a drug rehab program, and then into a halfway house where he began to practice yoga. It was that yoga practice that first brought him to OneTaste, where the community became his true family. In the roughly fifteen months since his arrival, Isaac has grown healthier in mind, body, and spirit. He now works as a massage therapist, manages OneTaste's massage studio, and dedicates part of his time each week to OneTaste's Fill Up America program, collecting and distributing food to the San Francisco's homeless. Tune in to hear Isaac describe his journey from a life of solitude to total immersion in the OneTaste community on this episode of A Taste of Sex. more.

Episode 10: Friendship and the Magic of More

On this episode we take a behind the scenes look at one couple’s relationship through a reading of their personal writings. In the Fall of 2006 Marcie Prohofsky moved into the OneTaste community. Shortly after, Mark joined OneTaste’s Urban Monk program, a residential offering for students who want to live the practice of sensuality for a few weeks or months. The two soon discovered that they shared a love of writing and a desire to express their OneTaste experiences on paper. Journaling in the mornings became a regular part of their days. Over the next few months, they chronicled the evolution of their relationship and friendship. more.

Episode 9: From Girl to Woman Part 2

In Part II of a two-part series, we speak with Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Urban Retreat Center about the impact of sexuality on transitioning from girl to woman. Nicole speaks of her own personal journey and the energy that unlocked once she began claiming her sexuality. She explains why most women never make it over the threshold from girl to women. She also talks about some of common pitfalls that occur as women assume complete responsibility for themselves. more.

Episode 8: From Girl to Woman Part 1

In Part I of a two-part series, we talk to three OneTaste community members about the role that sexuality plays in making the transition from girl to woman. It’s not an easy transition to make. With womanhood comes responsibility for your entire well being, including your sex, and few women are willing to cross over. Rachael Hemsi, Nicole Halpern and Jessica F tell us the characteristics -- such as looking to men for approval or answers -- that have begun to fall away as they claim their sexuality as an important aspect of self. All are in intensive programs of exploring their sexuality through the practice of Orgasmic Meditation. more.

Episode 7: Staying connected no matter what: Life with your partner after the break-up

In this episode we talk to Sam Gedal and Yia Vang about their relationship and what it’s like to stay connected through love, jealousy, anger and hurt, even after breaking up. After an initial honeymoon period in the relationship of about four months, the fighting began between Sam and Yia. A pattern emerged: Yia felt that Sam wasn’t listening to her. Sam felt that Yia wasn’t being vulnerable enough. After nine months, they chose to break up. But living side by side in community, they continued to see and hear everything about each other. They talk about what it was like to live with each other in such intimate and intense circumstances. You’ll hear how it changed them and their relationship. more.

Episode 6: What’s in it for the Man? The practice of orgasmic meditation from the perspective of a man.

Sex was often on the mind of A Taste of Sex host Bob Gower. In nearly every interaction with a woman, he considered the question: did he want her? And if yes, what was the possibility of getting her into bed? He tried the conventional life of marriage and living in the suburbs with a cat. He tried a relationship where nearly all they did was have sex. But none of it left him satisfied. On this episode, we hear Bob’s perspective on Orgasmic Meditation and the kind of connection it has brought to his life. He speaks about his awkward first experience with Orgasmic Meditation. We’ll also hear about how its lessons show up all over his life -- in sex, relationships and work. more.

Episode 5: Learning to Feel: The Practice of Orgasmic Meditation

Sex was always on her mind, but when it came down to it Rachael Hemsi didn’t know how to feel. Her mind would wander, or she would conjure up fantasies to create sensation in her body. Wanting to explore the root of the block, Rachael joined OneTaste Urban Retreat Center in 2006. She took on the practice of Orgasmic Meditation -- where two people tap into the orgasm that lies between them -- and began investigating her fears and desires around sex. In this episode we follow Rachael through her day. You’ll hear from the many sides of a woman who is uniquely forthright in revealing her history, insecurity and growth around her sexuality. more.

Episode 4: The Making of an Urban Retreat Center. Through the eyes of Robert Kandell.

Robert Kandell had all the trappings of a successful life a house, a wife, a good salary and career when he decided to take his first sensuality class. Within a few years, he would drop everything to open OneTaste Urban Retreat Center, a place dedicated to conscious sensuality. In this episode, Robert tells the story of growing up in a wealthy Long Island neighborhood and following a corporate career path that many would have envied. He relates how at one point, he came to realize that he was working too many hours, didn’t love his job and didn’t really know his wife. more.

Episode 3: First tase of OneTaste™: Meet Nicole Halpern

In this episode, Nicole Halpern, a well known personality in the OneTaste community, relates the story of how she first came to the urban retreat center dedicated to sensuality. In 2004, on the way to a political meeting, Nicole spotted OneTaste’s corner building on Folsom Street and decided to go in, not having any idea what she was walking into. Soon after, she took her first sensuality workshop. Her experience was so powerful that a short time later, she moved in to become the organization’s course enrollment manager. Halpern tells her story in such a way that listeners will be taken by her honesty, her willingness to step into the unknown and the sense of humor with which she did it. more.

Episode 2: Orgasmic meditation and other practices at One Taste Urban Retreat Center

In this episode, Nicole Daedone talks about orgasmic meditation and other daily practices of One Taste Urban Retreat Center’s residential community She speaks of orgasmic meditation as an exercise in connection where the people engaged play the body as an instrument, sounding high and low notes, as well as everything in between. The practice is the main focus of One Taste, a Center dedicated to bringing conscious sensuality into the mainstream. In opening the door to sensuality, a hotbox of repressed and unacknowledged emotions, she speaks of the importance of including other practices that can fill, as well as empty and so, clear body and mind. Daily practices at One Taste include journaling, yoga, karma yoga and a communication exercise called Withholds. She talks about how each holds one important aspect of self. more.

Episode 1: Meet Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste™ Urban Retreat Center

In this groundbreaking episode, hosts Bob Gower and Beth Crittenden interview Nicole Daedone, the founder and visionary behind One Taste Urban Retreat Center. One Taste is run by a community of 50 sensual researchers committed to weaving the message of orgasm into the world conversation. Nicole describes the key precept on which the One Taste community operates: "We agree to stay connected - no matter what". You will learn how using this principle, even in the most uncomfortable situations, can completely transform the way you interact and move through the world. Nicole then gets personal, divulging how she went from being a "complete and utter mess" in her sensual life to becoming a fully ignited and orgasmic woman. This transition was fostered by her opening to the practice called Orgasmic Meditation. Nicole was offered this meditation at a party, and although she was a celibate Buddhist at the time, she agreed and as a result she was able to feel deeply enough to crack open in her sensuality and completely transform her life in the process. Hear about what orgasm and meditation have to do with each other (hint: focused attention on motion in the body). Nicole leads us through the fire of her awakening via the sensual realm. We'll hear about the simple beauty of the spiritual practice that can put one in direct contact with What Is. Learn how Nicole views sex as the transformer we need as human beings to stay connected and thrive through the raw emotion and intense ups and downs that life inevitably brings us. Hear why engaging in the practice of Orgasmic Meditation is done in community at One Taste, where the desire is to keep sensuality conscious and included. more.