How Kiara Walker Balances Sexy Stories and Safe Space with Cocktales: Dirty Discussions and xoMan

I’ve been a podcast girlie for a minute. Some days, I’m into news and industry convos. On other days, it’s all about girl talk, self-help, and pop culture. Still, I’ll admit, very few podcasts have consistently kept my attention over the years. But Cocktales: Dirty Discussions, hosted by Kiki Said So and Medinah Monroe, is the rare exception. I’ve been tuning in for over five years. So when I heard that media personality and lifestyle influencer Kiara Walker (better known as Kiki Said So) was hosting a new show, I already knew I was going to support. But the more I learned about it, the more my curiosity shifted from loyalty to real excitement.

The new series, xoMan, created by xoNecole, is a refreshing pivot for Kiara. It dives into candid conversations with diverse Black men about masculinity—exploring love, relationships, success, struggles, and the softer sides of manhood that rarely get mainstream attention. Guests include names like Devale Ellis, David Banner, Skyh Black, and more. In this exclusive for Bombshell by BLEU, Kiara opens up about her media journey, the evolution of Cocktales, and why she’s so excited for audiences to check out xoMan.

Kiara has always had a love for media and entertainment. She graduated from Howard University with a degree in broadcast journalism with plans of being on television. So, things were seemingly going perfectly according to plan when she moved to Atlanta and got a job in the entertainment industry. However, she quickly realized it wasn’t progressing the way she wanted. “When I started Cocktales, I was actually working at a radio station. But I wasn’t getting the opportunities I felt like I deserved and wanted. For a long time, I’d been thinking—if I believe in myself, my talent, and my ability, I’ve got to stop waiting on other people to validate me and give me opportunities. If there’s something I can do in the meantime, then I need to do it myself.” So, after a friend told her about podcasting (thanks to The Read), she started one herself.

The sex/dating show went through different hosts and flows until finding its sweet spot with co-host Medinah Monroe. Through the platform, Cocktales has hosted sold-out live shows, created amazing opportunities for both hosts, interviewed popular talent, and garnered a loyal following. With all the many podcasts that come and go every day now, it’s clear her instinct was correct.

Still, as the ladies have grown and matured, the show’s themes have shifted. The ladies may not have some of the crazy but addictively hilarious stories they shared five years ago. As an actual fan, I was curious to know if that ever worried her. “I'll be honest—sometimes, I don’t like it. I think it's okay to grow and evolve and change. But the point of the show is to entertain people.” She continues, “I don't want to make the same mistakes that I made years ago. That's not really growth; I'm still a real person. You've got to be okay with everybody not always liking your decisions, your content, or whatever. But there's also a chance that there's somebody else. Someone who isn't familiar, and they'll find out about it, and they'll enjoy it.”

It’s this go-getter authenticity that draws fans in but also has Kiara feeling like the rookie and the vet with xoMan. Because while she brings her years of experience, this is a brand new project with a new audience. “I just really have grown to love media and the market, so I definitely came in with knowledge and expertise and feeling confident in that way. But xoMan is still new. There's a lot of things that are different. Again, this wasn't my idea, so I'm having to work with other people and make sure that I'm doing a good job of bringing their idea to light. It can be challenging, but it’s exciting.”

In fact, she was surprised when the xoNecole team expressed interest in her being a host. “The feedback from Cocktales fans is that I can come off like I don't really like men. And I mean—sometimes I don’t (laughs). But I’m the one who’s harder on them. I’m not making excuses for them.” Where Cocktales requires her to show her personality often, xoMan is focused more on the guests. But through creating this safe space, guests like Skyh Black have opened up about previous financial struggles that left him homeless; Devale Ellis discussed the insecurity he felt about getting a vasectomy and why. I mean, there have been major personal topics that these men have felt comfortable discussing. They even had David Banner on, who brought his viral flirty energy to the set. “He was biting his lips and making faces the whole time; I had to stay in my head and focus,” she jokes.

Moving forward, Kiara is looking forward to the growth of the show and, hopefully, bringing on some guests who aren’t famous. Personally, she’d still like to continue hosting, helping others bring their stories to life, create scripted shows, and bring her daily TV talk show to life. “I'm hopeful that with xoMan, people will be able to see more men who they look up to, or they're familiar with, open up and share their life so that they'll be a little bit more comfortable, too. And maybe it will also help women get a different perspective on why some men may feel how they feel. Because I think in the end, most of us just want to be happy and understand each other.”

A new episode of xoMan airs everywhere you get podcasts on Tuesdays, and video episodes drop on YouTube every Wednesday.