Inside Mila Semeshkina's Expanding Impact The ambitious vision of the founder of Lectera and the Women's Empowerment Council Mila Smart Semeshkina - 50 million learners, one million women.

The rapid rise of Mila Smart Semeshkina, founder of the international learning platform Lectera and the global community Women's Empowerment Council (WE Council), is more than just a growth story—it is a testament to conviction, clarity of vision, and the discipline to execute at scale without compromise.

In just a few years, Lectera has approached eight million users, with more than one million learners active on the platform each day—figures that position it among the leading players in the education technology space.

The WE Council has also achieved notable growth, most evident through the third Women's Empowerment Convention (WE Convention), taking place at the Atlantis the Royal in Dubai on November 1-2, 2025. It will feature Dame Anna Wintour, American author Candace Bushnell, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority H.E. Hala Badri, and many others.

"Scale matters: the more visible we are, the louder women's voices become in business, and the more women are recognized as successful, strong, and powerful," Semeshkina says.

Her words are reflected in action, with plans for one online and two in-person WE Convention events in 2026. "The growth validates our approach," Semeshkina says. "Seeing lives change around us confirms the effort is worthwhile. Our core team has remained largely intact while adding several key players, becoming stronger without sacrificing quality."

Mila Smart Semeshkina is the founder of Lectera and Women's Empowerment Council.
Source: WE Council

It is with this purpose in mind that the organization is expanding its initiatives, including launching WE Magazine alongside dedicated digital media platforms to provide women with greater opportunities to share their stories and achievements. "In the past two years, our publications have generated over 800 million views, nearly one billion," says Semeshkina."We haven't compiled 2025 figures yet, but I believe we've already exceeded a total of one billion impressions. That's why we're expanding."

She adds, "My role is to provide a platform for ever more women. We're increasing the number of forums next year and launching additional media so successful women can serve as beacons, as guiding stars for others, lighting the way and demonstrating that success is achievable through different strategies and formulas."

The measured and sustained expansion of her enterprises parallels Semeshkina's unwavering commitment to self-development. "The WE Convention and WE Council are an extension of me, the manifestations of my energy, and for that energy to strengthen, I must be in constant development," she explains.

Her personal growth routine includes a development plan across languages, books business directions, sports and fitness activities. "I don't go to sleep unless I've done the work," she says. "One of my life rules is 'to be, not to seem.' If I'm going to teach women and serve as a beacon for them, I must constantly cultivate my own light, strengthen and amplify it."

Her capacity to expand in both personal and professional spheres without losing focus, she notes, stems from three guiding principles. "First, I maintain a crystal-clear vision of where I want to end up. I know my big goals and my smaller near-term objectives. I teach this especially to women, and it's the subject of my third book: you have to protect your focus. I play the long game, always keeping serious long-term objectives alongside short-term steps," Semeshkina explains. "The second element is staying power—what I call 'long will.' When you know why your work matters and accept that success requires a million small steps, you simply take them day after day until those million steps are complete. The third is discipline: a clear, strict discipline of daily self-improvement. These principles let me concentrate on what matters and live within my big, long-term goals without losing focus."

With access to influential thinkers and world leaders, Semeshkina has had the opportunity to engage in conversations that many would consider transformative. While she emphasizes that her personal growth has been largely self-driven rather than shaped by these interactions, several distinct insights have nonetheless emerged. "A woman can truly do everything, and she can be effective and efficient in absolutely any role," Semeshkina says. "Then, the most difficult life situations create the greatest leaders. Steel is forged at high temperatures under serious pressure. A para-athlete I met shared a phrase that stayed with me, 'I can't" is a lie. You can. Get up and do it.'"

Plus, she underscores the benefits of engaging with a community of achievers. "What I've observed is that successful women share their success with other women with tremendous enthusiasm and internal drive," Semeshkina says. "Also, positively charged people powerfully influence everything around them. Successful women change society by becoming beacons that help others believe in themselves. The more brightly shining beacons we have, the better."

Recognizing and valuing growth both in herself and in others, she applies the same perspective to the world around her, including Dubai where she relocated to in 2018. "The Dubai I arrived in back in 2018 and the Dubai of today feel like two different cities in strength, speed, quality, and scale," Semeshkina says. "The population has grown and so has its caliber, with a steady influx of top talent from around the world. As conditions have become more complex in some former economic centers, more serious entrepreneurs and experts are choosing Dubai. Quality of life keeps rising, and opportunities for business and self-realization are multiplying."

Semeshkina believes that Dubai is on track to become a global economic and financial center. "Policy is a major enabler," she says. "Social and economic policies actively support growth, and even government processes run on blockchain, letting you resolve issues in days or sometimes hours that would take weeks elsewhere. For example, obtaining residency takes around seven working days."

Her next objective is ambitious: to accomplish in a single year what previously required three. "You can't keep goals at the same level; at minimum, we double them, and sometimes triple them," Semeshkina says. "Next year, I plan indeed to triple our goals, tasks, and complexity for both myself and the team. We'll hold three forums, triple the workload and triple the challenge but we'll handle it. Otherwise, we can't scale the WE Council activities effectively.

She adds, "As a team, we operate outside our comfort zone, and that's precisely why we grow so rapidly. These challenges elevate us daily. Each time we reach a new summit, the team reflects, 'We thought that was impossible.' It's powerful to prove to yourself that everything is achievable and to realize how much untapped potential remains. And it is one of my key responsibilities to unlock people's potential and that's what we accomplish together with my team every day."

Source: WE Council

Looking ahead, Lectera is set to pursue continued expansion, leveraging advanced AI capabilities to broaden its reach, develop innovative courses, and extend knowledge sharing on a global scale. By 2030, the platform aims to have trained 50 million learners, underscoring its long-term commitment to accessible education.

In parallel, the Women's Empowerment Council is envisioned to grow into a movement of one million members worldwide. "But let's talk about something more meaningful than numbers," Semeshkina points out. "We're going to change the lives of a million women. We'll give them faith in themselves, help them believe in their strength and capabilities, and enable a million women leaders to become stronger, more powerful, and shine brighter."

Related: Mila Semeshkina Wants To Rewrite The Rules For Women In Leadership Around The World

'TREP TALK: Mila Smart Semeshkina Advises Women about Stepping into Their Power

"During my time in Dubai, I've watched the business landscape transform. More women are entering business, becoming successful, and expanding their capabilities. This momentum will only accelerate. A successful, wealthy, beautiful, happy woman will become the absolute norm. The glass ceiling will finally shatter completely. Women simply need to believe in themselves and their abilities as much as possible. They need to understand that there are no limitations and that success is inevitable. I absolutely believe in women. I see their incredible strength and energy. But here's what women need to remember: when we talk about feminine strength, it's not about being a small kitten who's merely cute or pretty.

"Feminine strength is a powerful, enormous dragon that can either warm with its heat or burn everything in its path. Women need to understand they possess this incredible, fundamental natural force. They just need to use it correctly, for their own good and for others. "I said during the WE Convention in 2024, 'I am a woman, and I can do anything.' That's the truth. Every day I become more convinced of this reality. My dear women, remember: You are women, therefore you can do anything. Everything."

Related: Big Goals, Bold Choices: Mila Smart Semeshkina, Founder, Women's Empowerment Council