All eyes on Inge

Meet Inge, a true connector at heart. At work, she brings schools and businesses together. At home, she unites two cultures – the Netherlands and Portugal – while being the radiant center of her family. Happiness, togetherness, and sharing life’s moments give her energy. Curious how Inge, with her warm personality and instinct for the right match, always manages to make a difference? Read her story here.

The Trashious pay-off is: “Where some see trash, we see opportunities.” Why does this resonate so strongly with you?

Turning a negative starting point into something powerful and positive – that’s what appeals to me.

When do you feel at your strongest?

When I look my best and feel that recognition in the eyes of people around me. Happiness in life is essential to feeling strong.

In my current role as a relationship manager at a large secondary school, I build bridges between the school and the regional business community. When I’m able to make the right matches and connect the right people, I feel I’m truly in my element.

Who or what gives you that push when you need it?

Without a doubt my husband, Emidio, who never takes anything for granted. He motivates me to get the best out of myself and out of life. And it often works the other way around too.

Which choices in life make you proud?

That 32 years ago, against the expectations of some, I chose love with a Portuguese man. Together we’ve built everything we have today. Above all, I’m most proud of our three children and the warm family they’ve created together with their partners.

How do you minimize your footprint on the world?

In our family, food is central — it always brings us together. From my upbringing I learned that throwing food away is “not done.” I also make sure not to litter and often pick up trash when walking in the forest. These days you see more and more people voluntarily cleaning up with a trash bag and grabber along the roadside. I have deep respect for that.

How do you motivate yourself on days when you’d rather stay under a blanket?

Luckily, those days rarely happen. But when they do, I allow myself to give in — because I believe everyone needs the occasional day to just let things be.

Women often feel that if they do nothing, they’ll be seen as lazy. But the word lazy shouldn’t have such a negative connotation. Allowing yourself a day of doing nothing could actually prevent many burnouts.

What’s the biggest blunder you can laugh about now?

I can’t think of one right now — I’m not really that clumsy. Unless you can remind me of one, Ed? 😉

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received or given?

As a child, one of my uncles once told me: “What you start, you must finish — otherwise don’t begin at all.” I still think about that and live by it. I also believe you should always follow your heart, because it will guide you to the right choices in life.

If your bag could talk, what would it say about you?

My bag would say I’m not really a “bag person,” simply because I don’t spend money on them easily. But with this Trashious bag, I love showing it off and it makes me feel feminine.

What was your first job?

Stacking shelves in a supermarket and cleaning holiday cottages in a vacation park with my best friend — although we probably watched more TV than we actually cleaned. My sense of duty wasn’t very strong back then. Honestly, I only developed that when I became an entrepreneur.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

That I resemble Queen Máxima and Princess Caroline of Monaco — both amazing women.

Which women inspire you? Who would you love to share an evening of wine and wisdom with?

For me, there’s only one answer: Queen Máxima. I find her an inspiring, charming, and positive woman.

The best lessons sometimes come from the biggest setbacks. Can you share an experience where you stumbled, but came out stronger?

In my final year of high school, I failed economics by just 0.2 points. Instead of going to teacher training college, I went to the Hotel Management School. If I hadn’t made that choice, I probably wouldn’t have gone abroad for an extended period — where I met my husband and together we built several successful hospitality ventures, as well as our wonderful family.

In which 3 hashtags would you describe yourself?

My eldest son recently called me positive, involved, and caring. Those words made me proud, and I think they suit me well.

In which 3 hashtags would you describe Trashious?

Contemporary, charming, and stylish. Inspired? Your story deserves to be heard as well and we’d love to shine a light on it. We invite you to share it here >>