I personally think it is quite naive to assume someone hasn’t been great hardship or are not currently struggling with difficult challenges just because they have good education, seemingly successful career, wealth etc. No one can closely relate to everyone’s problems on a personal level but it is still possible to understand at least intellectually, and that’s more what Ts are trying to do, I think.

I have respect for professionals based on their competency, not on their position relative to me, social status, or whatever life experiences they had been through. They need to demonstrate and earn it with the work they do and their attitude. They can lose it if they are sloppy, unprofessional, incompetent, manipulative etc repeatedly. My first T completely lost my respect with those things. I did have respect for my 2nd T but nowhere near on the levels close to many colleagues I had and a few other service providers I hired in my life.