How can I make sure therapy is better this time around?

I feel like I've wrapped my head around returning to therapy.
I have been reading some of the past pages and links about choosing a therapist, general questions to ask, how to tell if they're a good fit, how to know if it's safe, etc. and just wanted to get more input.

If you had a string of unhelpful therapists what changed with the one that was helpful?
Did you create a list of needs/wants and see that they fit it based on experiences with past therapists?
Has anyone reached out to an ex-therapist for input for a new therapist? I don't mean having them send notes or whatever. But more like insight on anything they avoided or thought would benefit you? My psychiatrist was trying to help me zero in on traits/characteristics or anything so that maybe she could recommend therapists that she knows.

Sorry, there are so many questions, while I know to go of things I may want in a therapist like their approach, experience with specific mental health concerns, familiarity with LGBT community, etc. When it comes to trying to describe out the type of person I'd trust I struggle because there's few I trusted to go off of.
I only know that I'd need to be able to be in sync with a therapist that could balance being patient and being able to push me a bit.