Brief is the whole point at the start
Most kittens do not fear being off the ground; they fear being trapped there. A pickup that lasts three seconds and ends on the floor teaches a completely different lesson from one that continues into a carry, a cuddle and a pass to another person. So define success early as a tiny lift: feet just leaving the ground, body fully supported, landing while she is still wondering what happened, followed by a treat. Repeat that lift in different calm moments across the day. Because none of these micro-lifts ever becomes an ordeal, the kitten stops bracing when hands approach her body, and that absence of bracing is what later allows a real pickup, to move her from a counter or carry her to another room, to be a non-event.
Support is what makes a lift feel safe
Technique matters more than confidence. Approach from the side at her level rather than looming over her, place one hand under the chest just behind the front legs, and bring the other hand under her hindquarters so her weight rests on your hands and against your body instead of dangling from her chest. A kitten lifted without hind support feels herself slipping, scrambles, and files pickups under frightening, however kind the intention was. Hold her close and low at first, keep your movements slow, and land her facing the direction she was facing if she seems particular about it. If she tenses, shortens the lift rather than tightening your grip; pressure communicates alarm far faster than your voice communicates reassurance.
Let her behaviour set the progression
Advance only when the current stage is visibly easy: relaxed body, no scrambling, happy to take the landing treat and carry on with her day. From seconds on the spot, progress to standing up with her, then to a step or two, then to being carried a short distance and put down somewhere pleasant. Watch the subtle refusals that say you have outrun her: turning her head away sharply, going rigid, pushing against your chest, or avoiding you afterwards. Any of those means the next session goes back a stage and stays there a while. Some kittens will always prefer four feet on the floor and accept only functional pickups; that is a legitimate outcome, and a kitten who tolerates necessary lifts calmly has passed the test that matters.
Practise the pickups real life will require
Once brief lifts are easy, rehearse the specific pickups she will meet as an adult: being lifted onto a surface for a health check, being picked up and placed into a carrier, being moved quickly away from something dangerous. Keep these rehearsals short, supported and rewarded, and separate them in time from any genuinely stressful event so the practice stays clean in her memory. If she must be picked up urgently before training is complete, do it kindly and quickly, then return to easy practice later rather than treating the emergency as a training failure. Mention marked, persistent distress at being lifted, especially if it centres on one part of her body, at a veterinary visit, since new sensitivity to handling can reflect soreness.
Every pair of hands uses the same method
A kitten experiences each person's lift as a separate event, so one careless grabber can keep pickups frightening even when everyone else is careful. Teach the supported technique to the whole household, including how to land her and when to stop, and make it a standing rule that children are supervised and only practise the shortest lifts with an adult's hands nearby. KinsLe Family Sharing keeps the handling notes on your kitten's profile where family and helpers can see them, so the method she trusts is the method she always gets.