 Hermes has said that she became interested in natural medicine while in high school to treat her psoriasis, and that "A bad experience with a doctor as a teen pushed her to pursue a career in naturopathic medicine".In 2006, she graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in psychology (magna cum laude) and earned membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.Hermes received her N.D. in 2011 from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington.