In this article, we report a case study of our experiences of a curriculum reform process based on the principles of phenomenon-based learning in higher education in the context of Finnish teacher education. We explore how democracy and participation were present in the decision-making process, highlighting the challenges of promoting the phenomenon-based approach and collaboration. First, we describe the reform's rationale, then the theoretical framework, methodology and the reform process. Next, we reflect on our experiences through documentary and interview data. The change process included representative and participative democracy approaches as well as an aristocratic approach. An individualistic culture became more collaborative, while the content-based curriculum evolved into a more phenomenon-based approach. Using an autoethnographic approach, we discuss our understanding of how the local teacher education community's response to the curriculum changes and the organizational culture overall became more positive. We conclude that organizational power structures, the autonomy of teacher educators, and collegial trust and support were crucial to the reform process.